THE PEAR AS A CORDON. 



859 



Fig. 157. 



tliat tlie little trees liave no power to push forth a healthy 

 graft. If imported in this way they should be allowed one 

 year''s growth before being grafted. 



The Pear as a Cordon. — Having said so much about 

 the Apple as a cordon, we will next turn to the Pear trained 

 as an oblique cordon on walls. It does not, 

 as applied to this fruit, offer a distinct and 

 economical way of producing a better class of 

 fruit, as in the case of the Apple. Its ad- 

 vantages are simply quick growth, early fer- 

 tility, and a considerable number of varieties 

 from a limited space. Figure 162 will fully 

 show the appearance of a wall covered with 

 Pears on the cordon system. The plants at 

 each end, which display a fuller develop- 

 ment, show the means by which the ends of 

 the wall are covered. As will be seen, the 

 trees are placed very close together, which 

 makes the plantation costly. They, however, 

 soon run up to the top of the wall, and yield 

 a quicker return than the larger forms. 

 Then if one fails it is easily replaced. But 

 are these advantages sufficient to justify us 

 in adopting this system to any extent for 

 our wall Pears ? 



We may secure handsomer trees, less dis- 

 tortion, longer life, and more fruit, by adopt- 

 ing such simple and easily conducted forms 

 as those figured in the account of the Im- 

 perial garden at Versailles, and other 

 medium-sized and simple forms. Those 

 forms are handsomer than the wall or espa- 

 lier cordon for the Pear, yield a great number 

 of kinds from a comparatively small space, 

 and moreover, allow of a somewhat free and natural develop- 

 ment. We all know how comparatively few are the varieties 

 of first-class Pears which succeed to perfection in any one 

 place, and that the necessity of planting a new kind at every 

 eighteen inches along the wall does not exist. For the 



Pear Tree trained 

 as a Vertical Cor- 

 don. This form 

 is best suited for 

 very high walls, 

 &c. 



