350 THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT GROWING. 



all arguments against it^, and travelling many hundreds of 

 miles to have full opportunities of studying it; I would urge : — 

 1. The fruit is larger and finer than that borne on any 

 large form of tree. — 2. The tree comes into bearing much 

 earlier — in fact^ often bears freely the second summer after 

 being grafted. — 3. The growth is dwarfer and much more 

 compact than that of the apple on any other stocky and the 

 tree may, without root pruning, be kept in a more com- 

 pact and fruitful form than Apples on the Crab may be 

 with that troublesome attention. — 4. The fruit being held 

 at an average of one foot from the ground it is in conse- 

 quence benefited by a greater degree of heat; and from 

 the compactness of the form the leaves and wood enjoy 

 a greater amount of sun than is the case with high trees : 

 it need not be said that these are great advantages. — 5. The 

 tree being confined to a single stem^ and stubby fruit- spurs 

 held near the surface of the ground, there is in consequence 

 no injury to the fruit from wind or the swaying about of 

 branches ; besides, the fruit, if it does fall, is not injured. — 



6. The trees may be more readily protected than any other 

 form whatever, should protection be considered necessary. — 



7. They may be more easily attended to in pinching, pruning, 

 and thinning the fruit, and the desired shape attained more 

 readily than any other form of trained tree. — 8. Being little 

 taller than a neglected Box edging, they shade no garden 

 crop. — 9. They take up but little space, and the positions best 

 suited to them are those that hitherto have been made 

 little or no use of. — ^10. They will enable us entirely to do 

 away with the ugly and gouty old Apple trees now so 

 common in gardens. — 11. The apple on the French Paradise 

 grows to its highest perfection on stiif loamy and clayey 

 and wet soils, those which are often most inimical to fruit 

 culture in these islands. — 13. By planting it against low 

 walls we may grow for ourselves the fine winter apples now 

 supplied to the capitals of Europe from northern France 

 and from America. 



The reader, knowing my views on this system — knowing 

 perhaps the contemptuous opinions which many persons hold 

 of the cordon in England, and understanding that it is highly 



