456 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
blossomed will answer, they may be raised 
from the seed. Experiments made in France 
show the wood of the Ailanthus to have less 
density than that of the oak, and greater than 
that of the elm, while it is superior to either of 
the two in elasticity and tenacity. The writer 
above referred to states, that he knows of 
Ailanthus planks which have been exposed to 
the weather for twenty-seven years, without 
shelter or paint, and that the wood is perfectly 
preserved. The same author 
quotes instances in which the 
wood has been used for agricul- 
tural implements, etc., and it 
neither warps nor cracks. The 
wood saws readily, and after- 
wards acquires great hardness 
under exposure to the air. In 
a former volume we cited in- 
stances in which it had been 
used for cabinet work, and gave 
a note from M. McCullougli, who 
has found it one of the most 
available materials for vineyard 
stakes. A small plantation will 
keep up a supply of stakes, as, 
when cut off, a new growth springs up from 
the root. "With all these facts in favor of the 
Ailanthus, and only one against it, — and that 
being one which, with a little care, can readily 
be avoided, — we suggest to those about, to 
plant trees to give it a share of consideraton. 
^ * on — »— ^ 
i Cordon Training of The Pear. 
Our people are, as a general thing, averse to 
what may be called the refinements of horti- 
culture. The training of fruit trees against 
walls, which is a necessity in Europe, is, fortu- 
nately useless here, unless one wishes to hide 
a bare space, and then we prefer to use some 
rapidly growing vine. Cordon training, as it is 
called, means training a tree to a simple stem, 
be it horizontal, upright, or inclined at some 
particular angle. While visiting the extensive 
grounds of Hovey & Co., at Cambridge, Mass., 
tins autumn, we saw a 
successful specimen of 
training upon the sim- 
ple oblique cordon. This 
method of training 
would be useful to those 
who have restricted 
grounds and wish to 
grow a number of va- 
rieties, to those who 
wish to have some horti- 
cultural pet with which 
to amuse themselves, as 
well as to those who 
have places where it is 
desirable to have a 
screen. It is not com- 
mended to persons who 
have an abundance of 
land, or to those who 
cannot give the proper 
attention in caring for 
the trees. The oblique 
cordon was proposed by 
M. Du Breuil, of France, and is carried out by 
training the trees to a single stem, at an angle of 
45 degrees, upon a trellis made of wooden slats 
or furnished with wires. The trellis at Messrs. 
Hovey's was of wood, and this, in our climate, 
would be more suitable and less troublesome 
than wire. The trellis is made about 10 feet 
high, with strong posts at suitable distances, a 
cross-bar in the center, one near the bottom and 
another near the top. Slats are nailed to these 
pieces 18 inches apart, at an angle of 45 de- 
grees. At each of these slats a young tree, one 
year old from the bud or graft, is planted, 
which will of course bring them 18 inches 
apart. The young trees are pruned by re- 
moving about one-third of their length, 
cutting back to a good bud to prolong the 
growth. The next season the growth is to be 
V \ ». . v , — v V V 
PEAR TRAINED IS SIMPLE OBLIQUE CORDON. 
entirely from the uppermost bud, and all shoots 
which start from the other buds are pinched 
when they have made five or six leaves. At the 
close of the second year's growth the tree will 
appear as in fig. 1. One-third of the new 
growth is again cut away, as shown by the line, 
and the stem the next year is again prolonged 
by extension from the upper bud, the side shoots 
being kept pinched in, and this treatment is fol- 
lowed until the tree reaches the top of the 
trellis. For the first two years of its growtii 
at the trellis the tree is kept at an angle of GO 
degrees, but the third year it is inclined to 45 
degrees. Of course the tree must be kept well 
tied up to the slats of the trellis, and the pinch- 
ing must be carried on, to induce the formation 
of fruit-bearing spurs all along the stem. The 
engraving, fig. 2, shows a trellis filled with pear 
trees trained in oblique cordon, and indicates 
the manner in which the trees at each end are 
trained in order to properly fill the corners. 
We have given but a brief outline of the 
method, in order to bring it to the attention of 
those who wish to avail themselves of the ad- 
vantages it offers. The details of pinching to 
induce fruitfulness, we defer until near the 
time for performing the operation. 
Fig. 1- 
■TREE TWO TEARS 
OLD. 
Cutting and Preserving Cions. 
It is probable that the sooner cions are cut 
after the leaves have fallen, the better. We 
know that the vitality of the peach and other 
somewhat tender trees is impaired by severe 
cold, and we may infer that cions of the trees 
we consider hardy are, to say the least, in no 
wise benefitted by this exposure to the great 
variations of a northern winter. Cions should 
be preserved at a temperature so low that the 
buds will not be induced to swell, and in a man- 
ner that will not deprive them of their natural 
moisture. At the same time they must not be 
surrounded by an excess of moisture, which 
would induce decay. These conditions are met 
in a rough way by burying the grafts in sand or 
earth which is only very slightly damp. The 
objection to this mode of preservation is, that 
the cions become covered with grit, which much 
annoys the person who sets them by dulling his 
knife. "When bog-moss (Sphagnum) can be 
obtained, this will be found an excellent ma- 
terial with which to pack the cions ia a box. 
It should be used very slightly moist. Saw- 
dust, which can be obtained almost everywhere, 
is equally good. Taken just as it comes from 
the mill, it is of the proper degree of dampness, 
and will preserve cions perfectly if used as a 
packing material. Where there are many cions 
aud they will not be needed during winter for 
root-grafting, they may be placed in a box 
which is to be only half or two-thirds full; 
cross-pieces are fastened upon the inside in such 
a manner as to prevent the cions from falling 
out when it is inverted. The box is then 
buried, upside down, in a place where water 
will not come in con- 
tact with the cions. In 
putting away grafts one 
cannot be too careful 
to prevent their losing 
their identity. Tie se- CI0N - 
curely in bundles, and with eacli tie up a slick 
marked in such a manner as not to be obliterat- 
ed. Some take the precaution to cut away a 
portion of one or .two of the larger cions, in 
order to obtain a flat surface on which numerals 
are cut with a knife, as shown in the engrav- 
ing. A permanent record is of course kept 
of the varieties indicated by these numbers. 
Have you any Grape Vines? 
"While enjoying an abundance of grapes this 
autumn, we have often wondered if any reader 
of the Agriculturist who owned or hired a piece 
of ground, no matter how small, was without 
this delicious fruit. If there are any grape-less 
ones among our constituents, it is not that we 
have not in past seasons said sufficient about 
grapes. "We have discussed varieties, and given 
the plainest possible directions for the cultiva- 
tion of the vine. We were accused of having 
the grape fever. It is a very good fever to have, 
and if it were contagions we should as a people 
be much better off. We would have every one 
plant a vine or vines, no matter whether they 
own the land on which they place them or not. 
An old friend of ours, who changes his resi- 
dence almost every year, always plants vines ia 
the yard of his new dwelling, and leaves them 
there for the benefit of those who may come 
after him. l; The grape business has been over- 
done," is now a common remark. In one sense 
it has been overdone. Those who with no 
knowledge of grape-growing, calculated the 
number of vines to the acre, and the number of 
pounds of fruit to the vine, and made large 
profits by the easy method of simple arithmetic, 
overdid the business. So those propagators 
who grew supplies of stock far in advance of 
the demand complain that the business is over- 
done. Still the fact remains, that not one-tenth 
of the people have an abundance of grapes, and 
a still less number have them from September 
until January. The grape-vine is the most ac- 
commodating of plants. It can be kept down 
close to the ground, or it may be made to reach 
to the eaves of the house. There is scarcely a 
city or village yard which cannot support sever- 
al vines without inconveniently restricting 
the space. As for those who live on farms and 
have plenty of land, they can, if they will, have 
all that can be eaten in the family, and some to 
spare. The mail gives facilities for obtaining 
vines from a distance, and catalogues of prices 
are to be had of dealers for the asking. "Wher- 
ever the autumn is long, they may be planted 
this month, but in severe climates spring is the 
preferable season. As to varieties, there is con- 
siderable choice, aud it is also a point upon 
