THE FLOKIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ November, 
for delicate operations, the small strips of sheet indiarubber are extremely handy 
and useful, and far more easily fitted than a piece of matting.—A. F. Barron. 
CORDON FRUIT TREES. 
« HE past has been an abundant Fruit season. Take it altogether, probably 
the oldest inhabitant scarcely remembers a time of greater plenty. Here 
f and there we have heard of the fruit being small, but most of that which has 
come under my notice has been full-sized and of good quality. Of course, 
this applies to crops that had been thinned. Those that were left wholly to 
nature must in many cases have been small, from a sheer want of space to 
grow in. Apples, Pears, or Plums, clustered together like Cherries, and left to fight 
for room at such close quarters, must either have thrown each other off the tree, 
or agreed to remain within the narrowest space. It is not, however, of such 
general matters that I purpose writing, but of Cordons only. If may be of 
service as well as interest to many readers to inquire how these have borne 
themselves through this exceptionally hot and dry season. 
Cur horizontal Cordons are young, only about two years old from the bud, 
some of them, mostly Plums, three years. They are trained at distances of from 
6 in. to 15 in. from the ground. Cne objection that has been urged against 
Cordons is that in such positions the trees would be too hot; the opposite side 
object that they would be too cold ; but it does not seem as if they had been 
either. They flowered freely, and the Plums when in flower had a few spruce 
boughs laid over them. The Apples had no protection whatever. The Plums 
set admirably a very full crop ; Cherries were thinned off, and a heavy crop 
ripened. This is the more gratifying, as from sonae peculiarity of soil, or site, we 
have great difficulty in getting crops of Plums in this garden, either from stan¬ 
dards, bushes, pyramids, or walls. The Cordon Plums were a decided success, 
and though the Jefferson and other sorts were not quite so large as the same 
varieties on the walls close by, they seemed even better flavouerd. Gages, again, 
were of the highest quality, and what was sin^lar, were larger than the average 
samples grown on walls. 
I am also well satisfied with the Apples. Such varieties as the Calville 
Blanche, Eeine des Eeinettes, Eeinette du Canada, Eoyal Eusset, &c., have 
been very fine, and all that have fruited have fruited well, looked very 
beautiful, and been much admired. 
Cne peculiarity about the Cordon Apples is that they have neither been 
pinched nor cut since they were planted. They were planted in good loam in 
the spring of 1869, maiden trees on the French Paradise stock, and tied to their 
supporting wires full length. During the summer they put forth leaves along 
their whole length, but made no side growths. Neither did the main shoot 
make any start; but towards the autumn most of the buds in the axils of the 
leaves were plumped up into well-rounded fruit-buds, I have seldom seen a 
