92 
JOURNAL  OF  HOOrrCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  29,  19C3. 
plant  to  forage  for  it,  so  to  speak,  and  whenever  it  is  needed  by 
healthy  specimens,  there'  they  will  be  looking  for  it. 
Speaking  of  thei  shrivelling  of  the  old  pseiudo-bulb,  there  is 
one  curious  exception  to  the  rule  that  shrivelling  is  wrong.  The 
Ijseudo-bulbs  of  Odontoglossum  citrosmum,  owing  to  the  very  dry 
treatment  necessary  in  winter,  nearly  always  shrivel  badly,  and 
many  are  tempted  to-  water  them.  If  they  do  the  penalty  of 
the  loss  of  the  season’s  flowering  will  have  to  be  paid,  for  very 
few  bloom  spikes  are  produced  from  plants  that  are  kept  plump 
in  winter.  My  plan  with  this  beautiful  species  is  to  hang  it  up 
in  a  moderately  dry  house,  such  as  the  cool  end  of  the  Cattleya 
house,  as  soon  as  the  pseudo-bulbs  are  well  developed  in  autumn ; 
give  very  little  water  before  November,  and  then  cease  giving  it 
entirely  until  the  little  white  tips  of  the  flower  spikes  can  be 
seen  in  the  apex  of  the  new  growth  in  spring. — H.  R.  R. 
Habenaria  carnea. 
This  plant  was  introduced  to  England  from  Singapore,  a"nd 
flowered  at  Kew  for  the  first  time  in  1891.  The  flower  is  a 
delicate  flesh-pink,  which  fades  to  a  dull  white.  The  plant  rests 
in  winter  after  shedding  its  leaves,  which  are,  of  course,  deci¬ 
duous.  The  flowers  are  quite  lasting.  The  stem  bears  about 
half  a  dozen  flowers,  which  have  a  spreading  lip,  a  spur  3in  or 
more  in  length,  and  ovate  petals  and  sepals.  It  is  said  that  a. 
compost  of  peat,  sphagnum,  and  leaf  mould,  with  plenty  of 
moisture,  suits  the  plant. 
Cordon  Pears. 
« 
'( Concluded  from  ]>arje  54.) 
Intending  purchasers  of  cordon  Pear  trees  must  be 
careful  as  to'  their  choice  of  sorts.  Some  unscrupulous 
raisers  of  these  will  sell  anything,  but  it  is  not  all 
Pears  which  are  suited  for  this  methocl  of  training.  A  friend 
of  mine  bought  fifty  trees  six  years  ago,  and  several  of 
the  trees  have  not  produced  a  single  Pear,  and  still  show  no 
signs  of  producing  any  fruit  buds.  I  have  consulted  several 
catalogues,  as  well  as  books  on  fruit  culture  and  one  or  two 
growlers  of  cordon  Pears,  and  there  is  a  general  consensus 
of  opinion  in  favour  of  the  following  varieties,  among 
others,  for  growing  on  this  system : — 
Doyenne  du  Comice,  Winter  Nelis,  Josephine  de 
Malines  (d.g.),  Glou  Morceau,  Nouvelle  Fulvie,  Marie 
Louise  (d.g.),  Easter  Beurre  (d.g.),  Thompson’s,  Brown 
Beurre  (d.g.),  Bergamotte  Esperen,  Gansel’s  Bergamot, 
Beurre  de  Jonghe  (d.g.),  BeiuTe  d’Aremberg,  and  Marie 
Benoist.  “D.G.”  against  the  names  of  certain  Pears 
means  that  those  varieties  need  to  be  double-grafted  if 
early  fertility  is  desired.  Many  more  might  be  added  to 
the  above  hst,  but  those  mentioned  combine  excellence  of 
qualitjq  a  constitution  suited  for  this  restricted  form  of 
training,  and,  for  the  most  part,  lateness  in  ripening. 
The  easiest  waj^  of  growing  cordon  Pears  is  against 
walls,  as  the  question  of  support  does  not  then  offer  any  diffi¬ 
culty,  and,  as  wall  space  is  always  valuable,  especially  of 
the  height  cordons  need,  it  is  advisable  to  grow  only  late 
Pears  on  this  system,  as  these  require  more  sun  heat  to 
bring  them  to  perfection  than  the  earlier  varieties.  Some 
Pears  which  are  .not  late,  such  as  Brown  Beurre  and 
Gansel’s  Eergamot,  Avere  included  in  the  above  list,  as 
they  require  the  radiation  of  heat  a  wall  gives  in  order  to 
acquire  their  fullest  perfection.  If  a  wall  is  not  high 
enough  the  space  upwards  may  be  increased  by  fixing  iron 
supports  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  stretching  wires  from 
one  to  the  other,  by  Avhich  means  2ft  to  3ft  may  be  easily 
added. 
Cordon  Pears  may  be  grown  very  successfully  along  a 
strained  wire  fence,  or  tied  to  bamboos,  or  to  laths 
attached  to  posts.  In  that  case  the  following  varieties, 
Avhich,  though  excellent  Pears  and  a  great  success  as 
cordons,  are  so  hardy  and  easy  to  mature  that  it  would  be 
wasting  good  wall  space  to  devote  it  to  them,  may  be 
selected  for  planting  in  such  positions; — Williams’  Bon 
Chretien,  BeuriA  Giffard,  Beurre  Superfin,  Beurre  Hardy, 
Beurre  d’Amanlis,  Durondeau,  Doyenne  d’Ete,  Fondante 
d’Automne,  Seckle,  and  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  Louise 
Bonne  of  Jersey,  one  of  the  most  suitable  of  all,  an  excel¬ 
lent  bearer,  and  one  of  the  be,st  of  its  season.  These  are 
a  success  in  any  ordinary  season  ;  but  if  such  Pears  as 
Easter  BeuiTe  and  Bergamotte  Esperen  Avere  planted  in  such 
positions  thej^  Avould  not  be  Avorth  eating  tAvo  seasons  out  of 
three,  unless  in  a  very  sunny  locality.  It  is  alv/ays  a  little 
risky  recommending  to  anyone  which  Pears  to  groAv,'  as 
there  are  comparatively  few  which  do  really  well  in  all  soils 
and  climates,  the  flavour  varying  even  more  than  the  pro¬ 
ductiveness.  Hence  the  diversity  of  opinion  in  different 
catalogAies  and  the  opinions  of  many  private  individuals. 
x\ll  of  those  mentioned  above  are  reliable  in  any  ordinary 
soils  and  climates,  at  least,  south  of  the  Trent,  except 
Thompson’s,  A\diich  must  have  a  chalky  soil. 
As  regards  flavour,  it  is  curious  to  observe  hoAv  Pear.s 
AA’hich  ai-e  highly  esteemed  in  one  locality  are  thought  little 
of  in  another,  and  some  reading  the  above  list  may  find 
cases  in  point.  If  so,  omit  them  from  any  new  list  of  Pears 
to  be  planted  in  any  form.  Those  recommended  for  a  AA^all 
do  not  really  need  one  in  sunny  positions  in  the  south  of 
England,  but  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  are  much  improved 
by  it. 
Cordons  may  be  groAvn  in  an  upright,  oblique,  or  hori¬ 
zontal  position.  If  the  wall  is  higher  than  12ft  the  upright 
cordon  is  preferable  ;  but  for  any  less  height  the  oblique  is 
better,  as  tending  to  restrain  the  vigour  of  the  growth,  at 
the  same  time  giving  room  for  greater  extension.  When 
planted  they  should  be  put  nearly  upright,  or,  say,  at  an 
angle  of  75deg,  and  as  they  get  established  this  angle  may 
be  reduced  to  4-5deg,  or  even  30deg,  when  the  bending 
doAvn  of  the  stem  will  lessen  the  flow  of  sap  and  convert 
undue  vigour  into  fruitfulness.  If  bent  down  so  much  at 
first  enough  vigour  will  not  go  to  the  central  shoot,  but 
may  cause  gross  growth  to  start  from  near  the  base.  The 
Pear,  being  a  pendulous  fruit,  is  not  suitable  for  growing 
in  the  horizontal  form  unless  it  is  trained  Avell  above  the 
ground.  If  the  Avail  runs  from  north  to  south  the  trees 
should  slope  to  the  south,  so  as  to  let  the  sun  in  better 
between  the  trees.  If  the  Avail  runs  from  east  to  Avest  there 
is  not  much  to  choose. 
When  the  cordon  system  Avas  first  introduced  it  met  Avith 
a  deal  of  coldness,  not  to  say  contempt,  and  those  w’ho  have 
not  seen  anything  of  it,  therefore  know  nothing  of  its  possi¬ 
bilities  and  advantages  under  intelligent  and  experienced 
treatment,  are  still  sceptical  about  it.  They  say  that  the 
cost  of  the  trees  is  so  great,  that  they  clo  not  last  long,  that 
the  groAvth  of  a  single  stem  wilLbe,too  Augorous,  and, 
above  all,  that  such  small  trees  can^  never  produce  the 
amount  that  standards,  or  even  pyramids  and  bushes,  do, 
and  would  not  pay  to  groAv  for  market  in  this  way.  It  is 
true  the  initial  cost  is  heavy  unless  maidens  are  bought, 
but  as  a  set-off  against  this  there  is  the  earlier  bearing  to 
be  taken  into  account.  A  cordon  should  bear  well  the 
fourth  year  if  planted  when  tAvo  years  old,  and  in  this 
respect  they  have  a  considerable  advantage  over  standards, 
the  earlier  return  for  the  outlay  lessening  the  initial  cost 
when  interest  on  money  is  taken  into  account. 
As  to  shortness  of  life,  the  Pear  is  a  long-lived  tree 
naturally  ;  and  even  as  a  cordon,  a  system  which  shortens 
the  life  of  Apples  and  Plums,  the  Pears  will  last  in  good 
bearing  condition  for  at  least  twenty  years  under  ordinary 
circumsta,nces.  The  too  vigorous  growth  of  the  single  stem 
is  not  often  a  difficulty,  as  the  trees  are  put  so  thickly 
together — 2ft — that  the  root  space  is  too  limited  to  admit  of 
it.  Besides,  with  oblique  cordons,  the  tendency  to 
vigorous  growth  before  a  heavy  crop  has  diminished  the 
energies  of  the  tree  and  the  food  supply  Avithin  reach,  can 
always  be  lessened  by  bending  the  stem  further  down.  It 
must  be  admitted  that  the. fruit  is  never  measured  by  the 
bushel  off  any  one  tree,  but  it  is  of  the  highest  quality  and 
largest  size,  and  it  can  be  picked  easily  as  it  ripens,  none 
being  picked  before  it  is  absolutely  ready  to  leave  the  tree. 
Twenty ,  cordons  can  be  grown  on  the  space  occupied  by 
one  good-sized  standard,  and  thus  the  number  of  varieties 
can  Idc  much  increased,  and  the  season  consequently  much 
lengthened.  This  is  a  great  recommendation  with  a  fruit 
that  lasts  such  a  short  time  in  season  as  the  average  variety 
of  Pear,  especially  the  summer  and  autumn  varieties. 
Another  adv'antage  is  that  the  w'all  is  so  quickly  covered 
by  this  system,  a  lOft  Avail  being  covered  in  two  or  three 
years,  according  to  the  size  of  the  ti’ees  when  planted,  -while 
with  fan-trained  trees  it  would  take  nearer  ten.  When  a 
cordon  dies,  or  does  not  succeed,  it  can  be  easily  replaced, 
and  if  a  piece  of  board  is  put  in  edgeways  on  each  side  to 
preserve  its  growing  space  from  the  roots  of  its  neighbours, 
it  will  quickly  fill  up  the  gap.  By  the  cordon  methocl  there 
is  a  much  more  equal  distribution  of  sap  than  in  the 
ordinary  Avall-trained  tree,  Avhich  seldom  produces  much  on 
the  loAver  branches,  and  thus  a  much  greater  quantity  of 
