OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 65 



on very young wood, while tlic plan recommended is far safer 

 and quite as easily executed. This method is much in use 

 in France, and called there " greffe par approche herbac<^e." 

 A neat illustration can be seen in M. Dubreuil's work, at 

 page 7, ed. 1857. 



CHAP. XVI. 



OBJECTIONS TO CORDON TRAINING ANSWERED. 



The first objection to Cordon training seems to be its ap- 

 parently artificial form, by which the tree, being closely 

 spurred in during the summer, is more rapidly exhausted 

 and its duration diminished. You hear people after passing 

 by the Cordon trees with "faint praise grudgingly given," 

 even to visible results, come at last to some other specimen, 

 trained on obsolete systems, and exclaim, " Ah ! this looks 

 like a tree." A sigh of relief at their torture being now 

 over, proves the sincerity of their present words. How often 

 has it been my fate to hear such observations, not from prej- 

 udiced and ignorant men, but from otherwise well-informed 

 people. I really think that in this, as in many other cases 

 by the bye, that the fairer half of the creation has shown a 

 higher discernment. It is truly astonishing how soon intel- 

 ligent ladies will surpass us in horticultural pursuits ; and, 

 no doubt, the day is at hand when the soi-disant lords of the 

 creation will surrender the management of their orchard- 

 houses to the more enterprising management, certainly to the 

 more patient investigation of causes and results — of their 

 help-mates. They at least have generally taken on trust 

 what they did not immediately apprehend ; and at the end of 

 the seaso!*! been able to rejoice in their decision. 



But in the case immediately referred to, all experience, as 

 yet, proves that no exhaustion of the trees, nor shortening of 

 their lives, takes place. And if it did, the remedy is so obvi- 

 5 



