110 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 5, 1888. 
the better for the plants. Having “ made the best ’’ of my clever oppo¬ 
nent as far as I have gone, I will wait with all possible equanimity his 
impending slashing on the fruit bud question, on which I do not intend 
to be pulverised without a struggle. 
N.B.—On perusing the above lines I see I have left a small chink in 
my armour which I will not attempt to repair, as I feel I can endure the 
little punishment that may be inflicted as the result of my temerity.— 
Thinkek. 
HARDY ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 
Visitoks to the recent Show of the Chiswick Horticultural Society 
doubtless noted a fine group of hardy ornamental trees and shrubs 
exhibited by Messrs. Charles Lee & Son, from their large collection at the 
Arboretum, Isleworth. They well served to illustrate the wealth of 
lants at our command for the adornment of parks, pleasure grounds, &c. 
I note only a few of the most striking:—Oaks were represented in 
variety. Quercus Daimio, the very large-leaved and fine Japanese 
variety, stood out from amongst its compeers boldly and distinctly. 
Q. argenteus pictus, the base of shoots dark green, young shoots punctated 
with white, very pretty; Q. Mirbecki or Zan, fine glossy foliage; 
Q. atropurpurea, beautiful dark purple leaves, one of the choicest Oaks; 
Q. concordia, this has been well named the Golden Oak, the leaves pure 
golden yellow of splendid effect. Acers too were very showy. What a 
striking subject is A. Negundo variegata, with its almost white leaves, 
one of the most beautiful trees ever introduced. A. platanoides Sch wedleri, 
young growth, bright purple; A. striatum, the pretty “snake-harked” 
Maple. A. laciniatum, “ Eagle’s claw ” variety, very curious Corylus 
Avellana fol. aurea, the new Golden Filbert. Prunus Pissardi, the new 
purple Plum, a great acquisition ; P. aeconomica, golden variegated Plum. 
Alnus glutinosa aurea, the Golden Alder, its large yellow leaves very 
showy. Cerasus padus elegans, a very pretty variety of Bird Cherry. 
Cornus aurea elegantissima, one of the prettiest of the Dogwoods. Robinia 
angustifolia elegans, a very elegant small-leaved Acacia. Fraxinus 
aucubsefolia, golden variegated Ash ; F. alba variegata, the “ Silver ” 
variety. Ulmus Roxelsii (Golden Elm), an indeed striking object for 
purposes of ornamental planting. Catalpa syringtefolia aurea, very large 
bright golden leaves. Persica purpurea, purple Peach. iEsculus 
rubicunda, the scarlet Horse Chestnut. A seedling jEsculus, unnamed, 
having very prttty foliage, the leaves being green-and-white, was note¬ 
worthy. Amongst other fine varieties, too numerous to mention, may be 
named some handsome standard Euonymus radicans variety, a beautiful 
silvery sort, which, introduced at fitting “ points,” added much to the 
charm of this noble group.—B. 
RIPE VERSUS UNRIPE WOOD-FRUIT VERSUS 
WOOD BUDS. 
I take “A Thinker’s ” silence on the question of the wood ripening 
a r ter the leaves are off and in subsequent seasons as giving consent to my 
views as expressed on page 458 of last volume—viz , “ I have no doubt 
of the wood hardening, but of its ripening I have very grave doubts, for 
ripening—that is, solidification—during growth or with foliage is very 
different.” That being so, how is it reconcilable with his statement that 
he had in view an aspect of the case on which I appear to “ lack expe¬ 
rience ?” Experience of what ? Ripe wood in autumn when the leaves 
fall studded with fruit buds, and unripe wood on which the wood buds 
are conspicuous through there being few fruit buds to mark the contrast 
and give zest to the examinati n 1 I maintain, despite “ the experiment 
of an observant student of fruit trees and an expert cultivator, or the 
lesson the owner of the trees, his gardener, and their several visitors are 
not likely to forget, and that it was impossible to ignore,” that the buds 
of fruit trees when the leaves fall are either fruit buds or wood buds, and 
that they do not change during the winter. It is not a question of theory 
at all, but of fact; and as for “ A Thinker’s ” charge of 11 lack of expe¬ 
rience” he would, perhap 0 , think differently had he, as I have, had to 
grow fruit in two localities, both about 500 feet above sea level—one 
midway betwten the North and Irish Sea, and the other not four mih s 
as the crow flies from the former—for twenty years, especially if he 
add twenty years plodding on low ground. 
If “ A Thinker” thought to escape from the dilemma by such theory 
I am not disposed to have so important a subject “ put on the shelf” to 
gratify his rhetorical proclivities some other time. The question is a 
very important one to gardeners, affecting as it does the health, fruitful¬ 
ness, and longevity of the trees. The question is, “ Does unripe wood 
jipen after the leaves are off and in subsequent seasons ? ” Debateable 
as it is, it does not on that account lose its importance. Unripe wood 
■either ripens or hardens after the leaves are off, and though it seems like 
“ hair splitting ” they are different; and I am pleased to notice “ A 
Tlrnker” admits the distinction—viz., ripe wood is effected with foliage 
duly exposed to light and air, the sap thoroughly elaborated and assimi¬ 
lated, and the material so formed is sound, healthy, fruitful, long-lived ; 
unripe wood may be due to too rich soil, food supplied in excess of the 
leives’ power of elaboration, ailed by weather unfavourable to evapora¬ 
tion, so that the material deposited as wood is soft and pithy, unhealthy, 
unfruitful, short-lived. “ Go on,” exclaims “ A Thinker,” “ there is hard 
wood.” Well, hard wood is—what? Soft wood with a large pith hard¬ 
ened? Nothing of the kind. It is not the wood, “ A Thinker” tells 
us, will get “ harder and harder as the years roll round,” hut soft sappy 
growth that is common enough on over-fed trees, and not necessarily 
overcrowded, sappy, and ill-fed.” Young trees have it plentifully, 
though the “ sun or light can act directly on the leaves ” at the base of 
the shoots and to their extremities. It is the wood your correspondent 
thinks it necessary to shorten “ the first year or two from planting.” 
Why ? To give the needful growths for furnishing the space ; to form 
the basis of the future tree ? Rather is it not to get rid of the soft sappy 
extremities by cutting back to “ hard ripe wood ” at the base ? “ There 
is no need to remove the soft growth,” “A Thinker” may say, and, in 
fact, it is wbat he does say ; “ they will ripen.” They will harden, which 
is different from ripening, as I take ripening, so far as any benefit result¬ 
ing to the buds and the wood in the deposition of cambium is concerned, 
to be effected with the foliage, and by that only. Wood or growth-harden¬ 
ing is the means by which acclimatising is effected. Plants are inured 
gradually to the influences of a colder climate. Our “hardening off” 
is only acclimatising by inuring plants to the influences of light and air 
before they are subjected to outdoor influences. Placing plants in frames 
from a warm and moist hothouse hardens them, they suffer no injury 
when placed outdoors ; but place o hers direct from the hothouse into the 
open air, and are they not chilled by the cold and scalded by the heat ? 
The wood hardens, as has been known from time immemorial, find¬ 
ing exemplification in the loosening of fruit trees from walls in winter, 
the exposure of fruit trees grown under glass by the removal of the roof- 
lights. and in the standing of plants outdoors in summer after the growth 
is made. The wood hardens in winter, especially if dry and sunny, and 
soft wood more than firm through the greater evaporation taking place 
from the soft wood ; but the soft bark does not elaborate the sap, and it 
is not assimilated simply because there are no leaves to separate or convert 
the crude matter into sound and transmit the latter to the wood ; in fact, 
there is an ascending but no descending current. The sap evaporated 
by the soft bark passes into air and is lost, the wood shrinks in proportion 
to the evaporation, an t it is simply harder because shrunk. It contains 
less moisture, and is not so susceptible to injury from cold, and its cells 
are contracted, contain lets sap, and frost does not rupture them so 
quickly. But what of the wood hardening if the winter be wet ? What 
if the weather be frosty and snowy from November to Maroh ? “A 
Thinker’s ” winter-hardening is like his bud-transformation, it only 
occurs “ when the conditions are favourable,” which, unfortunately, has 
not occurred once within the last forty years in this country to convert 
unripe into ripe wood. As it is made, so it remains—soft, unhealthy. If it 
escape being destroyed by frost it is affected by gum and canker. Some 
fruit trees are notoriously affected by canker and gum all their days, 
losing whole branches at a time from no apparent cause. Sometimes one 
tree is barren and another of the same variety fruitful, and some timber 
trees are black at heart long before the woodman under ordinary circum¬ 
stances would think of applying his axe, to say nothing of flaws in timber 
traceable to umipe wood in the early stages of the forest free. The 
lesson is clear. Unripe wood, however it may harden, is never healthy, 
fruitful, or long-lived. It goes to the rubbish heap sooner or later, and 
it is best to have nothing to do with it. If it be present in young trees 
at planting cut it away ; rely entirely on “ ripe hard wood ” as the only 
sure foundation of a healthy, fruitful, and durable tree. None other is 
of any good for a crop of fruit. 
We have seen that there is hard wood— i.e ., unripe wood hardened ; 
but this is not what your correspondent means by hard wood at the base 
of the shoots. We get a stage higher, or from unripe wood with wood 
buds only, to soft wood with fruit buds. On the “ upper, softer, greener, 
and younger portions” of shoots “A Thinker” tells us “fruit buds 
form, in point of fact they do not form so well on the lower, older, and 
harder parts of annual shoots.” Perhaps not, but the fruit buds on the 
soft extremity growths are not comparable in any sense with the fruit 
huds at the base of the shoots where the wood is “ hard and brown.” 
In practice the pruner cuts away all the manufactured wood. One, or at 
most two buds on the “hard ripe wood” of Vine shoots, are found to 
afford more compact hunches, finer in berry and finish, than can be 
had from buds a yard away from the rod or base. Why ? Think 
again. Manufacture “ breast wood ” or extension wood as you may— 
experience will cut it all away. If Vines are not a fair example, take 
the Peach. Here the experienced gardener will seek growth thoroughly 
exposed from its base to its extremity to the influences of light and air ; 
be will endeavour to procure the “hard ripe wood” which your cor¬ 
respondent asserts “ is a gigantic waste.” Ripe wood is produced under 
full exposure to light and air sustained by the action of the roots, and 
from end to end is a ma 5 s of fruit buds ; unripe wood is a consequence 
of excess of nutrition over the power of evaporation and elaboration ; 
luxuriant growth, though exposed to full atmospheric influences, is not 
nearly so well solidified at the extremity as at the base, and fruit buds, 
though not lacking, are not nearly sc prominent as in the ripe shoot, 
but it has fruit buds at the base as well as at or near the extremity. 
Now the wood at the base is what gardeners term “ hard ripe wood,” 
and that at the extremity is soft and unripe; at least the wood is much 
firmer at the base than at the extremity, yet your correspondent asks us 
to accept as a fact, that the extremity will store sufficient nutriment for 
the formation of fiuit buds, “ whilst the wood below and three months 
old—and which consequently ought to be riper—is barren.” Then, no 
doubt, thinking to clench his argument, he states, “ Ripe wood does 
not necessarily mean hard wood, but wood stored with nutriment by 
the leaves.” Now, Mr. Thinker, which is likely to store most nutrition 
—wood put forth in spring with the full force of the cambium or ripened 
wood, and that made after midsummer? According t .< “A Thinker” 
we have fruit buds at the extremity because more nutrition is stored 
there, oren what I shall without fear of question call unripe wood, and 
on the “ bard wo'd ” at the base, which 1 shall term ripe wood, we have 
