320 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 7, 1888. 
supply of nutriment not in excess of the power of elaboration and assimi¬ 
lation, so that the essential buds had Buffi dent nutriment concentrated 
and stored. 
The other description of tree makes a strong growth—much wood— 
the supply of crude food is excessive, there is no concentration of the 
elaborated and assimilated sap, no storing of nutrition, no transformation 
of wood into bloom buds ; all is crude, gross, sterile. Summer manipula¬ 
tion of the growths only aggravates the evil tendency, cau-ing a second 
growth little inferior in profusion to the first. Restriction in this case in¬ 
creases barrenness. 
Let us lo 'k at the large tree—trees planted in borders and trained to 
walls in gardens or buildings. In planting a tree to cover a large space 
we have it on the free stock— i.e., the natural Apple or Crab, Pear on wild 
or perry Pears, Cherry on common Cherry, and Plums on the common free- 
growing sorts—hardy stocks adapted to the climate. They are fan or 
horizontal trained, and the pruning of that description that insures the 
f irm desired, the removal of parts not required, and the concentration of 
the food supplies on the crop and the essential buds or growths for future 
crops, securing to the tree the advantage of the shelter or warmth of the 
wall, alike for the blossom, the embryo fruit, and young growthsas for the 
ripening of the fruit and perfecting the bloom buds of a future crop. The 
trees make annual progression, and they come into bearing in the second 
or third year from planting. They continue growing and fruiting until 
at length these so-called extension trees are such no longer, inasmuch as 
they have covered the allotted space and are as much grown afterwards on 
the system of restriction as Apple trres on the Paradise, Pears on the 
Quince, and Cherries on the Mahaleb. Tne trees may be Pears on the 
Pear stock trained to a west wall 24 feet high with a spread of branches of 
48 feet. Marie Louise, Glou Morceau, &full-sized, and giving no need 
of pruning from year to year beyond shortening the foreright and other 
irregularities of growth in summer, shortening elongated spurs and 
thinning those where too crowded in autumn, nothing further beyond 
manuring being required to secure heavy crops of fruit. On walls 12 feet 
high, the trees 24 feet apart, just half the height and distance of the trees on 
the west wall, the aspect of the walls being sou'h, east, and west, where 
Pears were equallv fruitful of Louise Bonne of Jersey, Van Mons Leon 
L c’erc, Beur.6 Diel, P.sse Co'mar, WinterNelis, Ne Plus Meuris,&c., but 
a monster of Autumn Bergamot, twice the space of the others, did not 
fruit. The kitchen gar len, at least 1^ acre of it, were run with espaliers, 
ends north and south every 18 feet the iron espaliers 6 feet 6 inches high, 
covered with Apple and Pear trees planted 24 feet, and these trees bore 
well, requiring no pruning beyond a shortening back of the summer 
irregularities, and removing elongated crowded spurs in autumn, but the 
varieties that required to have barrowloads of spray removed in summer 
to keep them at all presentable were simply fruitless. All were on the 
free stock. It was the same with Plums against walls, Green Gage St. 
Patrick (not distinguishable from K'rke’s), Denbigh, &c., fruited freely, 
but Purple Gage was scant at bearing. Now, it was clear the trees in 
all instances were fruitful so long as the trees were extending, and after¬ 
wards when the supplies of crude material were not in excess of the de¬ 
mands of the crop and the leaves’ power of elaboration and assimilation ; 
but trees that make much summer growth could not endure restriction 
such as Aston Town and Autumn Bergamot Pears succeeded admirably 
as standards. This is a subject not taken into sufficient account by 
planters. Root-pruning in cases of this kind is not effectual. It checked 
growth certainly, but it did not induce a free-bearing tendency—the 
varieties in fact were not amenable to restriction either of the branches or 
roots, and it was a clear case of necessary extension, cutting the branch s 
away and training fresh or young ones in their places; even the Purple 
Gage Plum in this way was restored to fertility. The soil was a silicious 
loam overlying gravel. 
In the case of Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, and Figs, the trees were 
equally large, the first three on Plum stocks, the Figs of course on their 
own roots. The culture of these fruits is to all intents and purposes 
extension ; it is extension whilst the trees are forming, and extension 
after they are full-sized, in that there is a large displacement of fruited 
and old growths annually by young for future bearing, so that we gtt 
extension in the fullest acceptation of the term, notwithstanding that the 
trees are, as regards size, restricted to space and occupy its full limit. 
That such were healthy, fruitful, and long-lived need not be pointed out 
to those who remember fruit trees as they were seen in gardens thirty 
years ago. Orchards of standard trees were common to every cottage in 
rural districts. Farm houses not only had their orchards of healthy large 
fruitful trees, the boundary hedges of gardens were embellished and 
made valuable by standard Plum or Damson trees, the crofts and grass 
enclosures near the farmstead having vigorous fruitful Apple trees in the 
hedgerows ; beau iful Keswick Codlins, Hawthornden, Cockpits, Robins 
(Northern Greening), Golden Russets, &c. The large tree system had its 
champion exposition in the “ Gardeners’ Assistant,” first edition, by the 
late Mr. Robert Thompson, published nearly a decade later, or in 
September 1859. Thirty years, or say a quarter of a century’s activity, 
had given an impetus to outdoor fruit culture such as it had not previously 
had, and I submit it has not seen in this country since the attention of 
the cultivator has been directed toward the small tree system. 
We will look at the large tree system as it now obtain 3 . What are the 
large trees like on the garden walls ? Are the trees thriving, fruitful ? No 
they are apologies for trees, with spray overtopping the wall enough to 
form a tree as large as that on the wall. Where are the Apricots 
on the front of the house (that I as journeyman trimmed and nailed of a 
summer evening) that bore hundreds, in one instance thousands of golden 
fruit in a season ? The refreshing Cherries, the delicious Plums ? All the 
trees were allowed to extend,' the branches grew from the wall, they 
gummed, gave no fruit, and died. The Pear on the gable was also allowed 
to grow from the wall; it is thTe now, with shoot) a yard long, a thicket 
of wood, the fruit at the tip small and cracked. The tree has not been 
pruned for years, and cutting only made it worse. Glance at the orchard. 
Trees half dead, covered with lichen and moss, many bare places, fruit the 
exception, and what there is no b : gger than Crabs. This is the state of 
affairs in nine out of ten gardens, and ninety-nine in a hundred of dwellings 
and orchards. There are exceptions ! It is where a study of fruit-growing 
has been made—it is in the marketer’s plot. The market man must meet 
the market, supply it with fruit up to a stanlard of excellence equal to 
any sent there.'It does not do to grow fancy fru ts, his trees must be good 
and certain croppers, the fruit large, of good appearance, and serviceab e 
quility. He makes a selection of the varieties su ted to the soil and 
locality, keeps nothing but what pays—old w >rn-out trees are replaced by 
youn r trees of proved new varieties of greater fertility or marketable value. 
He plants hundreds of one variety where another man plants a score or 
half hunlred of varieties.— Utilitarian. 
AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON AT VALE ROYAL. 
There are few prett/er rail way journeys than that between Chester 
and Greenbank, a roadside station on the line < f railway which cuts its 
way through the crown lands of Delamere Forest, through a purely 
agricultural district, for the chimneys of the salt works are not seen until 
nearer Northwich. Leaving the quaint oil city of Chester, so full of 
historic interest and architectural beauty we take train from the Northgate 
sta’ion, and immediately a splendid panorama stretches out on each side. 
Rural villages, peaceful in their quietude ; the homesteads in the nearer 
distance, like pretty pictures in gold frames, of well-filled stack-yards ; the 
newly gathered harvest of the corn fields ; the pastures are fre-h and 
green with abundant herbage, and the cattle graze lazily undisturbed. 
Here and there the landscape is relieved by the wavy course of a running 
brook lined with Reeds wind-shaken, and tossing their beautiful purple 
plumes in the autumn breeze. The hedgerows here and there are made 
charming with the natural decoration of the wild H >p and B'ackberries, 
and other rich drapery from the inexhaustible store house.. 
Then the line takes you through the mo it interesting part of the 
county, so full of silent secrets of the R >mau period, when the Roman 
street ran through the Forest, now almost cleared by the woodman s axe ; 
and whilst the iroD railway runs through the heart of the wild woodland, 
the iron water way is laid beneath its surface to convey water pure from 
the reservoir of the hills down to the busy centres of Lancashire liffi. 
Now we get a glimpse of the forest as the train goes by through the glade 
between the Larches. Solemn F.rs toss their heads in serious movement 
as the wind sweeps along, the silver trunks of the Bhches stand like white 
wands among the sturdier stems of the Oaks, and everywhere there is a 
carpet of bracken and mossy growth. Altogether it is such a charming 
retreat as to set one longing that it might be possible to live the life of a 
kind of moral nineteenth century Robin Hood with of course his merry 
men, and for that matter, merry women too ! “ And you, I suppose, 
would be Little John ” someone' suggests with a suspicious flavour of 
roguery, which at once brings me back from the fields of fancy and leaves 
me face to face with more sober surroundings. 
Reaching Greenbank at last one drives slow through a pretty piece 
of country, and a private road leads us to ths Vale Royal, the seat, as 
every reader of the Journal doubtless knows, of Lord Delamere, one of 
the most famed places in the county to th >se who sing the praise of 
g rdens. Th? park skirts the Valley of the Weaver, is well timbered, 
and the mansion is not only architectually interesting, but the spot has 
a stid deeper interest for the antiquary, for this is historic ground. 
But we went out with the object of seeing th6 gardens, so we must 
seek the head garde oer, Mr. Milne. Vale Royal seems somehow natur¬ 
ally exactly the place for Mr. Milne, and he seems just as exactly 
the man for the place. Perhaps it is that they have, so to speak, 
grown on together, and the connection of such long duration seems 
a quite natural combination now. Everywhere we see evidence of 
the effective originslity, marked method, and industrious interest of 
the enthusiastic caretaker, who looks upon his flowers like children, and 
trains and educates his plants, so to speak, not as mere wood and bark, 
but as objects endowed with the resoonsive power of life, which cer¬ 
tainly manifests itse’f here in a wonderful manner. 
The first glimpse we get of the garden glory is a beautifully bright 
bank, graceful in arrangement, clothed with gol leu Elder, bright coloured 
Tropceolum, standard Pelargoniums, and Poppies, with the edges fringed 
daintily with Ricinu?, the purple palma f e leaves of which blend with 
showy effectiveness, and secure a peculiarly splendid richness. 
The outer portions of the grounds skirting the gardens are natural 
hollows from whence, perhaps, marl may have been taken in the past. 
These have lent themselves to Mr. Milnes’ original treatment, and every¬ 
where th 9 hand of art is so well concealed as to suggest nei her st ifuess 
nor rigidity. Rustic bridges have been thro wn over various parts of the 
grounds, quaint curves and pretty corners have been arranged, and belts 
of ornamental planting give a naturat charm appropriately conceive 1 and 
p operly carried out. 
We pass through the archway which leads into the garden, and 
here we find a most iogenious contrivance for hi ling the coal bou«e 
and stokeholes, none of which can anywhere be seen. The bank built 
above these necessary adjuncts is a dainty little rock garden of alpines 
growing quite naturally and freely. The eye is then attracted by a 
splendidly arranged border, at once rich in depth of colour, but not 
