November 5 , 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
407 
reat many cases the trained trees supplied by nurserymen have 
een irreparably injured before they have left their hands ; not, 
however, from any carelessness on their part, but simply owing 
to the faulty practice adopted. The wounds caused by the 
severe pruning may have healed, but the dead wood covered by 
the new bark will in time make its pernicious effect felt, and 
the tree gradually, but surely, decays. Even if this be an 
exaggerated evil, the fact remains that in these frequently hard- 
pruned trees there are branches that have failed to keep pace 
with some of the rest, and these in time become “ hide-bound,” 
or refuse to swell proportionately with the younger growth 
beyond, and this again results in a collapse. Those who wish to 
avoid these dangers will do well to purchase maidens—that is, 
young, trees that have never been cut back, and start with 
these in preference to those that have been hard cut back two 
or three times, and which are known as trained trees. Not 
only are they very much cheaper to start with, but they can 
be got into full bearing almost as quickly as the trained trees. 
I say almost, as I do not go so far as some may be inclined 
to do, for the simple reason that the rapid extension system 
may also be equally as well adopted with the trained trees, but 
I prefer the maidens all the same. 
No difficulty will be experienced in procuring maidens by 
those who require them, as the nurserymen would rather sell a 
tree at Is. 6d. that would have to be grown two or three seasons 
longer, requiring to be pruned, trained, and replanted each 
season, and then only realise 5s. Maidens can be procured 
readily enough, even of the newer sorts, and which cannot be 
supplied as trained trees, but it is not the extra strong trees 
that are wanted, as nurserymen seem to imagine, but medium¬ 
sized, well-ripened ones, and which should be stipulated for. 
The former will have branched considerably, and as these 
laterals are not fit to lay in, the chances are, a considerable, 
perhaps the best, portion of the stem will be blind, whereas the 
medium-sized trees will not have pushed many of the lower buds, 
and these will be available for next season’s break. Further, 
these strongly grown maidens are apt to produce a few very 
gross shoots, and these require more skill in their regulation 
than many beginners would bestow on them. Mr. Taylor, when 
at Longleat, used to insist upon having these moderately strong 
well-ripened trees, even if he paid more for them, and since 1 
have taken to planting maidens, I have good opportunities of 
learning why they are so much the best. 
There are two methods of treating these maidens, one of 
which may be termed scientific, and the other the unscientific ; 
and the difference is, by the former a tree may be trained to 
almost, or quite as handsome proportions, as by the old restrictive 
system, while by the other a less handsome tree will be secured, 
but this will perhaps have the healthiest stem, and may live all 
the longer in consequence. I may be wrong in the latter surmise, 
but appearances in the case of our trees point that way. What 
I term the scientific system has been well advocated by Mr. 
Simpson of Wortley, who in his work on Improved Training - 
recommends that the maidens be cut down when first planted, 
say to within 4 inches of the union of the bud with the stock, 
two only of the shoots resulting, one on each side being retained, 
These shoots, carefully laid in obliquely, will, during the same 
season, form numerous laterals, but only two of these are laid 
in, both on the upper side, one near the base, the other one 
from near the middle of the shoot, the remainder being pinched 
beyond the second leaf and kept closely stopped during the 
summer. In this manner a healthy tree will have perfected six 
well-placed, and, if the other conditions are favourable, well- 
ripened main branches. Then if these branches, or the ripened 
portion of them, are laid in to their full length, any number of 
well-placed shoots can be trained from them, those not required, 
including all with a foreright tendency, being either rubbed off 
or kept closely pinched back. As Mr. Simpson states, and which 
I can fully corroborate, “ a comparatively large tree ” under this 
intelligent treatment can be secured in two years, and which 
will, in many cases, perfect a crop of fruit the following season. 
It is not always, however, quite such an easy matter to form a 
well-balanced head as I appear to suggest, so much depending 
upon circumstances. Given a healthy maiden to start with, and 
a good open position, either in a house or against a sunny outside 
wall, in which to plant them, and there need be no great difficulty; 
but when the maidens have to be planted among well-established 
trees, or if they are merely stuck into an odd corner with little 
or no preparation made for them, the case is very different, and 
the progress the trees make will be very slow indeed. 
What promises to be the best trees on the place were bought 
as maidens and not cut back beyond trimming off the lateral 
growth and shortening the leader to within about 18 inches of 
it 3 base, this preserved length of ripened growth eventually 
becoming the main stem of the tree, whereas in the case of the 
cut-backs it is divided into two main branches, and which are 
not always so well balanced as we would wish them. I find that 
where the slightly shortened maidens broke evenly and healthily, 
as many as seven shoots were laid in, and these are now the 
main branches of the tree. At pruning and training time most 
of these branches were laid in to their full length, and from 
each, as many young shoots were subsequently trained as were 
required to form the tree and cover the space. Those grown 
under glass from the first made the least sappy growth, and 
gave a few fruits the season following planting, while during the 
second season the best perfected about three dozen of fine fruit. 
A tree of Alexandra Noblesse planted early in 1882, at the end of 
1884 fully occupied a space of 12 feet square, and during this 
summer perfected seven dozen of fine fruit. I am aware that 
this is a poor achievement in comparison with what others have 
done in a les 3 time, too, but then our maidens had to be grown 
in forcing houses among old trees, and were at a decided dis¬ 
advantage, especially at the outset. 
Even with the unscientific system which I have tried to 
explain, the beginner will have to use some judgment, especially 
in the regulation of the branches, or a “one-sided” tree may be 
the consequence. Some of the branches are apt to assume the 
lead — grow much too strongly in fact—this resulting in the 
harmful weakening of the remainder. If these gross shoots ar 
allowed to have their own way for one season, they will alwaye 
retain it, or if, when too late, are cut hard back, the next breaks 
will be still more gross, and the tree be spoilt. If any of ths 
very sappy shoots that are produced cannot well be completele 
removed, they must be checked, so as to divert the flow of sap ty 
those branches most requiring it. Mr. Simpson recommendo 
“ pinching the points during the growing season of those thas 
are taking the lead too much till the othei’3 overtake them,” 
while another experienced grower removes a considerable number 
of leaves from those shoots tending to grossness, this effectually 
checking them, and both plans are good. When the trees 
are altogether too vigorous to be fruitful—and it is astonishing 
how very strongly some of them will grow—they must be lifted 
and root-pruned in order to give the necessary check. This is 
more necessary in the northern counties than with us in the 
more favoured south, and I am informed that in some districts 
what I consider medium-sUed well-ripened growth, would be 
termed coarse, and would not be fruitful in the counties of 
Durham, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and other moist localities. 
In our case, most of our maidens intended eventually for the 
houses are prepared for one or two seasons on the open walls, 
and the check given to them when transplanted is all that is 
required to make them fruitful. Once in full bearing, these 
freely grown and but slightly pruned trees give every evidence 
of long remaining in a healthy profitable state, very different 
in fact, in our case, to trained trees bought at about the same 
time. In a very short time they will have stems quite as large 
as have those trees that are four times as old, and which, do 
what we will to prevent, are frequently losing some of the best 
branches. The latter are being gradually replaced by healthy 
young trees originally bought in as maidens, and the change 
will certainly be to the benefit of all concerned.—W. Iggulden. 
THE WOODS IN AUTUMN. 
I FEEL I owe something to the Journal, and have owed this for a long 
time. Many people have also asked me why I never write to the Journal 
now, and some friends have expressed a wish that I should write once 
more to you on the subject of our woods. I am afraid I can write nothing 
new, but your readers perhaps will forgive me if this paper is dull and 
uninteresting, and give me credit for at least good intentions. 
We are now in mid-autumn, so far as the calendar is concerned, but 
so far as Nature is consulted there are here in this western county but 
few signs of it. The moisture in our air is so great that the leaves on the 
trees seem to retain their freshness much longer than those nearer town. 
We certainly are much later in coming into full bloom, but we make up 
f jr it in autumn. 
Will you take a walk with me through the great wood which surround 
our church ? I have recently made a grand ride, which traverses one 
side of it from end to end. The wood is in the form of a huge horseshoe, 
and a more lovely one I do not know. There is a farmhouse at each end 
of it, and the walk connects the two. The ride is made right through 
the middle, and rises and falls with the nature of the ground, and alt 
alonir it most lovely views open out. The Oaks are the great feature, not 
grand giant Oaks like we find in Warwickshire, but moderate-sized ones, 
but oh ! so beautiful. Many of the branches of this one have been injured 
by the storms, and hang half drooping, half erect. Here you can see but 
faint signs of decay, still the leaves are green here and there, like on the 
locks of a man who has passed the prime of life. Signs of winter appear, a 
few leaves are tinged with yellow, and a deeper russet colours the topmost 
branches and those that face the sun ; but the general tint is green, though 
