WINTER MEETING. 141 



Too many trees, or even too many shrubs, per acre is a great mis- 

 take. Trees, to be profitable, must have plenty of room. Well-started 

 trees and properly taken care of can be kept in thrifty, profitable 

 bearing more than double the time usually seen under ordinary treat- 

 ment, and during all these many years be entitled to the dignified 

 name of beautiful trees, and at the same time be the joy and delight,. 

 as well as the profit, of the owner. Efforts to grow pears and quinces 

 on shrubs have so very often proven abortive, even more so than 

 apples and peaches. Good, well-developed, thrifty pear and quince 

 trees are easily obtainable, not by dwarfing, but by starting and pur- 

 suing common-sense treatment. This must be done by a plan withia 

 the reach of any and all fruit-growers who are willing to plant and 

 grow trees instead of shrubs. A departure from present methods 

 must be fully adopted and followed. Exact distance to plant trees 

 apart, all kinds of trees on all kinds of land for best results, cannot be 

 given, nor can in all trees exact length of body of trees be given ; but 

 a well-defined, visible, straight, one-trunk, smooth, clean body, of suffi- 

 cient length to keep up and hold the limbs above the ground, so that 

 the fruit may be gathered without creeping under brushy shrubs. Cut- 

 back, dwarfed trees or shrubs are generally too well supplied with 

 limbs, and in a few years go into general decline and worthlessness, so 

 that they are dead-old by the time that, if they were properly shaped 

 and given a natural good -chance, would be just coming into good, 

 profitable bearing. Tall trees — high-top trees — are not desirable, but 

 heavy-bearing, long-lived trees are always most profitable, and in order 

 thereto, trees must be started right. Shaping and pruning must be 

 completed before trees come into heavy bearing. Very little pruning 

 is needed if done at the right season and in time. A man must be 

 willing to be governed in some measure by nature, but he should be 

 manly. 



The inexhaustible subject of horticulture will be more easily and 

 thoroughly understood when its advocates cease working against na- 

 ture. When trees are more generally planted in preference to shrubs ; 

 when it becomes generally known that a much less number of trees 

 will produce a much greater quantity and better quality of fruits than 

 can be done with shrubs, and dwarfed and stunted bunches of roots 

 and tops, and when trees 40 and 50 years old bear as good fruit as 

 when they first came into bearing. Nurserymen should be paid a 

 price for " trees " for transplanting that will fully justify them in using 

 up one whole root for one "tree." Nurserymen can afford to encour- 

 age growth in roots, body and limbs or tops, and very measurably stop 

 cutting, cut, cut, cutting. Growth is wanted for trees. Shape must be 



