1869.] CULTIVATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 107 



ever portion of the shoots is removed is simply thrown away, as no 

 side branches are required to spring from them as in the case of the 

 fan ; and, consequently, the cutting back in the one was to encourage 

 the formation of branches, while the refraining from doing so in 

 the other is intended to have an opposite tendency. The leader must, 

 however, be cut back to whatever distance is intended to be between 

 the branches — viz., if one foot is the distance, cut the leader back to 

 that, endeavouring, if possible, to have the buds situated as formerly, 

 one on each side and one on the front. Next year, at pruning-time, 

 the same course is pursued with regard to pruning, and so on every 

 year until the wall is filled up. The branches, left at an angle of 45° the 

 first year, are brought down to 25° the second, and to their permanent 

 position the third ; and this course is also pursued during the whole 

 time of forming the tree, the reason for which has already been given 

 (see page 61, February number). 



As already stated, we do not think this so good a method, for various 

 reasons. It does not look so pretty, nor yet does it produce better or more 

 certain crops than the fan, and, to crown all, it takes much longer time 

 to fill up a given space. Take, for example, a wall 1 5 feet high, which 

 is a good average height, and thus it will be seen a tree trained after 

 this method takes fifteen years from the graft ere it reaches the top ; 

 and supposing each tree was planted 2-4 feet from its neighbour, 360 

 square feet of wall will be thus devoted to the use of one tree alone. 

 At the end of fifteen years, however, the tree reaches the top, and if all 

 side branches have grown equally strong, and granting that each shoot 

 increased its length by 1| feet every year, it will still take eight years 

 more before the whole space intended for the tree is occupied, making 

 it thus twenty-three years old before it fulfils the expectations of the 

 planter. In the case of the fan, however, it is quite different, as will 

 be seen by looking at it in the following way : — By the fifth or at most 

 by the sixth year, all the branches required to fill up the given space 

 will be formed, and if we allow that the furthest from the top is 12 

 feet, it will thus be seen that in eight years more the wall will be filled 

 up if they grow at the rate of 1|^ feet per annum, the same as we have 

 allowed for the horizontal. By this calculation we have to add six 

 and eight years, which makes fourteen, and subtract it from twenty- 

 three, which leaves nine years in favour of the fan. 



There are several other modes of training Pears upon walls, one or 

 two of which may be here noticed — viz., the herring-bone fan, the 

 oblique, and curvilinear ; but these, as well as many other forms, are 

 modifications of the two which I have already described, and, with the 

 exception of the curvilinear, which is sometimes very useful where it 

 may be necessary to have recourse to it in the case of a very strong- 



