1869.] CULTIVATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 109 



pyramid. Other stocks may be used, but, to keep them in proper 

 form, the knife will be much required in winter, and the thumb and 

 finger in summer. Much wood which should go to form fruit-bear- 

 ing branches will, for appearance^ sake, have to be sacrificed. If the 

 Quince stock is used, little or no winter pruning will be required — a 

 little attention in summer with the thumb and finger will do all that is 

 necessary. If we suppose our tree a maiden, with a good strong 

 shoot 2J or 3 feet long when planted, we cut this back to about I 

 foot 9 inches or 2 feet, according to taste. If we want branches down 

 within one foot of the ground, 1 foot 9 inches will be long enough, 

 but as a rule 2 feet will be better, as few people care for the branches 

 being nearer the ground than IJ feet. In spring, if the buds start 

 below where wanted, rub them off ; and if any of those left appear too 

 vigorous for the rest, bend them down to a stake and pinch out the point 

 after it is about 12 inches long. By thus using the finger and thumb 

 in summer — encouraging the weakly and depressing the strong — very 

 little work will be left for the knife in winter, save reducing the branches 

 to their proper lengths. The main stem ought to be trained to a stake 

 in an upright direction, but should not be pinched unless it is growing 

 too strong, and robbing the under branches, in which case it may be 

 pinched after it is about 20 inches in height. We do not, however, 

 recommend this unless absolutely necessary, as it has a tendency to start 

 the young buds intended for next season, and which, especially in Scot- 

 land, would not ripen, and consequently would be lost. In winter, cut 

 the leader down to about H feet from where it started this year, and 

 shorten the side-shoots to about 1 foot at the base, reducing their 

 length to about 3 inches at the top. Year after year the same course 

 is to be followed until the tree arrives at the desired height, when 

 pinching in summer, with a little application of the knife in winter, 

 will keep it in proper form and bounds. As a rule, from 6 to 9 feet 

 is quite high enough for trees worked upon the Quince stock, while 

 those upon the Pear stock may be allowed to grow from 12 to 16 feet. 

 Trees upon the Quince do not require root-pruning, but should be rather 

 encouraged, as they never incline to penetrate too deep, and they also 

 have a tendency to form a superabundance of flower-buds, which root- 

 pruning would only help to encourage. Those upon the Pear will 

 require it regularly, as already indicated in treating of wall-trees ; and 

 this rule holds good, no matter what form of training is adopted. 



Dwarf-stemmed stardards are generally upon the Pear stock, as are 

 also the tall-stemmed standards. Dwarfs include all trees with a stem 

 from 1 to 3 feet — tall all from that up to 5 feet, beyond which no 

 standard ought to have a stem. If the tree has been grafted near the 

 ground, and made a good maiden shoot, it ought to be cut back to 



