438 THE GARDENER. [Oct. 



Regarding the Pears, there has been this season a good crop on Louis 

 Bonne of Jersey ; spare crops on Alexander Lambre, Easter Beurre, 

 and Williams's Bon Chretien j and not a fruit on Beurre Diel and 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme. It did appear that the constant pinching 

 back of the shoots to two or three eyes caused the tree to make vigor- 

 ous root-growth, and this reacted on the tree in the form of bringing 

 out numbers of shoots all over it, while but very few fruit-buds were 

 formed, or none at all. This season we altered the plan of pruning, 

 and all the leading shoots have been allowed to make a free growth, 

 but only one permitted to remain when two or three had issued from 

 the same stem of a branch. All lateral growths were kept cut back 

 to three or four eyes. The leading shoots have now perfected, and 

 are maturing the summer growth; and by Christmas these will be 

 cut back to five or more eyes, according as the pyramidal shape of the 

 tree can be best secured. Each tree is now clothed with fruit-spurs, 

 and plentiful crops next season may be fairly predicted. 



Similarly as in the case of the Pears, the Apples were subjected to 

 the same process of constant pinching back. King Pippin has yielded 

 a fair crop ; Early Margaret and Cox's Orange Pippin only a very 

 few • Nelson's Glory, usually a free bearer, and some others, none at 

 all. The same course of treatment as applied to the Pears this sum- 

 mer fell to the lot of the Apples. There is not a tree without fruit- 

 ing spurs ; and with but one exception, and that a bad situation, there 

 is the promise of a very plentiful crop for another season. The drought 

 notwithstanding — and the London district has suffered very severely 

 from it — each Apple-tree has made a fine vigorous growth, to the mani- 

 fest improvement of the plants in general. Hitherto the trees, both 

 Pears and Apples, were continually making young wood till late in the 

 season ; now there is no appearance of young growth, nor has there been 

 for the past month ; and the growth of the summer, as presented in the 

 unshortened main shoots, is ripening off admirably. Some bush 

 Apples and Plums planted last November have been similarly treated, 

 and though sorely tried by the drought, there is every appearance of 

 abundant bloom. 



Whether this mode of treatment will produce permanent effects of a 

 character like those that now result, is as yet "not proven." Finding 

 by the non-fruitfulness of the trees that the mode of pruning previ- 

 ously carried out was producing results of a totally different character 

 to those wished for, we felt the urgent need for some modification of 

 the pruning process; with what effect has been shown. Thinking the 

 best way to answer our correspondent would be to lay before him our 

 own experience, we have done so, and leave it with him. Should he 

 be induced to follow it, or apply it in] part, we shall be glad to learn 



