CULTURE OF THE PEAR ON THE QUINCE STOCK. 



25 



shoots not yet pinched. Fig. 67 is a side 

 branch, with its shoots a a, pinched ; b, is 

 the side leader, which should be pinched 

 or cut off towards the end of August to c. 



The perpendicular leader of the pre- 

 ceding year's growth, will in spring put 

 forth numerous shoots which must be 

 pinched in June, as follows : those nearest 

 the base, leave six inches in length, gra- 

 dually decreasing, leaving those next the 

 young leading shoot only two inches long. 

 The leader of these ready formed pyramids 

 need not be shortened in summer, as di- 

 rected for younger trees, it may be suffered 

 to grow till the horizon'.al leaders are 

 shortened in August, and then left six or 

 eight inches in length ; but if the trees are 

 intended to be kept to six or seven feet in 

 height under root pruning, this leading 

 shoot may be shortened to two inches, or 

 even cut close down to its base ; for tall 

 pyramids of ten, twelve, or fifteen feet, it 

 may be left from eight to ten inches in 

 length, till the required height is attained ; 

 it may then be cut to within two inches of 

 its base every season. 



I ought here to remark that pear trees 

 differ in their habits to an extraordinary 

 degree ; some make shoots most robust and 

 vigorous ; others, under precisely the same 

 treatment, are very delicate and slender. 

 In the final shortening in August, this must 

 be attended to ; those that are very vigor- 

 ous must not have their shoots pruned so 

 closely as those that are less so : indeed, 

 almost every variety will require some lit- 

 tle modification in pruning, of which expe- 

 rience is by far the best teacher ; it will, I 

 think, suffice if I give the following direc- 

 tions for shortening the leaders of the side 

 shoots and the perpendicular leaders. All 

 those that are very robust, such as Beurn: 

 d'Amalis, Vicar of Winkfield, Beurre Diel, 

 &c, shorten to eight and ten inches, de- 



Vol. iv. 3 



pendant on the vigor of the individual 

 tree ; those of medium vigor, such as Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, and Beur- 

 re d'Aremberg, to six inches ; those that 

 are delicate and slender in their growth, 

 like Winter Nelis, to four inches ; but I 

 must repeat that regard must be had to the 

 vigor of the tree. If the soil be rich, the 

 trees vigorous, and not root pruned, leave 

 the shoots the maximum length ; if, on the 

 contrary, they be root pruned, and not in- 

 clined to vigorous growth, prune more 

 closely. 



The quenouille, or tying down system, is 

 now quite out of fashion in France, and in 

 truth it does look very barbarous and un- 

 natural. The trees trained in this man- 

 ner in the Potagerie, at Versailles, are 

 mostly on quince stocks ; they are from 

 twenty to forty years old, and are very pro- 

 ductive, but very ugly ; all the shoots from 

 the horizontal and depressed branches are 

 cropped off apparently in July, as M. Pu- 

 teau, the director, is, I believe, adverse to 

 the pinching system of M. Cappe. In my 

 tour last autumn, I did not observe a single 

 quenouille in Belgium ; all were pyramids, 

 even in the gardens of the cottagers, and, 

 in general, these were very beautiful and 

 productive trees. In many cases when on 

 the pear stock they were too luxuriant, and 

 required root pruning ; but this I could not 

 make the gardeners comprehend. 



Pears on the quince may also be culti- 

 vated as horizontal Espaliers by the sides 

 of walks, or trained to walls with much ad- 

 vantage, as less space is required. Espa- 

 liers, or wall trees on the pear stock, re- 

 quire to be planted twenty-four feet apart, 

 while those on the quince may be planted 

 only fifteen feet apart ; this, in a small 

 garden, will allow of much greater variety 

 of sorts to supply the table at different sea- 

 sons. With these the same high culture, 



