PEAR CULTURE. 



Downing says : " The quince grows naturally in rather moist soil, by the side 

 of rivulets and streams of water." Thomas adds : " The soil for the quince should 

 be deep and rich — a i-athcr moist soil has been preferred by many, though not 

 essential — deep and enriching cultivation being of incalculably more importance." 

 The importance of deep and rich cultivation we admit, but unless it be in connec- 

 tion with a moist soil — such as a proper substratum only will give you in our 

 climate — failures will be the rule, and successful culture the exception, as fruit 

 culturists will testify when their observations are made matter of record. And 

 since, in all probability, but few of those who have embarked in the growing of 

 the Pear on the quince have been aware of the necessity of studying the habitudes 

 of the stock, it will be strange, indeed, if expectations of success should fail to 

 be realized from this cause alone. 



But the most weighty objection to the general introduction of the dwarfing of 

 the Pear is, that in a great majority of cases the orchard-trees, especially, will not 

 receive sufficient attention to secure success. A Pear-tree, once established in any 

 soil of moderate tilth, will take care of itself, will ordinarily find nutriment enough 

 to secure vigorous growth, will at least make progress in the world, and bear fruit. 

 Not so with the dwarf. The range its rootlets travel for food is circumscribed. 

 Numerous as those rootlets are, they will soon exhaust the soil of the food nature 

 has supplied, and if attention is not given it — and good attention, too — it very 

 soon shows its neglect. And good feeding is not all that is required. If well 

 fed, it will give you towering shoots ; these you must repress. But, with this, 

 your work is not done. Your spring pruuiug, laboriously completed, is soon 

 followed by a call for June pinching. And, again, your autumn shortening must 

 not be neglected, or your reward for high culture will consist in great luxuriance 

 of growth, which, though pleasing to the eye, will not satisfy the palate. And, 

 furthermore, in orchard culture, in our country of abounding high winds, with 

 occasional thunder-storms, the culturist who neglects to shorten-in will sometimes 

 find the reward for his labor unexpectedly given in a prostration of his heavy- 

 laden trees, and his hopes together. The separation is so readily made at the 

 usual swelling over — just at the junction of the graft with the stock — that it is not 

 unusual, under these circumstances, for this accident to occur. 



This repressing of the ivood force by the usual spring pruning, June pinching, 

 and August shortening-in of the shoots, when described to the novice, appears 

 more like play than work ; and, when demanded by the few pet dwarfs in the 

 garden of the amateur, is truly pleasant recreation, but, to the orchardist — with 

 knife in hand — the work of thus preserving a due relation between the wood and 

 fruit principles in his hundreds of trees that have already attained the size good 

 cultivation for a number of years has given them, is the imposition of no slight 

 task. Very few have any adequate idea of the labor demanded, and fewei", still, 

 when they learn it have moral courage manfully to meet it. Untrained laborers 

 cannot here be trusted — one's own hands, or those of a judicious gardener, must 

 do the work. 



Cowper has well expressed the feelings of the orchardist on this subject, when 



he says : — 



" These, therefore, are his own peculiar charge ; 

 No meaner hand may discipline the shoots, 

 None but his steel approach them." 



" He disposes neat 

 At measured distances, that air and sun, 

 Admitted freely, may afford their aid, 

 And ventilate and warm the swelling buds." 



