502 



DWARF PEAK TREES. 



Fig;. 113. Conical Dwarf Pear Tree, 



This form is produced by carefully prun- 

 ing the branches so as to diminish gradual- 

 ly from the lowest that surround the tree at 

 its base, up to those that form the upper- 

 most tier at the top of the tree, so that when 

 the tree has attained its utmost height, say 

 8 or 10 feet, according to the fancy of its 

 owner, it will resemble a truncated cone, 

 by taking out the leading shoot down to the 

 upper row of branches. 



This is to be bioughl about by degrees, 

 as the tree advances in its growth, pruning 



the lowest brandies to a length not exceed" 

 iiig 4^ feet on trees ten feet high, and 4 

 feet on those that arc only 8 feet high, when 

 the form of the tree is perfected, and dimi- 

 nishing the length of each successive tier of 

 branches from about four to six inches in 

 length, according to the distance that exists 

 between their stages. AVhen your tree has 

 attained the requisite height of eight or ten 

 feet, to the upper tier of branches, you cut 

 out the leading shoot (a) close to their inser- 

 tion, as before mentioned.* 



While this operation of regulating the 

 length of the branches is going on, great 

 care must be taken to prune the side shoots 

 on each circle of branches, so as to produce 

 Fi-uit Spurs, or what the French call Jloti- 

 quets. 



If ihe trees, when taken from the nursery, 

 are not well furnished with branches all 

 around the stem, or have them only towards 

 the upper part of it, then it will be best to 

 prune them in the usual way for headed 

 Standards. 



Respectfully yours, 



Saml. G. Perkins. 



Brookline, near Bostoti; March 18, 1847. 



Fig. 113 represents a dwarf pear trained in the conical 

 form — perhaps the very best, as our correspondent observes, 

 for the production of a large quantity of fruit in a small space. 

 We will add to Mr. Perkins' judicious suggestions tliat, 

 perhajis. tlie best way to grow trees in this form, when suita- 

 bly branched ones cannot be obtained from the nursery, is to 

 choose a tree of but one gear's gro^ith from the graft. Two or 

 tliree years' old trees are usually bare of brajiches at tlie low- 

 er part of their stems. Shorten back the single or leading 

 shoot of this young tree to within one foot or 18 inches of the 

 ground at tlie time of phmting it. This will develop the lower 

 branches; to encourage the growth of which still more, it is 

 well to shorten back the leading shoot, about the first of July. 

 This will, about the middle of the growth the next sprijig, 

 cause to start out another tier of branches a foot above the 

 last. The next summer, in July, the leader is again cut back 

 to within a foot of the last tier, which will cause the growth 

 of a third set. and this must be repeated every year till the tree 

 is from C to ]0 feet high, as the taste of the cultivator may dic- 

 tate. Pinching off, in summer, the ends of such side-shoots 

 that an- inclined to grow too long, is considered a better mode 

 than pruning them. — Ed 



