FOREIGN NOTICES. 



341 



and experienced agriculturist, as director of the 

 farm. The first object is to render it productive, 

 that it may go as far as it can be made to go, to- 

 v.-ards defraying the expenses of the institution. 

 The second, to instruct the boys in the best and 

 most improved methods of husbandry. 



The institution had its foundation in private 

 subscription, and though in its commencement it 

 had many difficulties to struggle with, it has nowr 

 a firm establishment. (The Vicompte de Cour- 

 TEiLLES gave a large •esi ate, and M. De Metz, a 

 distinguished philanthropist and a royal counsellor, 

 besides sacrificing his (then) high position at court, 

 lives among the children, and gives, the greatest 

 of all charities, his whole time, his hand, his head, 

 and hear', entirely to this object.) 



Besides a farm, there are connected vv'ith this 

 institution, a large garden, an extensive nursery, 

 and a manufactory for the manufacture of all the 

 implements, carriages, &,c., which are used on the 

 farm. The boys are likewise employed in the mak- 

 ing of shoes, caps, clothes and bedding, which are 

 required, and many fancy articles which serve for 

 sale, and give them occupation when by any cir- 

 cumstances they are prevented from out-door labor. 

 The number of pupils is at present 450. It is not 

 intended to keep them after they are sixteen, but 

 they are willing to receive them at the earliest 

 convenient age. I saw several not more than six 

 or seven years old. They live in families of forty 

 or fifty, — separate houses, under the care of a re- 

 spectable man and his wife, who give them their 

 whole time. This seemed to me a most judicious 

 provision. They have a gardener with them in 

 the fields, who alwavs works with them. Many of 

 them have been condemned at courts of justice for 

 some petty offence, and many of them orphans and 

 friendless, have been taken up in the streets in a 

 condition of miserable vagabondage. The disci- 

 pline of the institution is altogether moral and pa- 

 ternal. Confinement, abstinence, solitude and dis- 

 grace, constitute the chief punishments ; but there 

 are no whips, nor blows, nor chains. It has been 

 so far eminently successful. A boy, who had been 

 early familiar with punishments and prisons, and 

 now for some time a resident of Mettraj', was 

 asked, why he did not run away from Mettray. 

 His memorable answer was, "because there are 

 no bolts nor bars to prevent me." 



I should add, that there is connected with the in- 

 stitution, a hospital, which was a model of clean- 

 liness, good ventilation, and careful attendance ; all 

 the services of which are rendered by those inde- 

 fatigable orders of good, the sisters of charity. 

 Ibid. 



Pyramidal Pear trees on Quince Stocks. — 

 Having many months ago read in the Chronicle, 

 some remarks in disapprobation of Mr. River's 

 Pyramidal Pear trees on Quince stocks, stating, 

 among other objections, that they were stunted 

 unhealthy trees, and that neither good nor hand- 

 some fruit could be expected from them, I beg to 

 forward you the size of a few I have just gath- 



ered from trees received from the Sawbridge- 

 worth nursery, only 10 months ago; and I can 

 also afiirm that the fruit is remarkably handsome, 

 and appears to be beautifully ripened. My belief 

 is that the wood and leaves of several of these trees 

 would not weigh so much as the fruit they have 

 produced. I must also add that they are highly or- 

 namental, and being perfectly upright, are capable 

 of supporting a very heavy crop in proportion to 

 their size; the leaves are large, and of a fine dark 

 green, showing perfect health ; nevertheless the 

 growth has been moderate, and they are now full 

 of blossom-buds ; in a few years I am confident 

 they will yield a very considerable supply of fine 

 fruit, and from their very pyramidal form will cause 

 scarcely any injury to the garden. 



The management these trees require is evident 

 and easily performed ; undoubtedly they must be 

 watched, but who can possess these beautiful 

 trees and deny himself the pleasure of watching 

 them? When we have a full grown Pear tree of 

 the height, perhaps of. 30 feet, and in full bearing, 

 it may be said there is a balance between the roots 

 and the leaves; in other words the roots are only 

 strong and numerous enough to produce leaves and 

 blossom-buds and fruit, but no additional shoots; 

 on the other hand, every young tree has a ten- 

 dency to produce more roots than are sufficient 

 to maintain it in a dwarfish form and fruitful 

 state, and if these roots remain undisturbed the 

 shoots will grow vigorously and require severe 

 pruning, and the fruit-buds will of course propor- 

 tionately decrease ; and as the growth depends 

 entirely upon the quantity of matured leaves, it 

 follows, if we want a dwarf tree, we must, as 

 soon as it has reached the required size, limit the 

 number of leaves to that point at *vhich the roots 

 will not stimulate the tree to produce injurious 

 growth. 



On the above principle, remove eveiy leaf on 

 every shoot down to the point to which you pro- 

 pose to prune, and as soon as it can be done 

 without danger to the blossom-buds, cut these 

 shoots all away, and in winter, root-prune; but 

 if you have had no occasion to leaf-prune, you 

 will also have no occasion to root-prune in the 

 winter ; and if the tree is as large as you wish it 

 to be, well-shaped, and has fine leaves and good 

 friut, it is perfect. On the other hand, if you 

 have neglected root-pruning where it was needed 

 in the winter, and have permitted, by way of 

 safety to the blossom-buds, the terminal shoots to 

 grow all through the summer, the tree will be- 

 come so vigorous, and a habit of rank growth 

 will have been so thoroughly established, that the 

 tree must be half killed by excessive root pruning 

 to reduce it to a disposition to produce spurs in- 

 stead of shoots, and then disease, small leaves, 

 and bad fruit, as named by the writer alluded to, 

 may very likely follow. If leaf-pruning is not 

 liked, nip off every shoot as soon as it reaches 

 the allotted limit; if it shoots again, nip it ofTone 

 leaf beyond this point, and repeat this until it 



