254 VILLA GAEDENING pakt hi 



As regards the renovation of old Pear trees, reference is made to 

 what has been said about the Apple, as the same treatment will 

 suit the Pear. 



In the case of trained or restricted trees, pruning is even more 

 indispensable ; but when it has caused injury, which I admit it 

 may if ignorantly done, it is not pruning as an abstract principle 

 which has been at fault. It is the pniner who has failed to grasp 

 the right idea ; but in most cases in the winter management of 

 fruit trees the chief work, where the summer pruning was rightly 

 done, will consist in cutting out dead wood, shortening back snags 

 and long spurs, or thinning out the spurs where too numerous. 

 This will only be necessary to a limited extent, unless the trees 

 have been mismanaged previously for some years. In priming, of 

 course, it is absolutely essential that the pruner should make a 

 study of each tree, because some trees produce blossom liuds on the 

 ends of comparatively long spurs. The Marie Louise Pear may be 

 cited as a case in point. The sound, plump little buds that con- 

 tain the future blossoms are so different from the longer thinner 

 wood buds that no further reference is needed. Yet I remember 

 one case where an unskilled pniner in cutting promiscuously did a 

 good deal of damage to the future crops by not being able to 

 identify the fruit buds ; but such ignorance is rare. 



Insects and Diseases. — On suitable soils the Pear is a long- 

 lived tree, and there is generally an absence of insect attacks and 

 freedom from disease. Sometimes, indeed, the larva of a species 

 of sawtly (commonly called the Pear slug, because of its resemblance 

 to a small black slimy slug) makes its appearance about July on 

 the upper sides of the leaves, where its work is very rapid, speedily 

 eating off all the green matter, when of course the leaves fall and 

 the trees are very seriously injured. I had to deal with a rather 

 troublesome case on an east wall some years ago ; but I destroyed 

 the insects by using lime-water throi;gh the garden engine. Lime 

 dusted over the leaves from above was speedily effective. If a 

 remedy is applied early there will be no great amount of injury 

 done. Coccus PjtI, the Pear Scale, often attacks weakly trees ; 

 but it is easily got rid of by washing them in winter, when 

 the leaves are down and the buds dormant, with a strong solu- 

 tion of Gishurst compound, not less than G ounces to a gallon of 

 water ; applying it warm with a spokebrush, rubbing it well in 

 among the spurs or wherever the insects congregate. Sometimes 

 tlie liquid is thickened to the consistency of paint by adding 

 lime, soot, sulphur, and clay, and applied with a small brush. 

 In bad cases this dressing is generally effectual. But when the 

 presence of insects can be ascribed to the weakness or debility of 



