HINTS FOR FRUIT GROWERS- 



HE FAILURE of cherries and apples 

 this season is most unusual and must 

 mean higher prices for other fruits. 

 In such a case, the revenue for the whole 

 season is often better than in seasons of 

 abundance, when prices are so low that little 

 if any profit remains to the grower. 



Pruning in Summer is little thought of by 

 Canadian fruit-growers, and yet if only 

 more attention were given it, much waste 

 of vigor might be saved to the tree. In the 

 vineyard, more especially, this hint is worthy 

 of attention ; for so much growth of vine is 

 allowed to go to waste, in forming useless 

 wood. Iggulden, in Journal of Horticulture 

 says, "Not only ought the thinning out, or 

 the reduction of the shoots to one or, at 

 most, to two at each spur, in the case of the 

 older canes, and to one at each joint of 

 strong, young canes, to be done early, but 

 the topping of laterals should commence 

 directly this can be done with the finger and 

 thumb." 



Of course the case of English grapes is 

 very different from that of Canadian, for 

 their value is much greater, and in many 

 cases they are grown for gentlemen who 

 have much money to spend and plenty of 

 workmen. 



Pyramidal Training of the Pear Tree. 

 — Mr. W. B. Waite, of the Department of 

 Agriculture, writes on pear culture in 

 the American Gardening and points out 

 the three ideal forms of growing the 

 pear tree, viz., the pyramidal, the vase, 

 and the natural. The first we always 

 adopt for dwarfs, but the third we 

 usually adopt for standards. The following 

 is Mr. Waite's description of the pruning in 

 pyramidal form : 



The pyramidal form of the tree is a much 

 more simple and more easy form in which to 

 train most varieties of pears, because it con- 

 forms essentially to the natural tendency of 

 the trees. It is usually best to head the 

 trees to a straight cane in planting them out, 

 as previously described, though this is not 

 necessary if the head has been formed in the 

 nursery at the point desired by the orchard- 

 ist. This is very rarely the case, however, 

 as most nursery trees are headed too high. 

 If the tree is headed at the proper height in 

 the nursery, it will simply be necessary to 

 cut the leader back to about 6 inches and to 

 trim three or four of the secondary branches 

 to about 3 inches. The tree may then be 

 allowed to go during the season with very 

 little pruning. It may be necessary to go 



