Tilt; r.VXADIAX IIOKTICL'LtrUIST. 181 



YOli cnmiot r.ct them at all if you wait ufltil you and everyone else 

 "wants the same article. Only to-day Ij^niavus was here in c^reat/ 

 anxiety. lie had promised to ship his apples by a certain date, M'hicli 

 M'as just at hand, hut he could not get a bartel. One cooper was sick, 

 one had just run out of staves, and another had orders in for a month 

 ahead ; could I s})are him just a few ? He was very thankful for them,- 

 and perhaps he has learned something this season about fruit i)acking 

 too — under this head at least. 



We might easily speak of other things wliich are tlie result of thef 

 season's experience or observation, but gossip about other people's^ 

 failings in one's own favor may very easily be carried too far, so vre 

 will stop, Mf. Editor, lest we have to tremble under your severe censure^ 



PEUNING OF PEAE TKEES. 



BY ALEX. GRAY, CLIFTOX.- 



As the pruning season draws near, a few w^ords on pruning the 

 pear may not be amiss. I have one large Louise Bonne de Jersey pear 

 tree, ten years old, growing six feet from my well, It grows six or 

 eight feet of young wood every year, which I cut back in the month 

 of February to six or eight inches, as recommended by books as well 

 as by my acquaintances, besides thinning out side branches. As a, 

 consequence I had a beautiful tree, but few pears. Last spring I tried 

 a new plan ; instead of pruning in February as directed, I waited 

 patiently until the fruit buds were well formed, and then, instead of 

 cutting back to a certain length, I left on every fruit bud that I could 

 see, and cut the rest as close as possible. The result was, this fall I 

 had bushels of choice pears instead of dozens, and near the top of the 

 tree there was one remarkable bunch of twenty-six pears on a twig 

 eighteen inches long, the pears entirely covering the twig from the 

 point half way down, which by the old system of pruning would have 

 been cut off. It was voted by all who witnessed it to be the best they 

 had ever seen. 



I delayed writing this until I had seen the report of the assembled 

 wisdom of the fruit growers of Canada at Peterboro', and after reading 

 the very able address of my old and esteemed friend the President 

 and others on pruning, I concluded to send this to the printer, as it 

 might help otheru as it has helped me. 



