PYRAMID PEAR TREES. 



^ri^HE Pyramid or cone form of 

 training pear trees, where they 

 stand alone or in a small gar- 

 den, is a very ornamental one 

 and at the same time calculated to se- 

 cure a good crop. A strong pyramid, 

 well pruned, symmetrical and thriving, 

 is certainly a handsome object. Like 

 the dwarf or fan form the pyramid 

 requires more or less annual pruning. 

 One must of course 

 begin with a young 

 tree that has branch- 

 es to the gronnd. 

 Do not expect too 

 vigorous a growth ; 

 from five to seven 

 main branches a year 

 are all that should be 

 allowed. When lay- 

 ing out the branches 

 for the next year's 

 growth, it is as well 

 to prune close to the 

 bud which is to continue the growth, 

 leaving a small spur attached to tie the 



Fig. 1616.— Pyra 

 MiDAL Pruning. 



growing shoot to in order that it may 

 grow in the proper direction. Or it 

 might do to cut the branches three or 

 four inches above the bud, removing all 

 buds on it, and tie the growing shoots 

 to this spur, which may afterwards be 

 taken off. It is a mistake to prune 

 strong growing varieties too much, and 

 it is equally wrong to allow the lateral 

 branches to grow too long. Therefore 

 it will be best in pruning to use a judi- 

 cious moderation and keep the tree pro- 

 perly balanced. A well proportioned 

 pyramid should have a diameter about 

 two-thirds of its height. If a tree of the 

 proper age fails to bear, it may, if well 

 proportioned, be left unpruned for two 

 or three years. A circular incision of 

 the bark about one-half inch wide at the 

 base and kept open may be tried, or 

 even root-pruning resorted to, to bring 

 it into bearing. The illustrations give a 

 good general idea of a pyramid pear tree 

 after winter pruning, also one in fruit — 

 Farm and Home. 



Edward A. Rogers.— The intro- 

 duction of Rogers' hybrid grapes marked 

 a new era in American grape culture. 

 The death of the originator, Mr. Ed- 

 ward A. Rogers, of Salem, Mass., has 

 just been annonnced. This occurred at 

 Peabody, Mass., on the 30th March. 

 It is remarkable, considering the grand 

 results of Mr. Rogers' experiments, that 

 more work in the same line has not been 



attempted. All he did was to plant 

 under a hotbed frame a vine of the 

 European race, and one of the Ameri- 

 can Fox grapes. They then hybridized, 

 naturally, as one might say, as the re- 

 sults proved. If the path marked out 

 by Mr. Rogers had been followed 

 further, valuable results might have re- 

 warded the explorer. — Mechans" Monthly. 



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