34 THE OECIIAED AND riUJIT GAEDEtf. 



back in summer form fruit-bearing spurs the following 

 season. After the shortening of leading shoots in 

 August, no winter pruning is required. 



The same system of pruning and training, i. e., con- 

 tinually nipping back all the shoots, except the leading 

 shoots, through the summer, leaving the leading shoots 

 until the sap begins to descend, and then shortening 

 them, succeeds well with any dwarf trees, and produces 

 most abundant crops of fruit under almost any circum- 

 stances. In dwarf trees grown as bushes, winter thinning 

 out of any branches that become too crowded is often 

 necessary. 



In the August shortening of leaders, pear trees of very 

 vigorous growth, such as Beurre d'Arnaulis, Monsieur 

 le Cure, Buerre Diel, and others, should have them 

 shortened back to eight or ten inches ; pears of medium 

 vigour, such as Louise Bonne, Marie Louise, Buerre 

 d'Aremberg, and such like, shortened to six inches ; and 

 pears of puny growth, like Winter Nelis, to only four 

 inches, because the abundant sap of the rampant growers 

 will expend itself in a too crowded growth, if necessary 

 scope be not allowed. Difference of soil, difference in habit 

 of trees, even of the same kind, situation, and many other 

 circumstances, will often make a considerable difference 

 in the vigorous growth of particular trees. 



Cordon training, so much spoken of during the last 

 few years, is a name introduced by French fruit-growers 

 for the system which is the very soul of good fruit cul- 

 ture, pinching in all the shoots, to form a succession of 

 flower-buds. The ends of all the shoots on a branch are 

 pinched off, and thus made to produce bloom, so that 

 each tree or each branch is kept to a single, unbranching 

 stem. 



In cordon training, the whole tree is sometimes kept 

 to a single stem. These trees are planted very close 

 together against a wall, and are trained diagonally, at 

 an angle of about 45, all the trees being kept parallel 

 with each other. Another mode is to train the brandies 

 in this manner, all starting from one upright centre 

 stem. 



