xin.] PEARS APPLESPLUMS CHERRIES 133 



or Dwarf bushes are the most satisfactory, and the same 

 sort of treatment as suggested for pears, in the matter of 

 summer pinching back, applies to apples. 



As the trees grow, the heads should be kept well 

 balanced, open in the centre to allow in light and air, 

 and all the branches kept well apart. 



Plums will grow in almost any garden soil. They 

 require very much the same treatment as apples and pears 

 as to pruning and summer nipping back of the bud 

 growths. 



Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines, owing to our 

 uncertain springs, are not satisfactory fruits, except against 

 some favoured sunny wall or under glass. They need 

 above all things warmth and sun. Their borders must 

 have a dry sub-soil, must not be too deep, too damp, 

 or too rich, and they ought not to -be disturbed by the 

 spade. 



The most important point about their growth is to 

 keep up a succession of young wood all over the tree. 

 When grown in the open air, the blossom should be pro- 

 tected with a net until the fruit is set. 



Cherries come to maturity quickly, and, compared 

 with other fruit trees, they are short-lived. They like 

 best a rather deep, mellow, sandy soil. The Cherry is 

 an easy tree to prune, as the branches never grow very 

 strong, and a judicious pinching back in summer leaves 

 little to be done later on. Aphides should be watched 



