THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 221 



titute of bearing wood, unless it be an occasional spur, 

 the sap always tending to the points. 



Standards. The management of this form of trees 

 has been fully treated of in all our works on fruit culture, 

 and in all the agricultural and horticultural journals, so 

 that now it is pretty well understood, and especially by 

 those who give considerable attention to the subject of 

 fruit-trees; it will not be necessary, therefore, to enter 

 upon much detail in regard to it. 



A standard apple or pear tree, for the orchard, when 

 taken from the nursery to be finally planted out, we will 

 suppose to have a straight, stout trunk, four to six feet 

 in hight, as the case may be, and a head composed of a 

 certain number of shoots or branches, but generally shoots 

 of one year's growth. At the time of planting, three or 

 four of these shoots should be selected to form the main 

 branches, or frame- work, on which to build the whole 

 head, and the remainder cut clean out ; those reserved 

 should be cut -back full one-half, and from the shoots pro- 

 duced on these, at and below the cut, two of the strongest 

 are selected, each on opposite sides, and the others are 

 rubbed off while they are soft. In selecting these shoots, 

 care must be taken to have them equally distant from one 

 another, and pointing in such directions as not to cross or 

 interfere* 



During the first season, these young shoots must be 

 watched and kept in a regular state of vigor. If any 

 threaten to become too vigorous, they must be pinched 

 and checked at once, so that perfect uniformity be pre- 

 served. This is the time to secure a well-formed and 

 nicely-balanced head. A very slight circumstance some- 

 times throws the growth into one side or one branch of a 

 young tree, and produces a deformity from which it never 

 recovers. The trunk must be kept clear of all shoots, by 

 rubbing off such as appear at the earliest possible moment, 

 when it can be done without the use of a knife. Suppos- 



