PRUNING THE PEAR. 319 



some of the most naked parts of the last two years' 

 bearers, and old branches not furnished with a com- 

 petent supply of young wood or with fruit-spurs ; 

 cut, either to their origin, or to some well-directed 

 lateral, as most expedient to make room for training, 

 a new supply of the young bearers retained ; and 

 cut away all decayed wood, or old stumps. Gen- 

 erally observe in this pruning to retain one leading 

 shoot at the end of each branch ; either a naturally 

 placed terminal, or, where a vacancy is to be fur- 

 nished, one formed into a proper leader by cutting 

 to it. Let the shoots retained for bearers be mod- 

 erately shortened ; strong shoots being reduced the 

 least — one-fourth or less of their length ; from 

 those ^vhich are weak take away one-third, and 

 sometimes half This wdll conduce to the produc- 

 tion of a competency of lateral shoots the ensuing 

 summer, from the lower and middle placed eyes. 

 As small fruit-spurs, an inch or two long, often 

 appear on some of the branches of two or three 

 years, these spurs should generally be retained for 

 bearing, and thick clusters of spurs, which are apt 

 to be formed upon aged trees, should be thinned." 



The Pear. This fruit does not, like the preced- 

 ing, bear upon the wood of the previous season, but 

 on permanent spurs ; and the method of treating 

 them is important. The accompanying figure from 

 the Gardeners' Chronicle, represents " {a) as pro- 



