328 Cultm-e of the Pear. 



fringe too much on my professional occupations. According, 

 however, to promise, I subjoin a hst of such sorts as 1 deem 

 worthy in every respect of cultivation ; classing them as sum- 

 mer, autumn, and winter fruits. 



With regard to Mr. Hiver's practice, I wish to state that 

 I differ from him in his mode of shortening the breast wood 

 in the summer to two or three eyes, which occasions fresh 

 shoots, and impoverishes the tree to no purpose. A better 

 plan is, either to displace them entirely when young, or, as I 

 have sometimes practised on very luxuriant trees where there 

 was a deficiency of fruit spurs, to break, in the month of 

 July, the foreright shoots nearly through to within five or six 

 eyes of the bottom, leaving the upper extremity suspended 

 six or eight weeks. This impedes the communication of the 

 two saps, and prevents a second shoot ; the eyes at the base 

 most frequently forming themselves into fruit-bearing spurs 

 for the following season. 



Your worthy correspondent seems also to condemn the 

 winter pruning of pears. His practice is undoubtedly good 

 as far as it regards trees trained against walls or espaliers, 

 but will not do for trees trained en quenouille or en i^yramide. 

 These require an annual winter priming from top to bottom ; 

 every shoot must be shortened according to its strength, not 

 only to keep the tree in its proper shape, but also to induce 

 a supply of fruit-spurs near the body, which protects the 

 fruit fi'om being blown off" or otherwise injured by the au- 

 tumnal winds, and prolongs the life of the tree in a healthy 

 fruitful state, many years. 



Of the different sorts of stocks, I have found the Portugal 

 quince answer remarkably well for most of our free-growing 

 kinds of pears : in particular, if the soil be deep and good, 

 and the bottom not too dry, they shoot freely, and in a short 

 time after planting produce abundance of superior-flavoured 

 fruit. Even weaker-growinjr sorts are valuable on these 

 stocks ; as, where the garden is limited, and variety required, 

 a double or even triple quantity may be planted, a great 

 object to some cultivators. There are, however, several sorts 

 which do not unite well on this stock, but this may be over- 

 come by double grafting; for this purpose, the Beurre, 

 Doyenne, Virgoleuse, and Swan's Gg^^^ are recommended ; 

 but free stocks are much preferable where the soil is high and 

 dry. 



I remain, Sir, yours, &c. 



Bernard Saunders. 

 Nursery, Jersey, Nov. 1. 1830. 



