32 



THE MINIATURE FRUIT GARDEN. 



in the upright method. My trellis was planted eight 

 years ago, and has now on it twenty fine trees, about 

 ten years old, and in full bearing. They were planted 

 three feet apart, as it was my first experiment, and 



FIG. 9. 



are now a little crowded ; four feet apart will be 

 found the proper distance. I have never seen any 

 thing more interesting in fruit culture than this trellis 

 covered with pears, for, owing to its being near the 

 ground, the radiation of heat and moisture gives the 

 fruit a size and beauty rarely seen even on walls. 



The lights should remain over the trees till the 

 beginning of July, and then be removed, suffering the 

 fruit to ripen fully exposed to the sun and air. It 

 seems that the glass over the fruit in its young state 

 serves to develop its growth in a remarkable manner, 

 for rarely is a spot seen on pears grown on these trel- 

 lises ; they have a clear, beautiful appearance, much 

 like those grown in the warmer parts of France. I 

 ought to add, that in cool climates, such as the north 

 of England and Scotland, the lights may be suffered 

 to remain over the trees till the beginning or middle 

 of August. This will hasten the ripening of the fruit, 

 but it should be exposed to the air in early autumn 

 for some weeks before it is gathered (unless the cli- 

 mate be particularly cold and stormy), or it may suffer 

 in flavor. Pears ripened under glass are apt to suffer 



