142 



THE NURSERY. 



tomers, rarely cut tlieir trees back sufficiently to make 

 pyramids. The first branches are seldom less than two 

 feet from the ground, and it is quite dif- 

 ficult to make nice pyramids of such 

 trees afterwards ; at all events, it incurs 

 a great loss of time, for the whole ot 

 the branches and half of the stem must 

 be cut away to produce the required 

 form. 



Dwarf Bushes. — The apple on para- 

 dise is generally grown in this form, 

 with six to twelve inches of a stem and 

 spreading heads. The Morello cherry 

 and the cherry and Mirabelle plums, 

 and many kinds of pears, may be 

 grown as dwarf bushes, if desirable. 

 The stocks must all be of a dwarf cha- 

 racter. Plants from which the strongest 

 have been selected for dwarf standards 

 and pyramids, will make very good 

 bushes. The branches being so near 

 the root renders a less amount of vigor 

 necessary. Yery strong yearling plants 

 may be allowed to form heads the 

 second year, but such as are very slender w^ill require cut- 

 ting back and another season's growth, before the head is 

 allowed to form ; and they will require a similar course of 

 treatment, as has been recommended for standards, and 

 dwarf standards. ISTo matter what the character of the 

 tree is, a stout stem is necessary, and although the mea- 

 sures taken to obtain this seem to require in some cases a 

 loss of time, still there is a gain in the end ; for trees 

 allowed to form heads before the stems are amply suffi- 

 cient to support them, require a great deal of extra care 

 after j^lanting out, and a course of shortening back, that 



Fig. 90. 

 Fig. 90, a two year old 

 tree cut back once, and 

 intended for a pyramid. 

 The cross lines indicate 

 the second cutting back. 



