PEACH AND THE PEAR. 20/ 



exclude it from air, it wont germinate, and, like many 

 other seeds planted too deep, the crop fails to come. 

 The seed germinating, cell-growth commences with this 

 germination, and by this proliferation of cells the tree in 

 all its parts is formed. A limb several inches in diameter 

 cut across will reveal millions of cells, so numerous are 

 they, and each cell in itself is a perfect organization, and 

 thus it is easy to see, if the cells become diseased or are 

 preyed upon by any parasite or other enemy, how at 

 once the whole tree must suffer. The importance of 

 this cell-explanation will be seen when we come to talk 

 of the diseases and enemies of the pear. The roots we 

 all know by sight ; there is the main root called the tap- 

 root, and it runs downwards into the ground ; scan 

 this root well, as it measures the depth of the hole we 

 will dig when we come to plant the tree. This tap-root 

 throws off laterals and the laterals throw off fibres 

 called fibrous roots or rootlets, and, in turn, these throw 

 off hair-like roots or root-hairs, and thus the root is 

 made up. The roots absorb moisture from the soil, and 

 the more minute roots are always the most active in this 

 work. Now where the root joins the body of the tree 

 we call the collar, and we can change the situation of 

 the collar by banking up the earth around the tree ; then 

 that part of the body covered by earth will throw out 

 rootlets and the collar will move upwards. Now we 

 have the body of the tree ; then come the bark, the 



