PEACH AND THE PEAR. 255 



little corn, or potatoes, or raspberries, and in Dwarfs 

 you may do the same, or cabbage, beans, and some 

 garden crops. I object to cropping young fruit orchards 

 to any great extent. They, as a rule, require all the 

 plant-food present, and are not able to share it and 

 thrive themselves. Whatever you plant among young 

 pears, don't plant strawberries. 



PRUNING THE STANDARD TREES. 

 One year old trees from the nursery don't want 

 much cutting when planted, as a rule, unless the tree is 

 too long, then retrench it to three or four feet. If two 

 years old when set, the best start is for a pyramidal tree ; 

 and here, retrenching the top somewhat will start a 

 better sap-flow to the lower branches. Each lower 

 branch should be kept a little longer than the one above 

 it. Watch, in pruning, the position of the buds ; don't 

 cut too near them or the branch they form will be weak. 

 If you want a shoot to run directly upward, let the bud 

 be on the inside of the shoot. If you want a limb to 

 run in or out, select the bud on the side you want the 

 shoot to grow. When a young tree is set, trim off the 

 limbs to the number of one to every three, and here 

 again, let each limb extend a little within the one under 

 it. Three years of such training will be about all that 

 is required for Bartletts, Duchess, and such sorts as 

 naturally go to pyramidal growth, in field-culture. The 

 Lawrence and Winter Nelis, and such kind, need longer 



