• PEARS. 137 



The fruit is produced on spurs, whicli appear on 

 shoots more than one year old ; the object of the pruner, 

 therefore, ought to be to procure a fair supply of these 

 spurs. The mode of training wall pear-trees most 

 commonly adopted is the horizontal ; but each of the 

 forms already mentioned (pp. 52, 53) has its advan- 

 tages, and is peculiarly adapted to some particular 

 habit of growth in the several varieties. For the St. 

 Germain and other twiggy sorts, the fan form is to be 

 preferred ; for the Gansel's Bergamot and other strong 

 growers, the half-fan or the horizontal. In the latter 

 form the trees may often be found fifteen, twenty, or 

 even thirty years old, during which time they acquire 

 an undue projection from the wall, and become scraggy 

 and unmanageable. On the other hand, the finest fruit 

 is produced on young spurs, clearly indicating the neces- 

 sity of a frequent renovation of the spurs. This would 

 lead to a preference of the fan-form, not, indeed, that 

 which is commonly practiced, for in it the spurs are as 

 immovable as in any other arrangement; but rather that 

 recommended for peaches, in which there is a continual 

 renewal of the branches. Or, if the horizontal form, 

 which has certain advantages, be adopted, it should be 

 that modification exhibited in p. 53 h. This is the 

 method followed by Harrison in treating the Jargonelle. 



The summer pruning of established wall or espalier 

 rail-trees, consists chiefly in the timely displacing or 

 rubbing off the superfluous shoots, retaining only those 

 which are terminal or well placed for lateral branches. 

 Where spurs are wanted on the older wood, about two 

 inches of a fore-right shoot are left ; and if this be done 

 early, that is, before the shoot has become ligneous, it 

 seldom fails to form fruit-buds. In horizontal training 



