66 



wood hanging to the bud will never do. Use the end of the 

 handle of the budding knife to raise the bark gently on the 

 edges of the perpendicular cut, then the bud may be inserted 

 under the bark, and care must be taken that the piece of bark 

 attached to it be cut square at the top, so as to fit snugly to the 

 bark on the horizontal cut, tie with palm leaf or such as is 

 used in cane-seat chairs. Success in this operation will depend 

 entirely on clean cutting, good fitting and good tying. Bud- 

 ding should be done on the north or east side of the stock, be- 

 cause thus the stock will partly shade the bud. Too much 

 exposure to the sun's heat during August and September is apt 

 to interrupt the process of healing by curling the tender bark 

 on the wound, and perhaps cause budding over again. In 

 about four weeks, if the bud has caught, the strings may be 

 removed, to save the bark from denting. 



The following spring after budding the seedling, that is if the 

 bud is all right, rub off all the shoots appearing on the stock, 

 so as not to impede the growth of the bud. During the latter 

 part of July or the first of August all above the bud of the 

 stock may be removed, by making a sloping cut clean and 

 smooth and close to the bud, but not so close as to cause any 

 injury to it. Now we will go to work again on the seedling 

 the next spring, that is, the second spring after budding, 

 at which stage the tree is one year old from the bud. All 

 further treatment comes under the head of pruning, as here 

 comes the time to commence to give it shape and form- The 

 first question comes, then, what distance from the ground 

 should it branch out and grow stocky ? There is no definite 

 rule, that we are aware of, on this point, as some people prefer 

 tall trunks while others prefer low ones. However, we are of 

 opinion that no standard pear tree should have a branchless 

 trunk above three feet from the ground. This in a manner 

 gives the tree the advantage of shading itself from a hot, glar- 

 ing sun, and is a safeguard, in a measure, from high winds. 

 We are also of opinion, from a little experience, that the pyra- 

 mid or umbrella shape is the handsomest and best form that 



