OF PEARS. 147 



front, it may appear perfectly upright. You 

 will sometimes see standards and half standards 

 planted a foot or two from the wall, which gives 

 them a very disagreeable appearance ; six inches 

 will be quite sufficient. Take care not to wound 

 the stem or root of the tree in planting. 



If the young trees have two stems, always 

 remember to cut off one of them, leaving the 

 stoutest and straitest ; observing to plant that 

 side outwards which has most buds on it. 



When the buds begin to break well, you may 

 head the trees to three or four eyes, to fill the 

 wall with fine wood, You must never head them 

 afterward, except the leading shoot to fill the 

 wall, observing to leave the foreright shoots to be 

 pruned, as hereafter directed. I have had some 

 trees that had forty pears on them the second 

 year; while some of the same kind bore only 

 eleven pears the fourteenth year after planting, 

 with the common method of pruning. 



If you cannot get such old trees as recom- 

 mended above, get the stoutest and cleanest of 

 the one year's old after grafting. 



If any of these trees get stunted after a num- 

 ber of years, you have nothing more to do than to 

 head them as hereafter directed, which will bring 

 them into fresh vigour and fruitfulness. 



The method of pruning Pear-trees is very dif- 

 ferent from that practised for Apple-trees in 

 general. The constant practice has been, to leave 

 great spurs, as big as a man's arm, standing out 



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