DIAGONAL CORDON. PEAKS. 79 



also, the firs.t year, at 60 or 70 degrees of inclina- 

 tion. But do not, as in the case of peaches, cut 

 off the laterals to two buds at planting, as the 

 pear requires all its foliage for the first year. 

 Merely take off one quarter of the extremities of 

 the laterals. During the ensuing summer en- 

 courage the growth of the leader, and pinch in 

 a little of the new wood on the laterals to equalise 

 their vigour. In October cut these laterals in to 

 two buds, and reduce the length of the leader by 

 one-third, above a healthy front bud. 



The next summer, these two buds, on each 

 lateral, or spur now, will develope themselves. 

 As soon as these new shoots have reached six 

 inches in length, pinch them back to four inches, 

 or about eight or nine leaves. The next growths 

 pinch back to one inch more, and so on. Any 

 short shoots near the base which spring out, or 

 any that make their terminal buds under four 

 inches in length, must not be touched, as they are 

 becoming fruitful of themselves from being near 

 the leaders, which shows how natural this system 

 is. Pinch so as to leave as much of wood above 

 the last bud left as you can, because this exhausts 

 the sap, in drying it up, and the buds below have 

 a greater chance of being left dormant, that is, 

 not "stimulated to elongate," as Lindley says. 

 The young shoots must not be allowed to grow 

 till they are, say, ten inches long, instead of six 

 inches. If they have been thus unwisely ne- 



