-THE PEAR. . 139 



Stocks. Two kinds of stocks are used for budding or 

 grafting the cultivated varieties of the Pear. The first 

 is the Seedling Pear, called a " free " stock, because it 

 is of vigorous growth and deep-rooting. This stock is 

 used for standards, pyramids, and espaliers that naturally 

 attain a- considerable size. Seeds for this purpose are 

 obtained from France and America, the warmer climate 

 ripening them better than is possible in this country. Seed- 

 ling Pear stocks are also largely exported from France 

 for budding or grafting. 



The other stock is the Quince. This is of sturdier and 

 slower growth than the Pear, has fibrous roots, which 

 grow in a dense mass near the surface, and is therefore 

 more shallow-rooting than the Pear. Being a 'moderate 

 grower, it is used as a stock for Pears intended to be 

 grown as cordons, bushes, or dwarf pyramids. Pears 

 grafted on the Quince come early into bearing, com- 

 mencing to bear fruit when two to three years old ; whereas 

 trees worked on the Pear or free stock do not begin to 

 yield fruit until they are five or six years old. Moreover, 

 Pears on the Quince thrive best on light, friable, or moist 

 soils, make a more sturdy and compact growth, and 

 hence are better suited for small gardens than those on 

 the free stock. 



All varieties, however, do not succeed well on the 

 Quince. As a rule, it is the more robust-growing Pears 

 that do best on this stock. But it is possible to grow the 

 weaker sorts on the Quince by adopting the principle of 

 double-grafting. Thus Beurre Hardy, Beurre d'Amanlis, 

 and Vicar of Winkfield are strong-growing sorts which 

 flourish on the Quince. These are permitted to grow 

 for a couple of years, then they are pruned back to within 

 3in. or 4in. of the Quince stock, and such sorts as 

 Marie Louise, Josephine de Malines, and Knight's 

 Monarch, which would do well directly on the Quince, are 

 grafted on the stumps of the former sorts. 



Three varieties of Quince are used the Common, 

 Angers, and the Portugal but as a rule the Angers and 



