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balanced at tbe cost of longevity. . The current practice in 

 California, whose climate resembles our own, is to adhere 

 to the self -stock, mainly because the custom there is to 

 allow the trees to run up to standard size, often reaching 

 thirty or more feet high. It is true, doubtless, that more 

 fruit is produced by a given number of standard trees than 

 can be got off as many dwarfs. But it must be remem- 

 bered that an acre of land will carry many more dwarfs 

 than it will of standards, a consideration which pretty 

 nearly squares the comparison. Besides, with our violent 

 gales and curiously perfunctory orchard labour, fruit borne 

 aloft twenty to thirty feet above ground has scarcely one- 

 tenth of the chance of getting harvested safe and sound 

 that comes naturally to the fruit of dwarf trees hanging 

 barely out of reach of a long arm. Taking all things into 

 consideration, we are of opinion that at present the practice 

 of pear growers will be towards dwarf trees rather than 

 standards, and, in that case, self-stocks capable of use and 

 giving good results will not be greatly called for. 



The dwarfing stock par excellence for the pear is the 

 quince. The pear bud takes kindly to it, grows vigorously, 

 and the resulting tree bears eaiiy and well. There are just 

 a few exceptional pear sorts which fail on the quince, and 

 of these note will be taken hereafter. But the general 

 statement holds good, and it may even be affirmed that 

 most of the very large pears whose weight renders them 

 liable to be shaken off by the greater swaying of the boughs 

 of standard trees, not only hold on better to the dwarf 

 growth, but are distinctly improved in their characteristic 

 Savour. Nor is this to be wondered at. There are two 

 distinct tendencies in the fruit-tree one is for the main- 

 tenance of the purely vegetative life of the individual, the 

 other for reproduction of its kind by fruiting and conse- 

 quent seed. The former results in vigorous wood-tissue, 

 plentiful branching and abundant foliage, the latter natur- 

 ally runs to fruit-bearing. Given an orchard tree pear 

 in this instance which is not to be left to itself, but 

 artificially dealt with to the profit of its owner, it is clear 

 that the over-production of wood and foliage must be kept 

 back by skilful treatment. The need of that check on 

 vegetative tendencies is the raison d'etre of pruning. But 



