410 MANUAL OF GARDENING 



The pear is dwarfed when it is grown on the root of quince. 

 Dwarf pears may be planted as close as ten feet apart each way, 

 although more room should be given them if possible. Paradise 

 dwarfs (apples) may be planted eight or ten feet each way, 

 and doucin twice that distance. All dwarfs should be kept 

 small by vigorous annual heading-in. If the tree is making 

 good growth, say one to three feet, a half to two-thirds of the 

 growth may be taken off in winter. A dwarf apple or pear 

 tree should be kept within a height of twelve or fifteen feet, and 

 it should not attain this stature in less than ten or twelve years. 

 A dwarf apple tree, in full bearing, should average from two 

 pecks to a bushel of first quality apples, and a dwarf pear should 

 do somewhat more than this. 



If one grows dwarf fruit trees, he should expect to give them 

 extra attention in pruning and cultivating. Only in very ex- 

 ceptional instances can the dwarf fruits be expected to equal the 

 free-growing standards in commercial results. This is particu- 

 larly true of dwarf apples, which are practically home-garden 

 plants in this country. This being the case, only the choice 

 dessert fruits should be attempted on paradise and doucin roots. 

 For home gardens the paradise will probably give more satis- 

 faction than the doucin. 



If the tree is taken young, it may be trained along a wall or 

 on an espalier trellis; and in such conditions the fruits should 

 be of extra quality if the varieties are choice. Plate XXII 

 shows the training of a dwarf pear on a wall. This tree has been 

 many years in good bearing. In most parts of the country a 

 southern wall exposure is likely to force the bloom so early as to 

 invite danger from spring frosts. 



Age and size of trees. 



For ordinary planting, it is desirable to choose trees two years 

 from bud or graft, except in case of the peach, which should be 

 one year old. Many growers find strong one-year trees prefer- 



