THE PEAR. 



101 



growth the tree will have the appearance shown in Fig. 49. It 

 should have been stated that if the branches on the tree at the 

 end of the second season's growth are too numerous to admit of 

 all remaining, which will very pro- 

 bably be the case, enough of them 

 must be cut entirely away to give 

 plenty of room for the free circula- 

 tion of air and light, upon which the 

 full develop- 

 ment of leaves 

 and fruit so 

 entirely de- 

 pends. The 

 Kke process of 

 cutting back 

 the gro'vrth of 

 the previous 

 summer must 

 be again, re- 

 peated, as in- 

 dicated by the 

 cross lines, 

 keeping in 

 mind that the 

 object for 

 whic h you 

 Rg. 49. prune is to 



bring the tree into a conical form. At the end of the fourth 

 season the tree will have the form shown in Fig. 50, and the 

 dotted line, A. B., shows where the branches wiU require to be 

 shortened at the spring pruning. If summer pinching of the 

 shoots is practised, very little spring pruning wiU be required. 

 Summer pinching consists in nipping off the point of the 

 growing shoot, usually with the thumb and finger, or it may 

 be done with the knife. The effect of this is, of course, to- 



Kg. 50. 



