4 THE MINIATUEE FEUIT GAEDEN 



de Oapiamnont pear budded on the quince; it was 

 about ten years old, and had been root-pruned three 

 times. Nothing could be more interesting than this 

 tree, only six feet high, laden with fruit of extra- 

 ordinary beauty; for, in this soil, pears on quince 

 stocks produce fruit of much greater beauty, and of 

 finer flavour, than those on pear stocks. I have, 

 however, introduced the figure as much to show its 

 imperfection as its beauty ; it will be observed that its 

 lower tiers of branches are not sufficiently developed ; 

 this was owing to neglect when the tree was young — 

 the upper branches were suffered to grow too luxu- 

 riantly. Summer pinching in the youth of the tree is 

 the only remedy for this defect, if it be not well 

 furnished below ; and a severe remedy it is, for all the 

 young shoots on the upper tiers, including the leader, 

 must be pinched closely in May and June, till the lower 

 ones have made young shoots of a sufficient length 

 to "give uniformity to the tree. This requires much 

 attention. 



Pyramids, bushes, and cordons are the trees best 

 adapted for small gardens. To those conversant with 

 such matters, I need only point to the very numerous 

 instances of rich garden ground entirely ruined by 

 being shaded by large spreading standards, or half- 

 standard unpruned fruit trees. Now, by cultivating 

 pyramidal pears of the quince, apples in the same 

 form on the paradise stock, the cherry as pyramids 

 and dwarf bushes on the Oerasus Mahaleb, and the 



