84 FRUIT CULTURE. 



branches becomes desirable. Many directions 

 have been given to guide in forming into differ- 

 ing shapes, as the wine-glass form, for example. 

 But nature is usually the best indicator, and we 

 can hardly expect to improve upon the pyramidal 

 shape, which is the ordinary growth of the tree. 

 For dwarfs it is obvious that the head will be 

 formed near the ground, the pruning will be 

 closer, and the ultimate height of the tree will 

 not exceed ten or twelve feet. 



RIPENING THE FRUIT. 



There is scarcely an exception to the rule that 

 pears should be picked from ten days to a fort- 

 night before they are ripe, in order to bring them 

 to their highest quality. Some varieties, it is true, 

 are passably good when ripened on the tree, yet 

 none are at their best, and many which are excel- 

 lent under proper treatment are comparatively 

 worthless if allowed to hang too long. The Clapp 

 has suffered in this respect, and has been unjustly 

 condemned as rotting at the core. All pears 

 should be picked as soon as signs of maturity 

 begin to appear, or when the fruit can be readily 

 parted without breaking the stem, generally about 

 a fortnight before it may be said to be ripe. The 

 Bartlett will ripen, if picked, even earlier than 

 this, and before it has attained its full size. 



