THE PEAR. 



477 



in this manner is to cover the shoots with blos- 

 som-buds, and to produce most excellent crops. 

 Although this tying- down mode of training is 

 productive of large crops of fruit, still the re- 

 straint imposed upon the energies of the {rees 

 has the effect of rendering them comparatively 

 shortlived. The French gardeners themselves 

 admit that trees trained in the en quencmiUe 

 manner do not last longer than ten or twelve 

 years, and many of them are giving up the prac- 

 tice. This, however, may be in a great degree 

 attributed to overcropping and too severe root- 

 pruning; for a French or Belgian gardener is 

 everlastingly operating on either the roots or 

 branches of his trees. Trees managed in this 

 manner in Britain are not found to be so short- 

 lived. The process of pruning may be thus 

 described : Shorten the upright or leading shoot 

 to a foot above the ground. Let the shoot 

 from the uppermost bud be trained upright in 

 summer, and those below outwards. It must 

 be understood that we are speaking of a young 

 tree commencing to be so trained, allowing all 

 to grow without stopping. At autumn or win- 

 ter pruning, cut back the upright leading shoot 

 to 15 inches above where it was previously cut. 

 The buds, of which several will be found situ- 

 ated immediately below where a vigorous shoot 

 has been shortened at the winter-pruning, are cer- 

 tain to break into shoots in spring ; continue to 

 train the uppermost or leading shoot in a perpen- 

 dicular direction as befoi'e, and the others spread- 

 ing. Thus proceed till the tree has attained the 

 desired height, observing most particularly never 

 to allow the upper tiers of branches to extend 

 as far as those below them. The form which 

 the tree should ultimately assume is that of a 

 pyramid or cone, broad at the base, and gra- 

 dually tapering towards the top. If the top 

 branches overhang the bottom ones, the latter 

 vrill become weak and useless for fruit; they 

 wUl linger for a time, and then die off. At the 

 autumn or winter pruning the tree should be 

 cut so as to have a regular tapering outline ; 

 and during summer, should any of the upper 

 shoots threaten to extend beyond the lower 

 ones, such shoots should have their points 

 pinched off. Shoots not required to form 

 branches should also have their points pinched 

 in summer. If the branches are disposed to 

 grow too upright, they should be tied down to 

 nearly a horizontal position, and secured to small 

 stakes, or to the next lower tier. If kept in a 

 right position for two or three weeks in the 

 growing season, they will afterwards retain it. 

 This is a very good mode of growing both apples 

 and pears, particularly in small gardens, as they 

 occupy much less space, and cause less shade 

 than if grown as open standards. Indeed, fruit 

 trees do not produce fruit in exact proportion 

 to their size, but rather to the mode of pruning 

 and training they are subjected to, as well as 

 the stocks they are wrought upon. Mr Rivers 

 has shown many excellent examples of this, and 

 in his " Miniature Fruit-Garden" has exempli- 

 fied his principles as regards this mode of train- 

 ing the pear and apple. A perfectly-managed 

 pear-tree, trained as a pyramid, he illustrates by 

 the annexed out, fig. 210, as it ought to appear 

 VOL. II. 



in July, before its leading side-shoots and per- 

 pendicular leaders are shortened, " which is best 



Fig. 210. 



RIVERS PYRAMIDAL TRAINING. 



done towards the end of August. This shorten- 

 ing must be made at the marks shown on our 

 figure, and all the side shoots shortened in the 

 same manner, as well as the leading shoot. The 

 spurs a a are the bases of the shoots that have 

 been pinched in June." After referring to autum- 

 nal or early winter planting, Mr Rivers proceeds : 

 " Care should be taken in selecting trees that are 

 furnished with buds and branches from bottom 

 to top ; but if a young gardener intends to plant, 

 and wishes to train up his trees so that they will 

 become quite perfect in shape, he should select 

 plants one year old from the bud or graft ; these 

 will, of course, have good buds down to the 

 junction of the graft with the- stock. The first 

 year, a tree of this description should be headed 

 down so as to leave the shoot about 18 inches 

 long. If the soil is rich, from five to six or seven 

 shoots will be produced ; one of these must be 

 made the leader, and if not inclined to be quite 

 perpendicular, it must be fastened to a stake. 

 As soon in summer as the leading shoot is 1 

 inches long, its end must be pinched off; and if 

 it pushes forth two or more shoots, pinch all off 

 but one, to about 2 inches, leaving the topmost 

 for a leader : the side shoots will in most cases 

 assume a regular shape; if not, they may be 

 this first season tied to slight stakes, to make 

 them grow in the proper direction. This is 

 best done by bringing down and fastening the 

 end of each shoot to a slight stake, so that an 

 open pyramid may be formed ; for if it is too 

 close and cypress-like, enough air is not ad- 

 mitted to the fruit. They may remain unpruned 

 to the end of August, when each shoot must bo 

 shortened to within eight buds of the stem ; 

 the abortive buds, of which there are generally 

 from three to four at the base of each shoot, 



3p 



