THE PBACTICE OF PBUNING. 377 



along these branches in the following season. The growing shoot should 

 haye its point elevated tiU September, as before. No reduction of foliage 

 connected with the lower branches should be made by summer pruning. 

 Their leading shoots must not be overshaded. 



In order to prevent excessive luxuriance in the upper branches, recourse 

 must be had to summer pruning as the most efficient means. The shoots 

 should be trained horizontally from their origin, their points depressed 

 instead of elevated. In short, they must be subjected to a treatment 

 generally the reverse of that recommended for the lower branches. 



Against walls, the horizontal mode of training answers well for the Pear. 

 When the young tree is planted, head down the shoot to a foot, or four 

 courses of bricks, above the level of the ground. Train a shoot upright, 

 and one right, another left, at an angle of 45° ; if these prove unequal in 

 point of vigour, depress the strong and elevate the weak. Lower them 

 both about the middle of September to the horizontal line represented by the 

 joint between the fourth and fifth course of bricks. Their origin on the 

 stem was somewhat below this line, and therefore they must ascend a little 

 to reach it. This, as regards the lower branches, is an advantage, for the 

 sap flows more freely into limbs thus diverging, than it does when con- 

 strained to proceed from the stem directly at right angles. The lower 

 branches being apt to become the weakest, may be afforded this advantage, 

 whilst towards the top of the waU the branches may be made to proceed 

 horizontally immediately from the stem. 



The tree having now a central upright shoot, and two horizontal side 

 shoots, shorten the latter at the winter pruning according to their strength; 

 if weak, nearly to their bases ; the upright one to the fourth course of 

 bricks above that to which the first shoot was cut. Train the shoot from 

 the uppermost bud in a perpendicular direction, and one on each side as 

 before. Proceed thus to obtain an upright and two horizontal branches 

 every year till the tree reach the top of the wall. When the horizontal 

 branches are sufficiently strong, they may be trained along the courses of 

 bricks without shortening. 



If properly managed in summer, fruit-spurs will begin to form along these 

 branches. The accompanying cut (Fig. LXXI.) represents a spur in which 

 a is progressing to form a blossom-bud, whilst b, b, are already blossom-buds, 

 known by their plumpness ; and from this period of the season such buds 

 exhibit signs of active vegetation, but in a the surrounding scales remain 

 undisturbed tiU late in spring. The scar at c is where a portion of spur 

 that has borne fruit has been cut back, and at the winter pruning after b b 

 have produced fruit, they must likewise be cut back to others likely to fom 

 at their bases, as they did at the base of c. 



The pruning of the Pear-tree trained against an espalier differs in nothing 

 from that which it requires when trained against a wall, except that the 

 spurs of espaUer trees need not be so much shortened. 

 In the Garden of Plants at Paris there exist certain pyramidal Pear-trees 



