622 



NOTES OF A HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



specimens of good varieties in their gardens: many of 

 these send their surplus fruit to market, and the same is the 

 case over a large part of Prance. 



If the Pear grafted on the Quince is planted in ground dry 



and not fertile, the tree 



Mode of inducing » starved Pear on the 

 Quince Stock to emit its own roots. B, 

 Outline of mound of earth. 



Fig. 359. pushes with little vigour 



and often makes hardly 

 any progress. It is apt to 

 carry when very young a 

 superahundant quantity 

 of fruit which soon ex- 

 hausts it, and it will live 

 hut few years. This im- 

 poverishment may he pre- 

 vented hy "liberating" 

 the tree and by causing it 

 to grow on its own roots 

 — a practice much recom- 

 mended by M. Baltet. The process is as follows : — In spring 

 from three to six vertical incisions are made a little above 

 the junction of scion and stock, as herein represented, and 

 about an inch or so long, and deep enough to slightly 

 penetrate beyond the bark and slightly into the wood of 

 the tree. Afterwards a 

 little heap of light and 

 rich soil is raised around 

 the stem sufficiently to 

 cover up the incisions. 

 It is then made pretty 

 firm and covered with 

 a couple of inches of 

 old dung, so as to 

 preserve it from getting 

 very warm 

 will 



Fig. 360. 



by 



Result of the operation. 



dried up 



weather. Roots 



quickly descend, and the tree will soon attain fresh vigour 



on its own roots, and become quite independent of the 



Quince. The old root and its influences will disappear in 



course of time. As the union of stock and scion is usuallv 



