rYRU.S. 



was obliged to prop tht branches, to prevent their being 

 brok.'ii diiwn by the weight of it. In tiie fourth year after 

 thcfe ftandards were headed down, one of them bore two 

 tho'ifand eight hundred and forty pears. There were three 

 ftandards on the fame border witii the above, two of which 

 were St. Germain ; the old tree was of the fame kind. One 

 of thefe trees, twenty years old, had live hundred pears on 

 it, which was a great crop for its fize : fo that there were 

 on the old tree, which had been headed down not quite four 

 years, two thoufand three hundred and forty pears more 

 than on the tree of twenty years' growth. When the nn.n 

 numbered the pears, there was near a barrowful of wind- 

 falls at the bottom of the old tree, wiiich were not included. 

 Thefe and other Itatements are given in his nfeful treatifc on 

 the " Culture of Fruit-Trees." 



The following is the method he purfues in training trees 

 that are cut near to the place where tliey are grafted. , In 

 the month of March, every year, he ftiortens the leading 

 ihoot to a foot or eighteen inches, according to its Itrength : 

 this Ihoot will, if the tree be (Irong, grow from five to 

 feven feet long, in one feafon ; and, if left to nature, would 

 run up without throwing out fide-fhoota. The reafon for 

 thus ihortening the leading ihoot is to make it throw out fide- 

 flioots, and if it be done clofe to a bud, it will fi-equently 

 cover the cut in one feafon, leaving only a cicatrix. When 

 the (boots are very ftrong, he cuts the leading ones twice in 

 one feafon ; by this method he gets two fets of iide-flioots in 

 one year, which enable him the fooner to cover the wall. The 

 firft cutting is performed any time during the fpring, and the 

 fecond about the middle of June. When you prune the 

 trees, and cut the fore-right (lioots, which (hould be done 

 in February or March, always cut clofe to an eye or bud, 

 obferving where you fee the greateft number of leaves at the 

 lower bud, and cut at them ; for at the footftalk of every 

 one of thefe will be produced a flower-bud. The fame will 

 hold good in cutting the fuperfluous flioots on ftandard pears. 

 He adds, that you will have in fome forts of pears, in a fa- 

 vourable feafon, from five to nine pears in a ckifter. This 

 cutting fliould not be later than March, or the beginning of 

 April, on account ef the leading (hoot beginning to grow : 

 the next topping, when the leading Ihoot grows quick 

 enough to admit of it, (hould be about the middle of June ; 

 and the length of the (hoots (hould be according ta their 

 itrength, hiiving from three eyes or buds, to fix on a fide. It 

 is added, that the cankery part beginning to affeft the new- 

 bark, he cut offall the canker at the bottom, and plaftered the 

 place with fome cow-dung, mixed with wood-aflies and 

 powder ot burnt bones, put into as much urine and foap- 

 fuds as would make it of the confidence of thick paint ; 

 this he laid on with a painter's brudi. After it had been 

 apphed about three liours, he patted it gently down, with 

 liis hand, clofe to the tree. By fo doing, he gets rid of all 

 the air-bubbles that may be under the compofition, and makes 

 it adhere to the tree, preventing it from being wafhed offbv 

 heavy rains. And in the beginning of Augnll he (liortens 

 the fore-right (lioots to about four inches long ; by this 

 time the fhoot will have made its full growth for the feafon, 

 and will produce fine fti-ong eyes for the following year. 

 Such (lioots as grow near the item of the tree, if any are 

 wanted to fill up the wall, may be tucked-in as direfted for 

 peaches. This will prevent them from looking unfightly, 

 and fave them from the fury of the autumnal and winter 

 winds. He further advifes, that whenever the trunk is hol- 

 low, it be followed under ground till you have cut out all 

 the decayed parts and rotten roots, otherwife you will lofe 

 the tree. By proceeding according to the foregoing direc- 

 tions, the roots will be renewed, while the tree is formine a 

 Vol. XXIX. 



fine handforae head. In the mean time the borders fiioHld 

 be trenched, taking up all the roots, and adding fome frcfh 

 mould to them, if you can conveniently get it ; if you can- 

 not, remove all the four mould that is about the roots of the 

 trees, and put in fome taken from the border, at a diRancc 

 from the wall ; always remembering to lay the top fpit next 

 to the roots of the trees ; alfo, to mix fome vegetable mould, 

 from the melon and cucumber beds, with rotten leaves, as 

 a manure for the borders. He has headed down many trees 

 that had not this preparation ; and yet they throve very well, 

 but did not fend forth fuch fine roots and (liools as thofe 

 that were fo prepared. He concludes by obferving, that if 

 the above diredlions be followed, more pcsrs will be procured 

 ill three or four years than can be done in twenty-five years 

 by planting young trees, and pruning and managing them in 

 the common way. It is added, that if it fliould be found, that, 

 before the pears arrive at half their natural fize, they get 

 (lunted, after cold blighting winds, and frofty nights, he 

 would recommend a new operation to be performed when 

 the weather begins to grow mild, which is to take a (harp, 

 penknife, and with the point of it make an incifion through 

 the rind of the pear from the footftalk to the eye, in the 

 fame way as in fcarifying a bark-bound tree, taking care to 

 penetrate as little into the flefti of the pear as poUible. At 

 the fame time beat up fome fre(h cow-dung with wood-a(hes, 

 and with your fore-finger rub in a little of this compofition 

 where you made the fcarification ; as the wound heals, the 

 compofition will be difcharged from the fruit ; this will pre- 

 vent the pears from cracking and burfting, which renders them 

 good for nothing. The forts that are moft liable to thi» 

 diforder are, he obferves, the colmar, virgouleufe, and era- 

 fane. He only, however, recommends this operation for 

 wall pears, as it may be thought by fome a troublefome 

 operation, and it will certainly take up fome time. 



Signs of Ripenejs in the Fruit. — The maturity of the pear 

 is generally known by its changing from a green to a yel- 

 low, or reddidi colour, &c. and by the frequent falling 

 from the tree ; and when, with a gentle twift or turn up- 

 wards, it eafily quits its hold : but thefe figns of ripenefs 

 are more particularly obfervable in fummer and autumn 

 pears ; as winter pears, not being maturely ripe when ga- 

 thered, often require a good pull before they quit the 

 branches. 



The fummer pears ripen in fuccelTion in different forts, 

 from about the beginning or middle of July till the middle 

 of September ; many of the earliell ripening all at once, as 

 it were, and continuing good but a few days, either on the 

 tree or when gathered, nor will any of the forts keep good 

 long ; and none of thefe forts (hould hang on the tree till 

 foft ripe, as in that cafe moil of them would be mealy 

 and infipid. Thefe forts lliould be gathered as foon as they 

 are arrived to full growth, and juft begin to colour and dif- 

 cover maturity, but before they become foft and mellow. 

 For family ufe, they may be gathered from the tree accord- 

 ing as they attain perfeftion ; but the general crops of each 

 fort (hould be always taken down before they ripen fully, 

 and be laid in any dry room ; none of the kinds will keep 

 long, fome only a few days, and fcarcely any of them above 

 a fortnight, though from different varieties ripening at dif- 

 ferent times, the fuccellion is continued for eight or ten 

 weeks. 



The autumn forts ripen in different varieties, from about 

 the middle of September till the end of October ; fome of 

 the forwardeft become eatable on the tree, others requiring 

 to lie fome time after being gathered before they acquire 

 perfeftion. The different forts of thefe pears (hould be ga- 

 thered according as they arrive to maturity : thofe defigned 



Q 



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