108 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



Due de Nemours, and Napoleon Savinien, which 

 naturally form vigorous trees. Besi Goubault 

 is another particularly hardy variety which 



», 



Fig. 905. — rear, doable-grafted on Quince Stock, showing the 

 intermediate >t<>rk. 



thrives on the Quince and suits the Jargonelle 

 and Bergamot types. Prince Albert, a Pear of 

 little value .in itself, except for its free 

 vigorous habit of growth, has been found 

 well adapted for Marie Louise, Knight's 

 Monarch, with Huyshe's Victoria and 

 Princess of Wales. Marie Louise d'Uccle 

 is extremely vigorous and prolific on the 

 Quince, making a good intermediate stock 

 for Marie Louise, and is also suited for 

 Souvenir du Congres and Beacon. Beurre 

 Sterckmann is used for Josephine de 

 Malines, and Bergamotte Esperen for 

 Beurre Ranee. That fine old Pear, Brown 

 Beurre, which is satisfactory both on Quince 

 and free stocks, makes a good intermediate 

 for Winter Nelis. For the latter Pitmas- 

 ton Duchess has also been employed, while 

 this in turn has been worked on Winter 

 Nelis as an intermediate. 



Other stocks have been used for Pears, but 

 they possess little value, for instance Cratcegus 

 Oxyacantha, C. Crus-Galli, and Cotoneaster affinis 



have been tried; while several Continental cul- 

 tivators have grafted Pears on Apple stocks 

 with some degree of success, though not suffi- 

 cient to warrant the recommendation of the 

 experiment for general purposes. 



Forms of Trees. — The various natural forms 

 of trees suitable for Apples are also adopted 

 for Pears, but the latter lend themselves more 

 readily to artificial training, and many modes 

 are in use, some of which are more fantastic 

 than beautiful or useful. As a standard on 

 the free stock the Pear makes a very large 

 and long-lived tree, indeed there are specimens 

 still in existence in various parts of Europe that 

 must rank with the oldest of our deciduous 

 trees. When standards are well established 

 and in full bearing they produce enormous 

 crops of fruit during a long period, and though 

 the fruit may be small, they often prove very 

 profitable to their owners. But there is such 

 a long time of waiting for these results that 



Fig. 906.— Pyramidal Pear. 



the old saying, " He who plants Pears plants 

 for his heirs ", fairly expresses the general ex- 

 p^ience. However, in the formation of orchards 



