PEARS. 



113 



foliage that planting cannot be safely deferred 

 so late as with the Apple. Much depends upon 

 the character of the season and the state of the 

 tree; in moist, warm, and cloudy times late 

 planting can be often safely performed. Mr. 

 T. Rivers has stated that "Pear-trees on the 

 Quince stock offer a curious anomaly, for if 

 they are removed quite late in the spring — say 

 towards the end of March, when their blossom- 

 buds are just on the point of bursting — they 

 will bear a fine and often an abundant crop of 

 fruit the same season. This is perhaps owing 

 to the blossoms being retarded, and thus escap- 

 ing the spring frosts ; but it has so often occurred 

 when no frosts have visited us that I notice it, 

 in fact no trees bear late removal so well as 

 Pears on Quince stocks." If this is taken in 

 conjunction with what has been said about 

 weather conditions, it may be relied upon; but 

 it is not an advisable proceeding to transplant 

 Pears when starting to grow if the character- 

 istic March conditions prevail, i.e. drying winds 

 and hot sun. 



Deep planting is bad for Pears, especially 

 those on the free stock. Where the soil con- 

 ditions are very unfavourable, planting on the 

 surface has been adopted, mounding the roots 

 over with soil. There is a danger in this when 

 very dry seasons follow, as what little rain may 

 fall runs off without penetrating to the roots, 

 and it thus sometimes happens that even in a 

 damp position the trees may suffer through 

 receiving an insufficient supply of water at a 

 critical time. This may be overcome in some 

 measure by ridging the soil on each side of 

 the tree, at the limit of the roots, thus forming 

 a trough-like receptacle. 



Pears on the Quince should be planted so 

 that the stock can be covered with soil, unless 

 that is unusually long. Roots are then often 

 formed up to the juncture with the scion, thus 

 strengthening the tree materially. When the 

 stock has not developed in something like the 

 same proportion as the scion, the point of union 

 is always the weak part of the tree, and a 

 source of danger in stormy weather. For this 

 reason careful staking is essential for most bush 

 or pyramid Pears on the Quince, and the stakes 

 cannot be safely dispensed with for some years 

 unless the trees are sheltered or make excep- 

 tional progress. 



In planting against a wall, it is important to 

 cover it as quickly as possible, consistent with 

 allowing the trees sufficient room. At wide 

 distances trees trained horizontally will reach 

 the top of the wall as soon as others that are 

 Vol II. 



planted more closely together, but for many 

 years there will be larger spaces uncovered 

 between those that are widely planted, as will 

 be readily understood on referring to fig. 912. 

 Supposing that the wall is 13 feet high, and 



Fig. 912.— Horizontal Training. 



that the upright is annually stopped so that 

 one course of horizontals will be made in a 

 year, then in twelve years, the horizontals 

 being 1 foot apart, the leader will reach the 

 top of the wall. Presuming that at the expira- 

 tion of this period the lower horizontals of the 

 trees 1 and 2 meet, it is then evident that only 

 half of the wall will be covered; for the space 

 covered by the side of the tree No. 1, and that 

 covered by the side of the tree No. 3, are 

 together equal to the unoccupied space a be; 

 whilst the space covered by the tree No. 2 is 

 equal to the other unoccupied space cde. In 

 short, it is easy to observe that the covered 

 spaces form four triangles, and that the un- 

 covered spaces form four similar triangles equal 

 to the former, so that half the wall is covered, 

 and half not. 



Supposing the trees had been planted at half 

 the distance apart, as in fig. 913, also that they 



Fig. 913.— Horizontal Training. 



had grown at the same rate as fig. 912, and 

 accordingly reached the top of the wall in 

 twelve years, it will be observed that at the 

 end of that period all the horizontals, from the 

 base as far as half the height of the wall, will 

 have met. The lower half of the wall is there- 

 fore entirely covered, and there is only one- 

 fourth of the surface uncovered. If we cal- 

 culate the difference in regard to time, we shall 

 find that by planting at half the distance as 

 much surface will be covered in three years 

 as will be the case in four years by the other 

 plan. Now, as walls are expensive, it is de- 

 sirable that the whole available space should 

 be utilized. Close planting, as above shown, 



49 



