ai4 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



will contribute to that object, and the question 

 is to what extent this may be carried as regards 

 the Pear. In time Pear-trees in good soil will 

 profitably occupy a wall of ordinary height if 

 planted at 30 feet apart; but at such a wide 

 distance there must be a large space of bare 

 wall for many years. The greatest distance 

 that need be allowed between the trees is 24 

 feet; but less than this would appropriate the 

 space more rapidly. 



When wall-trees were badly managed, when 

 by close planting the branches had to be much 

 shortened to keep them within the prescribed 

 limits, and when in consequence of this short- 

 ening a mass of shoots sprung up, one of two 

 things usually happened: these shoots were 

 either allowed to grow during summer and 

 cut closely off in winter, entirely wasting so 

 much of the strength of the tree; or they were 

 cut down near to their bases with the view 

 of forming spurs at the portions left, but in- 

 stead of spurs fresh shoots were usually pro- 

 duced. With such management, close planting 

 was certainly not to be recommended, because it 

 induced growths which, without due care, became 

 an evil. But now it is different ; for, by judicious 

 summer priming, trees can be kept in very 

 small compass; thus, pyramidal-trained Pear- 

 trees can be kept within a space not exceed- 

 ing 4 or 5 feet in diameter. By employing 

 similar means, a horizontal-trained tree might 

 have its branches limited to an extent of 10 

 feet. This we know to be possible; but it 

 is not always desirable, and to do it properly 

 would require more strict attention than could, 

 in many cases, be given. We would therefore 

 recommend not less than 15 feet as the mini- 

 mum distance which should be adopted, and 

 20 feet as the maximum. If the soil is very 

 rich, 20 feet is a proper distance, and where 

 but moderately so, 18 feet will suffice. It 

 may indeed be said that 24 feet, with " riders " 

 between, would be preferable; but these are 

 not much to be depended upon for fruit, 

 though they answer the purpose of covering 

 the wall; moreover, by the time they are in 

 a good bearing state, they have to be cut away 

 to make room for the permanent trees. The 

 distance to be allowed between these has there- 

 fore been considered irrespective of "riders". 



Pruning and Training. — The stems of standard 

 Pear-trees should be reared according to the 

 directions already given in treating of the 

 Apple. Three shoots are obtained at the proper 

 height for constituting three main limbs, and 

 each of these should be cut so that two shoots 



may start at from 9 inches to 1 foot from its 

 base; thus, as in the case of the Apple-tree, 

 six main branches will be produced, a num- 

 ber which will be quite sufficient. For several 

 years all shoots that start from the principal 

 branches should be kept subordinate, until the 

 latter have diverged so far as to afford an 

 abundance of space for an intermediate branch. 

 Where space allows of a greater number of 

 branches being originated, they may be pro- 

 duced at any place by cutting back to suit- 

 able buds at that point. It has been explained 

 that three buds will usually start immediately 

 below the section; but in the case of open 

 standards and dwarfs, three branches, with 

 the exception of the three main limbs, should 

 never take their origin from the same point, 

 or at least from three contiguous buds. There 

 ought to be no tridents in the tops of trees 

 so trained, and one of the three growths should 

 either be cut closely off, or shortened and 

 managed so as to form a spur. 



When subsidiary branches are encouraged 

 from each of the six main limbs, it is desirable 

 that they should proceed alternately from op- 

 posite sides, for when this is the case it will 

 I better resist the Avind. If each of the six main 

 branches be well balanced by having as many 

 growths on one side as on the other, possessing 

 the same vigour, and further, if equality is 

 maintained between the six principal branches 

 themselves, the tree may be considered to be 

 properly managed. 



Whilst encouraging the principal branches, 

 by taking care to check vigorous shoots that 

 otherwise would become competitors, naked- 

 ness should at the same time be guarded 

 against. Some varieties are naturally disposed 

 to branch, but others are apt to produce shoots 

 that are bare for nearly their whole length. 

 These, then, require to be shortened, in order 

 that shoots to form branchlets and spurs may 

 be produced. When the top of the tree be- 

 comes large, the spurs on the bases of the 

 large limbs will be apt to die, from their 

 foliage not having so full a share of light as 

 those on the outside. This can be prevented 

 to some extent by keeping the branches on 

 the south side thinner than elsewhere, in order 

 to admit the sun's rays more freely into the 

 interior. 



After the heads of standard trees have been 

 kept regulated for several years, as above di- 

 rected, the tree will generally have to be left 

 to follow its natural mode of growth. Yet 

 all gross irregularities should be prevented: 



