PEAES. 



117 



operation should be performed sooner upon the 

 upper and more vigorous parts of the tree than 

 upon the lower and less vigorous portions. 



Allow the lateral shoots to form six leaves, 

 and then pinch them immediately the sixth 

 leaf is formed. There are usually latent or only 

 partially developed buds at the base of the 

 shoot, with occasionally some small imperfect 

 leaves, but in counting the six leaves these 

 should be omitted. The more vigorous shoots 

 will generally be those that will first attain the 

 above extent of growth, and accordingly the 

 first that are stopped or pinched. Many of 

 the shoots will start again after the first stop- 

 ping, and when these are 3 or 4 inches long 

 they are pinched back to three buds, or to about 

 1J inch from their bases. 



With regard to the terminal shoots of the 

 branches, those that extend in summer beyond 

 such as are situated below them should be 

 pinched; but the others ought to be allowed to 

 grow till the beginning of September, when they 

 may be cut to their assigned limits, so that any 

 further shortening at the winter pruning will be 

 unnecessary. 



From what has been already stated, anyone 

 may rear and maintain handsome and productive 

 pyramid Pear-trees; nevertheless, the nature of 

 the proceedings having been explained, the chief 

 points may now be briefly recapitulated. The 

 tree having been trained with an upright shoot, 

 is cut back before winter, in order that it may 

 produce side branches near the ground; and a 

 shoot is again trained upright and cut, so as to 

 produce more laterals and a shoot for the con- 

 tinuation of the stem ; this shoot may be stopped, 

 if vigorous enough, when it has grown about 



1 foot. This will tend to throw more sap into 

 the side branches below, whilst the upright 

 leader, from its advantageous position, will soon 

 regain sufficient strength. Laterals from it must 

 be pinched when they have grown 6 or 8 inches ; 

 by shortening them at the winter pruning to 

 within 2 inches of the stem they will produce 

 shoots strong enough for side branches, and, at 

 the same time, the pyramidal form of the tree 

 will be preserved. By stopping the leader in 

 summer, side branches will result, so that at the 

 winter pruning it will only be necessary to cut it 



2 feet, instead of 1 foot, above where it was cut 

 a year before. Thus, without danger of a defi- 

 ciency of side branches, an advance of 2 feet in 

 height is gained in one season. 



In subsequent years the upright shoot may 

 be treated in a similar manner till the desired 

 height is attained. It is necessary, however, to 



observe that where the climate is such as not to 

 ripen the wood of the summer shoot properly, 

 it is better to allow the leader to go on without 

 stopping, and originate the side branches by 

 cutting back to 12 inches in autumn. The 

 laterals from the side branches may be made to 

 form fruit- spurs instead of overcrowding the 

 tree; they must be pinched under the sixth 

 leaf when they have developed that number. 

 The terminal shoots should be allowed to grow 

 till the end of August, when they ought to be 

 shortened to within eight buds or leaves of the 

 stem, not taking into account the buds at the 

 base of the shoot which usually do not push. At 

 the winter pruning, the ends of the branches 

 must be pruned so as not to spoil the sym- 

 metrical outline of the tree. 



The above directions are applicable to pyra- 

 mids strictly kept, and of the smallest dimen- 

 sions; and anyone that can rear such can easily 

 manage those of larger size. In some cases 

 Pear-trees are allowed to form pyramids as 

 much as 15 feet high, the side branches ex- 

 tending in proportion; but for these it is only 

 necessary to allow greater extension to the ter- 

 minal shoots of the branches, and to the upright 

 stem; in all other respects the directions already 

 given should be followed. 



Espalier Training. — Of all modes of training 

 the Pear-tree in the open ground the espalier, if 

 well managed, is the most economical as regards 

 space. If the espalier is only 6 feet high, there 

 may be six horizontal branches on each side, 

 and each branch extending, say, 10 feet, the 

 aggregate length of the branches will then be 

 120 feet. The same extent of branches, trained 

 as an open dwarf, would occupy a space of 10 

 feet square, or an area of 100 feet. 



The mode of rearing a central stem, and that 

 of obtaining branches from it where required, 

 have already been explained; and when the 

 horizontals are started no one can be in any 

 doubt in training them — as far as the correct form 

 of the tree is concerned — all he has to attend to 

 is simply to train them right along; whilst in the 

 fan and other modes of training, many considera- 

 tions are sometimes necessary with respect to the 

 position and direction of the branches. The 

 espalier mode gives good command over the 

 growth of the tree and the equal distribution of 

 the sap; at the same time the branches are all 

 equally exposed to light. 



Equality of vegetation is conducive not only 

 to the health of the tree, but also to its pro- 

 ductiveness; and, accordingly, well -managed 

 espalier trees are very productive, and generally 



