AN UNPRODUCTIVE TREE. 69 
he will have a well-shaped and productive tree, or a 
misshapen and unproductive one. If during the 
first summer, one, two or three shoots should be 
making a stronger growth than the others, pinch 
them back with the thumb and finger. By giving 
some attention in this way, a more uniform growth 
will be obtained. 
On dwarfs, fruit will frequently set the fourth 
year from the time of budding, but it is very unwise 
to let it remain. The trees should be examined care- 
fully, and every pear removed. By permitting 
young trees to bear fruit, they are so likely to be- 
come stunted, that the owner cannot be urged too 
strongly not to sanction this dangerous practice, now 
so common in almost every young pear orchard. 
The question is frequently asked, “when should 
pruning be done?” The most appropriate answer 
to this question is, “prune in winter for wood and 
an summer for fruit,” in other words, to encourage 
the growth of wood, to build up the tree, the gen- 
eral pruning should be done during March and 
April, or not until the continued cold weather has 
past. If young trees are pruned in the early part 
of winter, the ends of the shoots are often so injured 
by severe cold weather, that the first leaf buds are 
killed, leaving short pieces of dead wood to distigure 
the branches. On our own place, we begin to prune 
