THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



95 



persistent pinching, pot culture, and growth under 

 glass, unless the spur is severely cut back as shown 

 by the lines, such enormous fertility is likely to 

 deteriorate the fruit into comparative worthlessness, 

 as well as to destroy the vigour and end the life of 

 the tree. 



But such illustrations of fertility are given as 

 warnings rather than examples. Fig. 40 is a more 

 normal example of the fertility forced by judicious 

 pinching and stopping of the ordinary lateral shoots 

 or bearing wood of the Pear, whether trained in 

 horizontal, fan, or other fashions. 



This shoot was stopped at the third leaf, as it 

 broke into excessive 

 vigour (see 1). It 

 was then permitted 

 to make five leaves. 

 When stopped at 2, 

 its strength was not 

 only greatly re- 

 duced by the second 

 stoppage, but like- 

 wise by the diver- 

 sion of the sap into 

 two shoots of almost 

 equal strength. 

 JSTow supposing this 

 shoot needed for 

 furnishing a va- 

 cant space, it may 

 be laid in full 

 length, and has five 

 buds on it. But if 

 only needed as a 

 fruit-spur for per- 

 manent fertility, it 



may be cut off at the dotted line at the winter prun- 

 ing. After a time the one or two spurs thus left will 

 become the nucleus and develop into a nest of spurs 

 as already illustrated in Fig. 39. 



At times, however, these various pinchings result 

 in the production of wood only. In such cases the 

 entire series of growth may be cut back at the winter 

 pruning to a point near the base of the shoot, some- 

 where below No. 1. This wholesale and severe cut- 

 ting back is technically called keeping the wood and 

 fruit buds at home: a point of more moment on 

 walls than on espaliers, as when fruit-spurs get away 

 beyond six inches of the wall surface they have 

 already lost much of the fostering warmth of the 

 wall. Hence the general practice of cutting back 

 the breast-wood, that is, the annual lateral growth of 

 Pears, to within an inch or so of the main branches 

 in the autumn, unless the formation of fruit-spurs 

 renders such close pruning imprudent or impossible. 

 For after all it is impracticable to prune by rule only 



—Exuberant Group of 

 Fruit-spurs. 



and wholly, and it must never for a moment be lost 

 sight of that the great and most vital object and de- 

 sign of all training and pruning is to prune for fruit. 



This has led to the adoption . of what may be 

 correctly described as the free-and-easy method of 

 training Pears over espalier rails. The result of 

 this is very similar to whart would occur were a weep- 

 ing pyramid divided into two halves, and each backed 

 from the cloven centre against an espalier or wall. 

 The line of Pear-trees would then form a series of 

 Vandykes all along the front of the wall, the centres 

 bulging out a yard or so, the sides retreating up to 

 the wall where the trees meet each other. Supposing 



the centre is re- 

 duced a half or so 

 and the meeting- 

 places expanded, 

 the whole wall sur- 

 face would be fur- 

 nished with Pear 

 branches, leaves, 

 and fruit, to a depth 

 of fifteen, eighteen, 

 or more inches. 

 In furnishing espa- 

 liers in this way 

 the preliminary 

 steps may be. iden- 

 tical with those 

 already recom- 

 mended. Lay the 

 foundation of the 

 trees, that is, their 

 leaders or ribs, just 

 the same, and then 

 droop or distribute 

 through these the fruit-bearing spur-clusters or twig- 

 lets as thought best. This mode of training is more 

 difficult than the more formal methods. But once 

 trees are thoroughly provided with bearing wood, 

 and especially so soon as they get into full bearing, 

 but little pruning beyond what may be needed to 

 prevent overcrowding, and for the removal of weakly 

 or useless shoots and spurs, will be required. 



The pruning and training of cordon Pears does not 

 differ much from that of Apples. (See illustrations 

 and description of the latter, Vol. III., pp. 15, 16.) 

 There are, however, several other forms more gene- 

 rally used for Pears than the single and double 

 diamonds and special cordons already described. 

 Among these the single, double, vertical, oblique, U 

 or V-shaped, and five-branched cordons are the more 

 generally used. 



Iron is often used, when the standards may be six 

 feet high, and the wires nine inches apart. The 

 end standards are made of an<?le iron with self- 



Fig. 40. — Pruning 

 Fruit-spur. 



