THE PEAE TEEE AND ITS PEODUCE. 



61 



any other kind of training, is so verj great, as regards 

 easy culture, safety to the fruit, and beauty, that it 

 seems almost a pity tall trees should be planted in 

 gardens, to grow beyond all management, give great 

 trouble in pruning, gathering, &e., and then to have 

 half the fruit sacrificed by being blown down from its 

 dangerous elevation. The great thing in favour of large 

 trees is the abundant crops they will produce, if they 

 are kept well thinned out ; but the small trees, scientifi- 

 cally pruned, will produce abundant crops too, in propor- 

 tion to the ground occupied and sliaded, and of a much 

 finer quality. Better have one basket of really superior 

 pears, than two or three which are only second-rate. 

 Budding is sometimes, but not often, practised. 



Young trees are raised from seed in a kind of whole- 

 sale way, by burying the decaying fruit, until February, 

 then mixing them up with a quantity of sand to separate 

 the seed and pulp. All is then sown, and the young 

 seedlings are left to themselves for a length of time. 

 To raise seedlings with more care, the plumpest seeds — 

 those which are plump on both sides, not flat on one 

 side, one from each of the finest pears on the finest 

 trees, fine flavoured and genially ripened — should be 

 chosen, and sown not more than six in each pot. Label 

 them and put them aside in a safe place, to come up 

 in the spring, giving just a little water now and then. 

 Some recommend keeping the seed until February, and 

 sowing it then. It must be kept safe from mice, which 

 are very fond of it, especially when it is germinating. 



In June the young plants may be potted singly for 

 another year, for the sake of safety while so small, or 

 planted out in a safe border. Those which seem most 

 promising may be hastened to show their quality by 

 grafting from the young tree on a bearing old tree, or 

 on a quince stock, when it is reckoned they bear in 

 about half the time they would take if left to them- 

 selves. 



In spring, the bearing pear trees want little but 

 watching, which the amateur pear-grower, if he be fond 

 of his trees, is pretty sure to give them in liberal supply. 



