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are annually improving : and if we 

 look back to the bell French Au- 

 thors, who have written on the Sub- 

 ject of Fruit-trees, we fhali find, that 

 the times of ripening of many Sorts 

 of Pears are put down a Month or 

 fix Weeks later about fifty Years 

 ago, than they are now found to 

 ripen about Paris : and here about 

 London it is much the fame ; for I 

 cannot find they are the leatl for- 

 warder in the times of their ripening 

 at Paris , than at London. 



The ripening of thefe Fruits may 

 alfo be accelerated by the Method of 

 pruning and managing thefe Trees, 

 which are greatly improved within 

 the Space of a few Years paft ; for 

 if we look into the Directions which 

 are given by the belt Writers on this 

 Subject, we fhall foon difcover how 

 little they knew forty Years ago, of 

 the trui Method of pruning and 

 managing all Sorts of Fruit-trees, 

 fcarce one of them making any Dif- 

 ference in the Management of the 

 different Kinds of Fruit. 



Pears are propagated by budding 

 or grafting them upon Stocks of 

 their own Kind, which are com- 

 monly called Free-Hocks, or upon 

 Quince-flocks, or White- thorn ; up- 

 on all which thefe Fruits will take ; 

 but the latter Sort of Stock is now 

 feidom ufed, beca ife they never keep 

 Pace in their Growth with the Fruit 

 budded or grafted upon them ; as 

 alfo becaufe the Fruit upon fuch 

 Stocks are commonly drier, and more 

 apt to be ftony, than when they are 

 upon Pear-frocks. Quince - flocks 

 are greatly ufed in the Nurferies for 

 all Sorts of Pears which are defigned 

 for Dwarfs or W T alls, in order to 

 check the Luxuriancy of their 

 Growth j fo that they may be kept 

 within Compafs better than upon 

 Free-flocks. But againfl the gene- 

 ral Ufe ai thefe Stock?, for all Sorts 



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of Tears indifferently, there are very 

 great Objections : ift, Becaufe fome 

 Sorts of Pears will not thrive upon 

 thefe Stocks, but in two or threeYears 

 will decay, or at moll will but juit 

 keep alive. 2dly, Moft of the Sorts 

 of hard breaking Pears are rendered 

 ftony, and good for little ; fo that 

 whenever any of thefe Sorts are thus 

 injudicioufly raifed, the Fruit, altho' 

 the Kind be ever io good, is con- 

 demn^ as good for nothing, by fuch 

 as are not well acquainted with it, 

 when the Fault is intirely owing to 

 the Stock on Wiiicn it was grafted. 

 On the contrary, moil melting but- 

 tery Pears are greatly improved by 

 being upon Quince-Hocks, provided 

 they are planted on a flrong Soil : 

 but if the Ground be very dry and 

 gravelly, no Sort of Pear will do 

 well upon Quince - flocks in fuch 

 Places. 



Thefe generalDire&ions being gi- 

 ven, there is no Occasion to repeat any 

 Part of the Method in which thefe 

 Stocks are raifed, and the Fruits 

 budded or grafted thereon ; which 

 has been already mentioned under 

 the Article of Nurferies. 



The Diflance which thefe Trees 

 fhold be planted either againfl Walls 

 or Efpaliers, mull not be lefs than 

 thirty Feet : but if they are planted 

 forty Feet, it will be better ; for if 

 they have not room to fpread on 

 each Side, it v.i'l be impoffible to 

 prefer ve them in good Order, efpe- 

 cially thofe on Free-flocks ; for the 

 more thefe Trees are pruned, the 

 more they will moot ; and, as I be- 

 fore faid, many Sorts of Pears pro- 

 duce their Bloflbm-buds firfl at the 

 Extremity of the former Year r s 

 Shoots, fo that when they are fhort- 

 en'd, the Fruit will be cut away j 

 and this cannot be avoided, where 

 the Trees have not room aliow'd in 

 their firll planting. 



This 



