FRUIT CULTURE 



555 



larger and better rip:ned. From its shallow rooting 

 habit the Quince stock is especially valuable in cold and 

 damp soils, and for trees that are to be planted in limited 

 space, as in cultivated garden soil. Another good point of 

 the Quince is that trees worked upon it transplant readily 

 even when fairly old. The increased size and colour of 

 fruit produced by Pear trees on the Quince is considered to 

 be the result of the check experienced by the returning sap 

 when it reaches the Quince stock, which does not become 

 so large as the Pear. For this latter reason the union 

 should always be made quite close to the ground. It is not 

 the stem of the Quince that is required, but its surface- 

 rooting fibrous roots. If the graft were placed some 

 distance up the stem of the Quince stock, it is most 

 probable that eventually the scion would enlarge more 

 quickly than the stock, thus leaving the lower part of 

 the stem thinner than the upper. 



The Hawthorn (Crataegus Oxyacantha), the Mountain 

 Ash (Pyrus Aucuparia), and the Medlar (Mespilus 

 germanica) are also sometimes used as Pear stocks, though 

 not nearly so extensively as the Pear and the Quince. 



Soil. — The Pear appears to thrive in any good loamy soil, 

 providing it is sufficiently well drained to allow of no stagnant 

 moisture being present. The nature of the soil where Pear 

 trees are to be planted must necessarily determine whether 

 these shall be upon the Pear or the Quince stock. It has been 

 already mentioned that the roots of the former reach further, 

 and therefore require a greater depth of soil than do those of 

 the Quince. It will also be easily understood that as the 

 roots of the latter are so near the surface, they will need to 

 be assisted by top-dressing and mulching, especially when 

 the trees are bearing a heavy crop ol fruit. 



When young Pear trees are planted they make a better 

 start if, after the roots have been laid out carefully in the 

 hole made to receive them, a few barrow-loads of fresh loam 

 are used to mix with the garden soil, placing it more 

 especially round about the roots. All thick, libreless roots, 

 and also any that are bruised or broken, need shortening 

 back with a cut commenced under the root. In planting the 

 Pe ir tree, regard must be had to the particular variety, 

 whether the fruit is required early or late in the season, if it 

 is of a weak or a strong habit of growth, etc. Local circum- 

 stances also have to be considered. The fruit gathered 

 from wall trees is generally superior to that picked from 

 trees in the open. Walls having a south or a west aspect 

 should be chosen if possible. Wall trees have the advantage 

 of those in the open of not being so liable to suffer when in 

 flower from spring frosts. The wall itself gives a certain 

 amount of protection, and more can be easily afforded by 

 means of canvas blinds. 



Training 1 . — The methods of training Pear trees are 

 numerous, and depend upon the uses and positions for 

 which the trees are intended. For covering a wall, hori- 

 zontal-trained trees are often employed, though formerly, 

 to judge by the many specimens now existing in gardens, 

 fan training was more extensively practised. Cordon- 

 trained trees furnish the wall more quickly than either of 

 the above-mentioned, and are to be recommended, especially 

 for temporary fruiting, until the larger trees are well grown. 

 For very high walls fan-trained trees are suitable, as the 

 upper part of the former is more quickly covered than by 

 horizontal training. 



With regard to trees trained in the last-mentioned 

 manner, those grafted on the Pear stock will need more 

 room for development than if worked on the Quince. From 

 1 2ft. to 15ft. apart for those on the latter, and from 1 8 ft. 

 to 20ft. for those on the former, according as the soil is 

 rich or poor, are suitable distances to allow between them. 

 The branches of trees horizontally trained should be at least 

 I2in. apart; this may appear to leave a large amount of 

 vacant space between, but it will be found that a sufficiently 

 heavy crop of fruit can be produced under good cultivation. 

 The wall also becomes warmer from the heat ol the sun 

 when not so heavily covered by foliage. 



The formation of the horizontal-trained tree is thus 

 described by Thompson : — " When the young plant 

 consists of a single upright shoot or stem it is cut down 

 a,bove three buds, one on each side situated at the proper 



height for originating the two lower horizontal branches, 

 and the third one for the upright leader. When the shoots 

 push, the latter, of course, is trained upright, and the other 

 two at some elevation in order to strengthen them, for 

 they cannot be too strong, provided they can be bent down 

 easily towards autumn." 



The following winter the stem will be pruned back to 

 such a distance as will allow a space of i2in. between the 

 buds, from which the second horizontal branches will be 

 produced, and those branches already formed. The top 

 bail will again be trained upwards for the leader. From 

 this we see that only two horizontal shoots are made every 

 year, so that some time must necessarily elapse before the 

 lop of the wall can be reached, Some cultivators, if 

 their trees are growing very strongly, retain four of these 

 branches annually, two on either side of the stem. This 

 is done by stopping the leading shoot, so as to cause it to 

 push lateral growths. Two of these at a proper distance 

 from the lower branches are then allowed to extend. 



When dealing with trees with the lowest branches 

 almost at right angles to the stem, if the How of sap is not 

 checked in some way the lop of the tree will benefit to 

 the detriment of the base. In forming the bottom shoots, 

 therefore, instead of training them immediately right away 

 from the stem for a few inches, they should be allowed to 

 rise, as the sap is then encouraged to flow to them. Of 

 course, near to the top of the tree this will not be necessary ; 

 the branches there should be as level as possible. 



To encourage the lower shoots to grow strongly, allow 

 the laterals to develop, and pinch them late in summer. 

 They must, however, be cut within J, in. of their bases at 

 the winter pruning. For several reasons the laterals on the 

 horizontal branches may be allowed to grow during the 

 summer without stopping (unless they become unduly 

 crowded, when pinching must be resorted to). After 

 several branches have developed on either side and the tree 

 is well formed, the side shoots ought to lie shortened in 

 summer to five or six leaves, going over the upper half of 

 the tree one day and the lower half after a few days' interval. 

 The formation of fruit spurs will be greatly assisted by the 

 free admission of sun and air thus made possible. 



In forming a fan-shaped tree, commence by first producing 

 three shoots as advised for the horizontally-trained one. At 

 the first winter pruning cut back the leading shoot to three 

 properly developed buds a few inches above its base. The 

 resulting growths at the end of the second season will then 

 number five. At the following pruning, again shorten the 

 leading one to three buds, and the two shoots made the 

 previous summer also cut back to two eyes, and these will 

 in their turn produce shoots. 



Those obtained first of all, after allowing a slight rise 

 from the stem, should be trained at right angles to this, 

 and the others as they are produced a few inches above them 

 in an oblique direction. Until the wall space is filled, the 

 more the branches extend the farther apart they will 

 become, thus leaving room for more, which are easily 

 produced by shortening others back to suitable buds. 



Cordon trees may be trained in an upright or in a slanting 

 direction. When planted temporarily between other trees, 

 or permanently against a fairly high wall, the former method 

 is usually adopted. For furnishing a low wall the latter system 

 is preferable, as it allows of more extension than would be 

 possible if the upright method were practised. When the 

 Pear tree is confined to a single stem, if the length of this is 

 limited the tree is apt to prematurely die. There are other 

 forms of cordons besides the single ones ; they may be 

 double, treble, or even five-stemmed. 



The principal forms adopted for the formation of Pear 

 trees for planting in the open are the standard, the pyramid, 

 and the bush. 



In cultivating a standard tree first develop a straight, 

 strong, and healthy stem. A thin and weakly one will always 

 be a source of danger to the tree, especially in rough weather. 

 It is well known that the stem or shoot of a tree is stouter at 

 the base than at the apex. This should be the case with the 

 stem of our standard Pear, and by care and proper treatment 

 it may lie obtained. Unless a plant has a certain amount of 

 well-developed foliage, the food absorbed by the roots cannot 



