316 



PRUIT CULTURE : 



out the place solely for their beauty as trees,, apart from 

 their fruiting qualities. Therefore it is clear that we may 

 eflPect considerable improvement by planting this tree in 

 shrubberies^ pleasure grounds, and like positions, and in 

 many wild and semi-wild places, both in enclosed private 

 grounds and in the open country. There can be no doubt 

 that enormous quantities of good fruit could be grown upon 

 railway banks now useless, and from which fruit could be 

 so readily conveyed to market. The French are nearly as 

 backward in these matters as ourselves, but they have at all 

 events taken the initiative, as described in another part. 

 It is really astonishing that such beautiful objects as most 

 of our fruit trees are when in flower do not more fre- 

 quently occur outside the garden walls in this country. 



The second way in which we may improve the cultivation 

 of the Pear is by planting it to a greater extent as a pyra- 

 midal tree, and grafted on the Quince where the soils are 

 rich, moist, or deep. On many dry and sandy lands the 

 Pear must be grown on its own stock, and for orcharding 

 purposes generally that may safely be pronounced the best. 

 Indeed, one writer suggested this as the remedy for all our 

 wants in this way ; but it is not so. We shall never have a 

 cheap supply for market till we pay more attention to the 

 Pear as a freely developed standard tree ; we shall never have 

 a first-rate supply of winter pears till we pay better atten- 

 tion to walls than we do at present. The French, from 

 whom we have adopted the pyramidal form, employ it to an 

 enormous extent, but do not stop there. It is in planting 

 the pyramid that most of our improvement in this direction 

 has taken place for a good many years back. Almost every 

 nurseryman has now a stock of the tree in this form, and 

 we cannot employ it too much, provided sorts that ripen 

 well in ordinary seasons are selected ; but there are other 

 ways of equal importance. The pyramid is so pleasing in 

 outline, and indeed in all other respects, that, although so 

 highly suited for the kitchen or fruit garden, it should by 

 no means be confined to either. Handsome specimens may 

 well be introduced in favourable spots in the pleasure ground 

 and shrubberies, and thus the owners of those numerous 



