HOW ARE WE TO IMPROVE? 



323 



walls as the French do, and see if we cannot nearly or quite 

 equal their pears in size,, and quite equal them in flavour. 

 We have been for years planting them as bushes and 

 pyramids, and paying little or no attention to their culture 

 against walls; hence our deficiency of good winter pears — 

 those which are by far the most valuable of all. 



Having taken sufficient care to select the very best va- 

 rieties, and to place them in positions where they are likely 

 to succeed, there is more to be done in getting rid of the 

 bad ones. They abound in every part of the country, and 

 take up space in which the most delicious kinds may be 

 grown. This prevalence of bad kinds not only results fi^om 

 the greater scarcity of the good varieties in bygone days, 

 but also from the large number of inferior kinds that are 

 still offered for sale. In very many cases the tree is 

 worthless, because it has not been planted in a position to 

 insure success. It frequently happens, for example, that 

 the very finer kinds of winter Pears, and those which the 

 French grow against walls around Paris, are in Britain 

 sent out as suitable for pyramids. All worthless Pear trees 

 should be destroyed, and good kinds planted or (happily 

 there is an alternative) regrafted with good sorts. Instead 

 of sacrificing a plantation we may cut the trees close in, 

 regraft the branches with the best kinds, and thus in a 

 short time have established trees of the finest sorts that 

 arrive at perfection in any given locality. This may be 

 performed with either standard, pyramid, wall, or espalier 

 trees, " crown " grafting being the best for this purpose. 

 Another great point would be gained if the custom of 

 growing inferior kinds from pips — which is common 

 among farmers in some fruit growing districts, with Pears 

 as well as other hardy fruits — were abandoned, and only 

 first-rate and hardy kinds planted or grafted. 



It was touching the utility of the low cordon for the 

 production of superb dessert Apples that we have had most 

 discussion; and a much wider experience with French fruit 

 gardens enables me to say that it is worthy of all the praise 

 that I have given it, and certain, when well managed, to 

 give the highest satisfaction. The reader will kindly ob- 



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