384 PYRAMIDAL TRAINING OF THE PEAR TREE. 



incisions s 



Fia. 186. 



hould penetrate sufficiently into the layer of 



young wood to well in- 

 tercept the sap vessels. 

 If with all these precau- 

 tions there are objec- 

 tionably bare spaces on 

 the stem^ they furnish 

 them by grafting by 

 approach^ or in other 

 words, turn back a ^dgo- 

 rous branch to the main 

 stem^ and graft it on to 

 the bare space ; and if 

 this cannot be done,, 

 insert a short ordinary 

 graft in the stem. This;, 

 however^ with good ma- 

 nagement will rarely be 

 necessary. 



Having trained the 

 branches straight^ the 

 next point is to see that 

 they follov the desired 

 oblique line ; and it will 

 be seen by the cuts that 

 the disposition given 

 them is better than the one they assume under a less careful 

 system. The light enters freely to the stem^ and illumi- 

 nates allj the more important part of 

 the tree is under the command of the 

 eye and hand^ and the top is pre- 

 vented from running away. This, 

 however, is more owing to the fine 

 formation of the lower branches than 

 to the position they assume^ though 

 certainly such free and straight outlets 

 for the rising sap are very effective in 

 preventing a gross development above, 

 and consequently in keeping the tree 



Grafting by approach, to cover bare spaces 

 on Pyramidal Trees. 



Fig. 187. 



Grafting by approach as 

 applied to Wall and 

 Espalier Trees. 



