ESPALIER PEARS ON QUINCE STOCKS. 



41 



to the border of that width by digging a trench bien- 

 nially, and cutting off all the ends of the roots at that 

 distance from the wall. 



I may, perhaps, make this more plain by saying 

 that a tree planted in November, 1860, should have 

 its roots shortened to eighteen inches in November, 

 1862; to twenty -four inches in 1864; to thirty inches 

 in 1866; to three feet in 1868; and so on, leaving 

 six inches biennially, till, say, a distance of six feet 

 from the wall is reached in 1880. This border, six 

 feet wide, 1 will then be full of fibrous roots. It should 

 never be dug or cropped, but annually have a sur- 

 face dressing of manure about two inches in thick- 

 ness ; and, as I have before said, have a trench 

 dug biennially eighteen inches deep, six feet from the 

 wall, and the end of every protruding root cut off. If 

 this method be followed, summer pinching to three 

 leaves the first time, and to one leaf afterward, 

 of the spurs on all the leading branches, may be 

 practiced, and scarcely any winter pruning will be re- 

 quired. 



In forming borders for wall pear trees on quince 

 stocks biennially root-pruned, the soil should be well 

 stirred with the fork to a depth of eighteen inches, 

 and if it be poor a good dressing of rotten manure or 

 leaf mold should be mixed with it. Pears on quince 

 stocks are much better adapted for this mode of cul- 

 ture than those on pear stocks. If the latter be 

 planted, the border, six feet wide, should have a 



1 If the wall to which the trees are trained be twelve feet and upward in 

 height, the border should be eight and even ten feet in width. Wide and 

 shallow fruit tree borders are much to be preferred to those that are deep and 

 narrow. 



