222 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN, [chap. vii. 
soon as they appear, or suffered to remain 
till winter, when they may be cut in, without 
exciting the tree to fresh efforts to replace 
them. Much of the fertility of pear-trees 
also depends on the habit of the stock being 
similar to that of the graft; and much also 
on a judicious manner of training. As a 
wall-tree, the pear is always trained horizon¬ 
tally, and spurs are left on all the branches 
for producing fruit. These spurs used for¬ 
merly to be left large, and standing out a 
foot or eighteen inches from the wall; but 
they are now found to bear best when kept 
short. According to this plan, every spur is 
allowed to bear only once, viz.—in its third 
year; and after this, it is cut out to give 
place to another spur, which has been trained 
to succeed it. By this mode of treatment, a 
constant succession of young spurs is kept 
up, and fruit is produced all over the tree; 
whereas, by the old method of pruning and 
training, in the course of a few years, the 
projecting spurs became barren, and fruit 
was produced only at the extremity of the 
branches. Pears are frequently grafted 
standard high, when intended for training 
