November 17, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
461 
I HAVE a number of Pear trees on walls, some of which have 
been planted for twenty years or more, others about half 
that time, but all are practically useless. They bear small fruit 
sometimes, rarely large clean specimens which I hope for. Occa¬ 
sionally they are crowded with blossom, and they grow a forest of 
breastwood. Cut as I may it is all the same—one crop of shoots 
removed making way for another. I am told the trees are worn 
out, but cannot quite understand how ten and twenty-year-old trees 
can be worn out at the same time. I ask for information, and if 
I may be excused for saying so, would like it from someone who 
has really done himself what he would teach others to do in making 
useless Pear trees useful, if this problem has ever been solved.” 
Thus writes a correspondent who is disappointed with his trees. 
Some of his observations are rather trite, and the subject on which 
he -writes is of considerable importance, as there are Pear trees very 
similar to his own in many gardens. 
We have the satisfaction of knowing that the problem suggested 
has been solved in several gardens. One of the most successful 
examples of improving Pear trees- on walls that has come under 
our notice was at Impney by Mr. R. Parker, and the method he 
adopted has been described in the Journal of Horticulture. A 
Kentish fruit grower, Mr. R. Smith of Yalding, has also made 
useless Pear trees useful, and in a paper which he read at one of 
the meetings of the British Fruit Growers’ Association he has told 
how he changed the character of his trees and fruit in the following 
words :— 
There is an increasing interest in the culture of these most 
noble fruits, and much more fruit could be grown on large Pear 
trees on walls if the knowledge of how to induce more fruitfulness 
were possessed by the cultivator. Many large and well-trained 
Pear trees are to be seen throughout England. But it is not often 
one sees a crop of Pears on these good looking trained trees. Why 
is it ? This is the question I have set myself: to answer. Now 
let us examine carefully how these trees are pruned. In nearly 
every case the spring shoots are pinched in May or cut off in 
June, consequently more shoots appear ; these, in like manner, 
are cut away to make the trees look neat. This is all very well 
as regards appearance, but it only pleases the eye for awhile. 
The owner soon becomes tired of seeing no fruit from year to 
year, and begins to inquire why they fail. The answer is not 
very difficult to find. Where large Pear trees produce a large 
■quantity of breastwood they require root-pruning. 
Root-pruning is well understood by some cultivators, others 
can learn from the frequent instructions in the gardening papers. 
One word, Root pruning must be done thoroughly. Assuming, 
then, that root-pruning is adopted as a means to induce fruitful¬ 
ness for Pear trees on walls, in taking out the soil have it wheeled 
away during the operation, it will give more room for the work. 
I strongly recommend fresh soil to be used for filling up after the 
trees are root-pruned, as this is very essential. A good maiden 
loam is the best. Root-pruning induces fibrous roots, and fibrous 
roots well fed give good fruit. Coarse roots give a quantity of 
breastwood. After the Pear trees have been root-pruned and fresh 
soil given, farmyard manure should be placed over the fresh soil 
and then watered, giving a sufficient quantity over the mulch to 
reach every root of the tree operated upon. I haye found the 
No. 544 .—Vol. XXL, Third Series 
end of October or the beginning of November a good time for 
root-pruning. Probably the trees will require looking after the 
following year in watering, particularly if a dry spring follows. 
Pear trees very often have a crowd of blossom buds the second 
year after root-pruning, these should be reduced very much in 
number, leaving on a few evenly over the trees. This work is 
best done early in March, and if a large crop of fruit sets, thin the 
Pears, leaving only one or two to a bunch, one only if large Pears 
are required. 
We have large trained Pear trees on walls that were root- 
pruned eight years ago, and fresh soil given, that have borne good 
crops of fine clean fruit. But before root-pruning they produced 
no fruit fit for table or market. Young Pear trees, say up to ten 
years old, I would lift, shortening all large coarse roots, and replant 
in fresh soil on the same site, or any other part of the garden, 
according to requirements or conveniences. The west wall is the 
best situation for the general collection of Pears. A few varieties 
succeed on the south wall, and a few on the east, I find the 
north wall aspect is too cold for Pears. 
Much difference of opinion exists in regard to pruning wall 
Pear trees, and much depends upon the vigour of the trees, when 
to prune and how to prune. If the trees are old and have a good 
spread of branches, and a quantity of old spurs on those branches, I 
recommend the summer growth to be left until August, and instead 
of cutting the shoots off, as is the ordinary practice, I pull 
them out, or wrench them away from the old spurs, which admits 
light and air to the remaining buds or spurs. I am speaking of 
where there is an abundance of spurs upon the branches, as is often 
the case with old trees. If Pear trees are pruned before or at 
midsummer, much more growth will occur before autumn if the 
season is a favourable one, and this second growth is waste which 
should be avoided. I have found wrenching away the summer 
shoots instead of cutting answer all my expectations, and can confi¬ 
dently recommend it. 
I find it good practice to shorten a few spurs every year. 
About the middle of September is a good time to do this work, 
because the wounds made by cutting off these spurs soon heal 
at the end of summer. Some of our old trees that were spur- 
pruned rather severely a few years ago have formed fresh spurs 
close to the branch and wall; upon these we have our best 
fruits. I endeavour to keep the spurs as close to the brick wall 
as possible, and do not allow one spur to shade another. Let 
every branch of the trained tree upon the walls have sufficient 
light and air, and also every spur upon the branch, remembering 
always that the more sun, light, and air the cultivator can admit 
between the branches and the spurs, the more heat he has from the 
wall. Cultivators very often overlook this all-important matter in 
wall trained Pear trees. Better have half the number of branches 
than the branches to be crowded ; again, better have half a crop of 
good fruit than a full crop of inferior fruit. Our Pear trees thus 
pruned a few years ago looked younger instead of older, and are 
much neater than before. I do not recommend a great quantity 
of spurs to be cut off every branch at one time, better do the work 
a little every year until the whole is complete ; by so doing there 
is no risk of losing a crop of fruit. 
I have been dwelling upon the old trained Pear trees upon walls, 
knowing that there are many well trained trees that would be 
objects of beauty if they bore crops of good fruit. My aim is to 
point out how this can be brought about. First, root-prune to 
check excessive growth, giving fresh soil to the roots, then mulch 
with decayed farmyard manure ; give water freely in dry hot 
weather ; thin the spurs, and keep them as close as possible to the 
wall ; thin the blossom buds if too numerous, also the fruit when 
set in bunches. Never aim at a large crop in any one year, but 
rather a moderate crop yearly. 
The trees should be relieved at flowering time by rubbing off 
half or more of Jffie blossom buds. I feel sure if this were adopted 
No. 2200.— Vol. LXXXIII., Old Series. 
