June 15. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
19!) 
(Pingnicula vulgaris ); the Sun-dew (Droscra rotundi- 
folia), and the llgdrocolglc vulgaris, or Pennywort., all 
interesting, it' not so showy as the Buttev-cup, Broom, 
and Heath, noted above. The botanist disregards that 
“glare" which it has been the fashion of late to attend 
to, and plants of humble growth, and sometimes unin- '' 
viting exterior, are regarded by him as prizes; and 1 
well remember the long journies that.used to bo under¬ 
taken in quest of anything of which the immediate 
neighbourhood was destitute. The ardour and applica¬ 
tion of youth is required hero; and it is to the young 
that! more especially devote this article, feeling assured, 
that if a part of their spare hours was spent in the | 
attainment of a knowledge of British plants, they would 
be led to wonder why an acquaintance with them was 
not sooner urged on them, and would not be unlikely to 
exclaim, that no place of like extent is more rich in floral 
beauty than their fatherland. 
There are some persons who cannot he prevailed on 
to give anything their study which does not carry in its 
face the stamp of sheer utility; but, if we arc to cut 
everything down to this standard, what is to become of 
our flowers, and even some of our fruits, and I know 
not what else ? But as there are senses of other kinds as 
well as those of the mere animal or sensual kind, I hope 
to seo the day in which botany, as a science, will again 
take the place it held at the beginning of the present 
century ; and the first indication of it will bo that search i 
for British plants, the knowledge of which at the present 
day is almost exclusively confined to books, the produce ! 
of the industry of a former age; and as the knowledge of 
our wild plants forms the A B C of botany, 1 hope the 
dry hills, marshes, and other waste jibices will be again 
explored by ardent pedestrians, who will derive a more 
healthy knowledge of the science by the discovery of a I 
plant with which they were before unacquainted, than 
they would by sitting in their cushioned arm-chair at 
home, reading the adventures of some enterprizing 
collector in the torrid zone; or, they might read these with 
more zest, because, as they became acquainted with the 
science, their admiration of it would increase, inasmuch 
as one of the most eminent men of the day (Lord 
Brougham) observes, “ No one can see the beauty of 
a science unless he be acquainted with it.” 
J. Robson. 
THINNING PEARS. 
QUALITY AND QUANTITY Versus NUMBERS. 
“Whatever are you doing:”’ was the ejaculatory question 
of one friend to another, on entering his garden, and finding 
him busily engaged in thinning the fruit on his Pear-trees. 
’* Why, thinning the fruit, to bo sure; so as to improve 
the quality as well as the quantity of it.” 
“ Do you think you will really do so?” was the rejoinder. 
“ Oh, yes ! for the last four or live years 1 have followed 
this practice, and with the most satisfactory results. My 
fruit has been finer, beautifully smooth-skinned, and very 
much improved in flavour.” 
That such a subject should be a matter of conversation 
between two amateur horticulturists at this time, surprises 
us not a little; as well-founded theory and long-continued 
practice both tend to substantiate the fact, “ that the more- 
fruit is thinned in reason, the finer it will necessarily be.” 
That the practice is particularly applicable to Pear 
culture, I shall feel much pleasure, if not occupying too 
much of the valuable space in the columns of The Cottage 
Gardener, to prove; with a few accompanying hints 
respecting the cultivation of this useful and remunerative 
horticultural crop. 
There is but little soil which will not grow Pear-trees. 
The driest of soil will grow thorn on the Pear or free stock, 
and the generality of loams will grow them on Quince. 
This is the fundamental question on which practice must j 
rest for success if practioners desire to succeed; for, if a 
soil is not naturally adapted to the growth of a tree, t have ; 
no “ great faith ” in any man’s means of preparing it for the 
purpose; and it is necessary, when plants require a mellow : 
soil, to be able to make a sub, as well as a surface-soil, so as j 
to maintain the mellowness and moisture necessary for the 
tree’s maintenance and support, which is not to he done 
by any artificial preparation of a remunerative character. 
Constant surface-watering would not pay, nor would it 
answer the purpose; and I do not know that any effectual 
means could be applied. 
The ground selected for growing Pear-trees being well 
trenched in the autumn, and the trees carefully planted— 
the roots being spread out without the mixing of manure 
amongst the roots, according to custom, but by its applica¬ 
tion as a surface-dressing, little more, beyond shortening 
the leading shoots and removing the others with a sharp 
knife, needs to be done the first season, that is, supposing ; 
the trees to be young and vigorous. 
The succeeding two or three years should bo devoted to i 
the cultivation of the trees, not the fruit; and the trees I 
having been made to extend their branches and laterals in i 
the directions desired, according to the proposed plan of 
training, attention must then he paid to the spurring of the j 
laterals in such a manner as to cause them to form fruit- 
spurs ; that is, by cutting them diagonally across within a j 
couple of eyes of the branch from which they shot. By 
such practice, multitudes of fruit-spurs are formed on all 
the strong branches, which, blossoming abundantly, and 
producing large quantities of embryo fruit, leave an easy 
task to be performed in thinning them, so as to obtain a 
larger quantity of fruit and of a much superior quality 
than can possibly be procured by the present careless and 
heedless system of allowing them all to grow and do the i 
best they can for themselves, too generally adopted by u ' 
very large class of persons in the cultivation of this very j 
useful and prolific horticultural crop, the absurdity of which i 
cannot be too forcibly condemned. Root-pruning I can 
only consider to be desirable and useful where trees grow 
outrageously strong, and require to bo checked. Much 
nonsense has been published respecting this practice ; but 
I have good reason to question whether the adherents of 
the theory ever made their practice answer the desired 
purpose to such an extent as they have endeavoured to j 
persuade their readers. 
The lady’s rejoinder, “ That the gentleman using the 
phrase, 1 Facts are stubborn things,’ must have been a very 
great fact himself,” because he used the phrase in support 
of an argument where right and reason bowed to him, did 
not disprove the power of his argument, nor the influence 
it had made on his opponent in the course of their convei 
sation, any more, I hope, than the practice of the present 
day will disprove what I now advance in reference to the 
cultivation of Pear-trees and their fruit: but there are, I 
am sorry to say, so many determined sticklers for antiquated 
practices, that the truth needs to be many times told 
respecting any innovation before it is once believed, and 
long believed before it is given a fair trial to ; and such 
being the mode of progression in all matters of science, 
persons must only be amused, not alarmed, because such 
persons become “ exceedingly aggrieved” to think that any 
person should desire to remove their prejudices, and place 
them on a more comfortable, rational, and reasonable , 
footing, both with themselves and their practices. 
Every generation must, does, and will, bring to light its ] 
quota of facts; and this is the grand secret of, and connected , 
with, the practice of our most successful Pear-growers. 1 
They allow none but good, healthy wood to grow in their 
Pear-trees; and they allow but two fruit to grow where six 
would be produced, if they were not removed by artificial > 
means; proving the additional fact, that “art may assist 
nature, but cannot control her;" it must work in harmony, 
and cheerfully submit to take the helper’s part: the moment 
it attempts to assume the higher ground, it becomes like a 
restive horse with its legs over the traces—no longer in a 
position to act an useful part, but requiring re-adjustment 
before it can proceed. 
The most unfavourable circumstances which attend Pear 
cultivation are late frosts and cold eastern winds in spring ; I 
and this is proved by the present season's experience; for, 
whilst our London friends have suffered very severely from 1 
