222 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 13, 1858. 
i special reason for retaining it, such as nakedness of the 
branches, in which case it is best to tie it down, on the 
naked portions, just pinching off the end. 
But there is, also, generally a profusion of spray 
springing from amongst, or by, the spurs, and this must 
be done something with. It is a very common opinion, 
that if this is much meddled with, until late in the 
summer, the consequence will be, that the real blossom- 
spurs will burst. Such may be sometimes the case, 
I but the opinion has gained ’by far too much weight. 
Indeed, but very few that are of a decided character, 
if any, will push into wood if the process is performed 
at Midsummer. But the safest plan, as I think, is, 
after totally removing a portion, to go over the others, 
and pinch all the strongest shoots; then to let them 
alone for a week or two, and, when the pinched shoots 
begin to sprout again, to remove a portion, and each 
week to remove a few more, and so on until no more 
spray is left than is needed. In performing this thin¬ 
ning, a judicious selection must be made, if the young 
spray to be retained is to be trained in or tied dowm 
There is much more difference in Pear shoots than 
might at first sight be imagined, even on the same tree. 
In general, however, the very shortest or closest-jointed 
must be reserved ; and, as to colour, the fruitful shoots, 
or rather those which have a tendency to become so, 
are browner or fuller of colour. Those that are highly 
attenuated, and grown with the greatest speed, are by 
all means to be avoided. With regard to how blossom- 
buds are formed or perfected, much of the barrenness 
complained, of arises, no doubt, from the want of 
light and air. 
Only consider the difference, as to the proper access 
of these elements, between the wall tree and the or¬ 
dinary standard. A wall Pear half smothered with 
spray! hov is the light and air to reach the future 
blossom-buds, which lie buried, as it were, in the very 
interior ? They may as wed be in a dark wood. Thus, 
during the most growing periods in summer,—June and 
Jul y> there is every tendency, in June in particular,to 
assume an undecided character. It is scarcely possible 
to imagine, that they can become perfect blossom-buds. 
Besides, not only sunlight, but air is excluded, and 
there can be no doubt, that a circulation of air is 
almost as necessary as sunlight. The standard tree, 
on the contrary, although possibly as full of spray, 
presents so many crannies for access of both light and 
air, that the difference is very considerable, and may 
strike the most superficial observer. Hence the 
common remark, that ordinary standard trees produce 
better crops, or, at least, more blossom-buds, than the 
primly-trained trees of the kitchen garden. It thus 
behoves the trainer, to endeavour by all possible means 
to open his trees to the light, and to this end I re¬ 
commend, that all superfluous wood be trimmed away 
by the middle or end of July. 
But these are simply curative measures ; we had 
better look into those a little which are of a preventive 
character. The chief point to be attended to, in planting 
I ears, is so to make the soil, or to handle it, as to pre- 
\ent a lapid root action, yet to render it permanent 
and steady. Shallow soils offer many chances of re¬ 
ducing gross habits, but then, if carried too far, the 
I ears will be liable to crack, or become gritty. There 
is little harm in depth of any reasonable or natural 
kind, providing the bottom is sound, and that water 
cannot lodge. But, then, what about its consistency ? 
It may be light and porous, it may be sound or stiflT, 
and somewhat compact. The latter I recommend, 
providing as before stated, a free and perfect passage 
oi water be maintained. The question then arises, 
how is such to be provided ? 
w) N ', IW ; it is not planting-time, a few remarks, 
wlncli 1 feel desirous to make, will not be out of place 
whilst talking about Pears,—by the old maxim, “ let 
us strike the iron while it is hot.” 
In the first place, I assume that Pears are not very 
fastidious as to soil; composts, in the ordinary accep¬ 
tation of that term, they abhor; or rather, I ought 
to have said, they are too partial to them. In the 
first sense, I meant that these composts were averse to 
blossoming; in the latter, that the roots would greedily 
devour composts. If I wanted to grow a crop of good 
eating and delicate Pears, I should lay my account 
with simple soils. But if I wanted to produce timber, 
I should dig very deep, and manure well. Those who 
are enclosing a new garden, where the soil is of a fair 
order,—suppose an enclosed field,—would be acting 
wisely, in my opinion, in planting Pears on the firm, 
undug soil, or, at least, digging it only a single spit, 
without manure, or only as much as would be necessary 
to start the young trees. 
Of all the errors as to Pear culture, none can be 
greater than that of rendering the soil so loose, to a 
depth of some two feet or more, that the Pears can 
root with as much freedom as they choose. Such cul¬ 
tural operations are better fitted for Cabbages or As¬ 
paragus, than Pears. Our readers may depend upon 
it, that it is this freedom of root which is the cause of 
so much breastwood; indeed, to what else can we 
ascribe it ? As to manures of any kind, they are almost 
out of this question ; even ordinary vegetable matter 
is too compliant with the vigorous action of the Pear 
root. 
Those, therefore, who have Pears thus circumstanced 
and this comprises three-fourths of the gardening 
community—must betake themselves to root pruning 
in due season. As to the pinching back, or disbudding, 
of watery laterals, that is forced upon us. What else 
can be done in summer time ? But what, let us ask, 
are the necessary results. In May we will date the 
first proceeding, that of disbudding entirely those very 
gross young shoots, which bid fair to become too ex¬ 
travagant. How, of course no person can perform an 
act of the kind without some result following; and 
this consists in, for a little while, checking the too 
violent action of the root; for, depend upon it, there is 
a perfect reciprocity between the root and the growing 
spray. What affects the one, must necessarily, in a 
corresponding degree, affect the other. The over 
violent action of the rootlets is, therefore, impeded in 
a corresponding degree ; but only for alittle while, for 
an increased impulse is speedily given to a secondary 
character of shoots; and, if a rainy period occurs in 
June, some of these will soon bid fair to become as 
arrant monopolists as their predecessors. What then ? 
Why the same course has to be repeated with the fore¬ 
most of them. But, in the meantime, many, or most, 
of the shoots left, may be pinched. This becomes 
a more severe check still to the fibres. But, in a 
short period, the pinched shoots will sprout again.— 
Tins is the ordinary history of more than half the 
Pears in the British Isles. 
I need scarcely observe, how unsatisfactory all this 
is to men of science, or those who have acumen enough 
to see, that it is but a temporising and tampering with 
a state of things which ought to have been prevented. 
Such must also be struck with the fact, that hundreds 
of clever men, not alone mere practicals, but persons 
with minds and observation equal to their own, have 
been completely puzzled with these awkward matters. 
But let our studious, learned, and scientific men try 
their hand,—and they have done so,—and they soon 
fmd that the deductions of the closet are not so very 
easy to reduce to practice. Our untoward seasons, the 
fitful action of soils, &c., and the constant depredations 
and teazings of insect enemies, fungi, &c., are unknown 
to the desk of the learned; and I must confess, that 
