Although it has been said that this stock is short-lived if used for the Pear, yet nevertheless it is not so much so as most people are led to believe, if care and skill are exercised in the management of the trees. Mr It. Thompson in his admirable work, 'The Gardener's Assistant,' says, "It has been said that the Pear on the Quince stock is short-lived. It cannot, of course, be expected to live so long as when worked upon the Pear stock, a more natural condition; yet we can point out trees on Quince stocks that have existed forty years and are yet vigorous, exhibiting no symptoms of decay." Here is evidence enough that trees upon the Quince have lived, thriven, and still continue to do so, for as long as any reasonable man can expect.

Where the Pear is intended to be grafted upon the wild or perry Pears, the seeds ought to be sown in a piece of good rich garden-soil in rows about 18 inches apart. As soon as the seedlings have arrived at the height of 3 or 4 inches, it will be necessary to thin them out to about 9 inches from plant to plant, those left being as near a size as possible. Transplanting those taken up, they may be planted about the same distance from each other, and have a thorough watering to settle the soil about them, as well as good waterings whenever the weather is very dry. When the seedlings are about a year and a half old - that is to say, about the end of October of the year after sowing - they ought to be transplanted into well-prepared rich soil, where they ought to get as much room as possible, say 4 feet between the rows and 2 feet in the rows, and let the rows, if possible, run north and south, so as to receive the maximum benefit from the heat of the sun. Those seedlings which were transplanted when a few inches high, will probably neither be so strong nor so good as those which were allowed to remain where sown; therefore they will in all probability require to be cut back in proportion to their strength - that is to say, weak ones furthest, stronger ones not so much.

If, however, they are as good and strong as the others probably will be which remained in the seed-rows, it will be quite unnecessary to cut them, as they will make more roots, and consequently be stronger stocks than if cut. After another year's growth these should again be transplanted as before, but still not cut unless where the side-shoots may be pinched if long straight stems are wanted for grafting standards upon. After a year's growth here, they will be ready for grafting, and ought not to be transplanted, as, by leaving them thus the year before grafting, they will have more root-energy to support the scion than if they were struggling to overcome the check consequent upon transplantation. Let a tree or plant be removed with as much care as possible, it still receives a considerable check, and it takes at the very least one year's good treatment to enable it to recover itself; so that a young stock to be operated upon, if removed the year of grafting, would not be in nearly such good condition for receiving and nourishing a scion as if it were fully established and in a vigorous condition, for the check sustained by being headed over is of itself sufficient without receiving the double blow all at once.

Any time from the middle of November to the middle or end of January - but December is probably the best time - the stocks to be grafted upon ought to be cut back to within 4 or 6 inches of the place where the graft is intended to be placed. This will depend entirely upon what use the future tree is intended for. If as a standard for either open garden or wall, the height of cutting ought to vary from 3 to 6 feet. The general height for standards is about 3 feet when grafted, so that if cut at 3 feet now, and 6 inches removed when the graft is inserted, the height of the grafted tree will be about 3 feet. Standards for walls - or riders, as they are commonly called - are from 5 to 6 feet stem, and consequently will require a year or two longer before being ready for grafting, but will, when ready, require to be cut over about the desired length and at the usual time, and have 4 or 6 inches more removed when grafting season comes. Those intended for grafting as dwarfs for the open garden ought to be cut at about 15 inches from the ground, while those intended for the walls ought to be cut back to about 10 or 12 inches, reducing them the same as the others at the grafting season.

It is better to have for a dwarf standard at least 1 foot of clean stem, as, if any shorter, the certainty is that in the course of a few years the under branches will cumber the soil, to the total or partial expulsion of hoe and spade, a state of matters very teasing to the gardener. In the matter, however, of wall-trees, the case is different, as we want the under branches of the trees within about 1 foot or 15 inches of the soil; consequently we must have a stem not more than 10 inches in height, so as to be able to get the under branches at the proper place. James M'Millan.

(To be continued).