132 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Summer pruning, which is employed to regulate the growtli during the growing sea- 

 son, is an important part of the work, A timely check to superfluous shoots or those 

 of ill proportioned vigor, obviates the necessity for severe pruning afterwards, and 

 arrests at the start the development of a faulty form. It is, in fact, nipping an etil In 

 the bud. I do not propose to enter into any details in regard to pruning, as it alone 

 would be subject enough for a paper. My object is merely to call attention to it as a 

 requisite to success in pear culture. The grower who fully realizes its importance will 

 soon acquire the knowledge necessary to perform it well. 



Thinninij the fruit Jiti an operation which should never be neglected by those who 

 desii'e to secure line fruits and maintain their trees in vigorous health. Certain varie- 

 ties — all those known to be disposed to great fruitfulness— will, unless severely pruned, 

 set twice ot three times as many fruits as they can mature fully, and without being 

 greatly enfeebled. Among our best and most popular pears, I scarcely know one 

 except the Beurre d' Anjou that does not require this care. The Bartlett, Louise 

 Bonne, Seckel, Beurre Clairgeau, Belle Lucrative, Doyenne white, Howell, Oswego 

 Beiirre, Easter Beurre, Yicar of Winkfield. Lawrence, "Winter Nelis, Josephine de 

 Malines — in fact, I may say all the later autumn and winter varieties in particular. The 

 siunmer varieties will bear heavy cropping better, as the fruits remain on the trees a 

 shorter period, and are, therefore, less exhausting. The time to commence thinning 

 is when the fruits have ceased to drop off naturally, and when they are about the size 

 of hickory nuts. The amount of thinning will depend wholly on circumstances — the 

 vigor of the tree, the character of the variety , etc . The knowledge necessary to do it 

 well can only be acquired by practice and experience. The Easter Beurre is one of 

 those which requires most severe thinning to secure large fruit of tine quality — all 

 those remarkable for having a large proportion of inferior or unmarketable fruit. 

 This comes from o^ er cropping, and can always be remedied by pruning and thinning. 

 Those who have put this operation in practice know its value. All cultivators of 

 flowering i)lants (among pot plants we may instance the Camellia) know how that by a 

 judicious thinning of the buds a much finer flowering is secured, as well as a much more 

 vigorous growth of the plant afterwards. The grape is another famiUar example. 

 How often do we see the quality of the fruit totally ruined, and the vines permanently 

 injured by over cropping. Our apple and peach orchards, and indeed all our fruit 

 trees, suffer severely from this cause, and the importance of thinning, in connection 

 with pruning, cannot be urged too strongly upon cultivators. 



Gathering tlie Fruit. — If pears are gathered too soon they shrivel, and are insipid. 

 They must attain that condition on the tree when sugar begins to form — if we knew it. 

 It is now pretty well understood by those who have given pear culture any attention, 

 that the pear must not ripen on the tree. I think there is no exception to this. Some 

 varieties require to be taken from the tree earlier than others — those which are known 

 to rot quickly at the core after they are ripe — the Flemish Beauty, Beurre d' Amanlis, 

 Doyenne Boussock, Stevens' Genesee, Bartlett, Clapp's Favorite, and many other 

 fine sorts. Bartlett is greatly improved by very early picking; it is much more melting 

 and juicy, and has less of that disagreeable musky aroma. Both Bartlett and Flem- 

 ish Beauty may be gathered before fully grown. I have seen Flemish Beauty, from 

 California, which I should think were not two-thirds grown, sold in New York as 

 sound as possible . 

 When to gather the summer and fall varieties must be learned by observation. 



