STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. '217 



It is of the highest Importance that the treea have never been injured by freezing. Too 

 greal weight cannol be given to this point. The proper way to do, is to procure the 

 in the fall, and bury them, the roots well out of reach of frost, and the top oul < f 

 sight, in good hi av> Boil (sand does not do to bury them In), or buy I hem of Borne nurs- 

 ery where all their pear trees are treated in this way. Plant the standards in rows run- 

 ning 15 degrees west of south, six feet apart in tie' row, rows 20 feet apart. The dwarfs 

 in rows, running in the same direction, lour feet apart in the row, rows !."> feel apart, 

 leaning each tree r> degrees south in the direction of the rows. After planting, the sur- 

 of i he ground near the row.-, should he cultivated I \\ ice during May with a harrow 

 or cultivator ; then about the first of June, the land should be plowed throw ing the soil 

 toward, and in fact, up against the trees, with a turning plow. Daring the rest of the 

 summer keep the row.- of trees thoroughly clean with a cultivator or shovel plow. 



Late in the fall the dwarf trees should have the soil thrown towards them again, with 

 tie' plow, or he pretty heavily mulched with partly rotted straw or leaves. The trees; 

 Bhould be planted pretty deep in the start, and then, by the above prai . the quince 

 roots of the dwarfs will he covered deep enough to he out of reach of injury by frost* 



In the fall go over the trees, unci cut away every atom of unripe wood, even if it lake-, 

 every inch of that year's growth. In this way is removed the nidus of many blights 

 and cankers. Head I low, invariably, and if they make a growth of 18 inches or 



over, their .-hoi .is should lie cut back, from one-third to one-half. Never /;■/'//< pear trees 

 up, hut always prune them down, and never thin out the branches in the interior t<l' the 

 head; the thicker they can he made to grow there, the better. Thin out, and shorten 

 in the head from the outside, if need be, but keep the knife out of the interior. 



I have found the best implements, for the after cultivation of the orchard, to he a good 

 deep running .-hovel plow, with a small shovel, and the common harrow. Vb soon as 

 the soil is dry enough, the second spring, give the orchard a thorough harrowing, and 

 plow it up deep and nice, with the shove! plow ; and then, in two weeks harrow again, 

 and two week.- thereafter, plow again with the shovel plow, and so on until the first <>f 

 August. By this means the orchard will be kept free of weeds, and in good condition 

 for the growth of t he trie.-. Look over the trees in the fall again, and cut out all unripe 

 w ood, and shorten in as before directed. 



This treatment Bhould he followed with the dwarfs for all time, or as long as they 

 la-t ; hut for the stand. nil.- it should only he com Inued until they have made four sum- 

 mer's growth ; and then the following spring the ground should he thickly sow n with 

 red clover, thoroughly harrowing the ground before, and lightly after sowing. The 

 ground Bhould be mowed every two or three week- during the first summer after tow- 

 ing 'he clover, to keep the weeds from choking out the treesand clover. Rake the 

 weeds when mowed and throw them around the trees. Each succeeding year mow the 

 clover eraly, ami at leasl three times during the season, throwing it under the branches 

 of the trees. This will he all tin- cultivation they will ever require, unless the June 

 jrra-s should run the clover out. In that event, plowil early in the Bpring very shal- 

 low, harrow tine and then plow again in June and bow in buckwheat ; plow again the 

 nexl Spring and bow to clover. The greatest care should be taken not to allow the 



tier- 1,1 over hear in their firsl crop. If they Bel a full crop of fruit, at least half of it 



should he picked off when the size of an acorn. Whenapear tree is carrying its iir.-t 

 crop of fruit, and when the rough bark is forming on its branches, an- the two critical 

 periods of its life. My ideal pear tree La one with the branches commencing within a 



