FEAR CULTURE IN OREGON 



By Chas. A. Park, Commissioner for Second District. 



Actual demonstration has proved that pears will grow in Oregon. 

 Now, Oregon is a large State and it would hardly be safe to say that pears 

 will grow in all parts of the State eoually well, so my remarks will be 

 limited to apply to those parts of Oregon, where it has been demonstrated 

 that pears will grow to perfection under normal conditions. If you 

 should enter the State from the south on the line of the Southern Pacific 

 Railroad, you will find large pear orchards in the first Valley you enter, 

 which is the Rogue River Valley; as you go further north, you enter the 

 Valley of the Umpqua River, and ap-ain you find large pear orchards; 

 proceeding further on your way to the north, you will find yourself in 

 the midst of the Willamette Valley and here your eye beholds other 

 large pear orchards. You will notice that all of these Valleys lie in the 

 Western part of the State, which is immediately east of the Coast Range. 

 There are other regions in the State where pears are grown, but they 

 have not been developed to anv extent. Of these three Valleys mentioned, 

 the Rogue River Vallev Stands first where pears are grown most exten- 

 sively. There you find more pear orchards and larger pear orchards 

 than in any other part of the State, and in that valley there are more 

 people who are engaged in pear culture as a primary business, than in 

 any other part of the State. 



All varieties of pears do equally well. The Bartlett Stands first as to 

 quantity and following this variety are numerous varieties of the so-called 

 Fall pears. An orchard composed of Bartletts and Fall pears is the most 

 satisf actory for the reason that the harvest of the crop is prolonged. . The 

 harvest of the Bartlett commences about the first of August and continues 

 on into the harvest of the Fall Butter, Buerre Clairgeau, Anjou, Onon- 

 daga, Bosc, Duchess, P. Barry, Comice and Winter Nellis, which closes 

 near the end of September. 



In planting a pear orchard care should be taken at every step and 

 there are manv details to be worked out. First of all is the proper soll 

 condition, a pear tree should have a soll not less than six feet in depth 

 and well drained. It will do equally well in the gray clay loam of the 

 bench land and in the more sandy alluvial soll of the bottom land. We 

 have both of these conditions in the Wallace Orchard and there is no 

 difference as to results, both in growing the trees and producing the 

 fruit. The orchard should be planted on the rectangular plan and the 

 trees should be from twentv-one to twenty-five feet apart. Yearling 

 nursery stock is preferable for planting. Solid blocks of any one variety 

 should be avoided for the reason that manv varieties of pears are not 

 good self-pollenizers. I mean bv this, that in order to produce fruit the 

 seed of the fruit must be fertilized by the pollen. In many varieties of 

 fruit the pollen of the blossom does not ripen at the proper time to fer- 

 tilize the stamen of its own flower, but the pollen of other varieties of 

 the same fruit may come in contact with and fertilize these blossoms. The 

 Problem of pollenation is too extensive to be even attemcted in this ai'ticle 

 even if I had the abilitv to set it forth correctlv. Suflftce to say that in 

 Order to get the_ advantage of the cross pollenation of the pears, plant 

 three or four rows of one variety and then a row or two of some other 

 good variety of pears, both of which are known to pollenate each other. 



After the trees are planted good cultivation should be practiced. Do 

 not attempt to grow any crop between the rows, but attend primarily 



