FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 127 



The pear will not do well by you if you don't do well by it. It has 

 been proven that clay land is most naturally adapted to the pear. Then 

 don't set them on sand and expect them to do well. Well, clay is hard 

 to plow and hard to set trees in and it washes badly why won't sand do 

 just as well. Simply because it has been proven that it won't and if 

 it won't there is no use of our trying to make it. Pears on sand are like 

 Job's description of Mortal Man, "Of a few days and full of troubles." 



Another thing which stands in the way of pears for profit is the selec- 

 tion of nursery stock, to have it of the right size and age, and true to 

 name. 



One agent will tell you he has just what you want and you give him 

 your order but when the trees come you find they are coarse and un- 

 even, some trimmed up so that the first limb is four feet or more from 

 the root. They will never make good trees and a unifonn orchard, you 

 want something that you can start about two to two and one-half feet 

 from the ground. If they are big and coarse they haven't good roots, 

 they were all cut off in digging. I have seen trees sold for two years 

 old that showed four years growth. Some of your trees will have big 

 bunches on the roots, crown-gall. Never set a tree that has a sign of 

 gall on it. It will never make a good tree, make them give you good, 

 clean stock. One-year-old stock is my favorite. They are all about the 

 same size, the roots are finer, don't suffer such a shock in transplanting 

 and you can head them as low as you please. Get your stock from the 

 nursery that grew them. They supply their regular trade first, from 

 their best stock and sell the surplus to jobbers and office men. 



When the trees get to growing in good shape, keep them trimmed 

 down. Try and make them spread out and take the vase form. Tie sand 

 bags on the end of the branches to make them spread out and go where 

 you want them to. That takes time but a good start is half the race. 



Spray the young trees with Bordeaux and Arsenate, don't let the 

 slugs eat them up. They will not grow if the leaves are covered Tvith 

 scab. 



When your trees come into bearing, spray in the spring, if you have 

 the scale, with lime sulphur. Then just before the blossom buds open, 

 spray again with Bordeaux or lime sulphur if it is summer or if the 

 weather is damp and warm. This spraying has been the saving of some 

 good crops but it is not essential where lime sulphur has been used for 

 the scale. But just as soon as you think the blossoms have set, or when 

 the petals begin to come down in good shape don't think about your 

 corn ground; don't think about what your neighbor is doing; don't go 

 to town but get right in those pears with your sprayer. Now is the 

 time to strike the scab a death blow and a blow that will keep it out of 

 sight for the rest of the season. You may say you do spray according 

 to the spray calendar "Within a week after the blossoms fall" but still 

 you have some scab. It comes on late in the season in little fine spots, 

 but that is because you didn't meet those petals coming down with your 

 spray going up. A pear with a very small scab will rot in storage and 

 is not No. 1, No. 2's and culls are not profitable. 



The leaves are not in full when this spray is made and it takes a lot 

 of material to cover every stem and leaf but thoroughness is positively 

 necessary at this time. 



