264 STATE HORTICULTURAL, SOCIETY. 



been given to pear growing. For these reasons and for" others, the 

 man who makes a special study of pear culture, and who goes into 

 pear growing intelligently and judiciously has a good opportunity for 

 success. 



Pears can be grown nearly as cheaply per barrel as apples, and 

 they usually sell nearly twice as high. Growers who have succeeded 

 with apple orchards may not succeed so easily with pear orchards be- 

 cause they have not given the pear culture the same attention, but 

 where the same attention is given, and the same knowledge secured, 

 the necessities of the pear, the selection of varieties, the location and 

 soil closely studied, there is no doubt that pear growing will be much 

 more profitable. 



SOIL FOR PEARS. 



Clay soil is considered best for pear culture, and still it should not 

 be too tenacious and sticky. A pear orchard will not thrive so well on 

 any soil that has not a clay subsoil. Next to a friable clay loam, a 

 gravel loam is most desirable. A light sandy soil is the least desirable 

 of any, and yet pears can be grown on sandy soil. 



Standard pears can be planted twenty to thirty feet apart accord- 

 ing to circumstances and habits of growth. If planted thirty feet 

 apart, dwarf pears can be planted between the rows each way. I pre- 

 fer a standard pear for general orchard culture, for the reason that 

 they require less fertility and cultivation, and for the farther reason 

 that they are longer lived and make larger and more permanent trees. 



When the question came up for a vote, however, before the 

 Western New York Horticultural Society, we found that the dwarf 

 pear was the favorite for orchard planting or for garden. Dwarf pears 

 have the advantage of coming into earlier bearing. The dwarf pear 

 is not short lived. It requires more pruning and more attention than 

 the standard pear. Many varieties do better on the dwarf pear than 

 on the standard. 



I should not locate a pear orchard or any other orchard on a low 

 piece of ground. I should locate it on a hillside. The pear is easily 

 transplanted. I transplant several thousand every spring, and they 

 do not lose, on an average, one out of one hundred trees. Pear trees 

 come into bearing earlier than the apple. 



MARKETING PEAKS. 



"In what packages do you market yours? " 



"I always use a bushel keg, which costs 15 cents each. I sort my 

 fruit into first, second and culls. The culls I sell from the wagon in 

 the local market, at from 25 cents to 50 cents per bushel. The culls 



