WINTER MEETING AT LEBANON. 215 



Wild Goose plum orchards have paid well where other varieties of 

 native plums have been planted among them to fertilize the bloom, and 

 where they have been cultivated and curculio-killed off or held in check. 

 Some have failed to get satisfactory returns for the fruit, but in most 

 cases it is due to letting them get too ripe before shipping. They must 

 be picked as soon as they begin to turn red and shipped in berry cases 

 to northern markets. When managed in this way they have netted from 

 $200 up to $800 per acre. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Thompson — What objection has Mr. Murray to trees headed 

 only 18 to 20 inches high ? 



Mr. Murray — I have tried trees that height, but cannot see any 

 advantage. You cannot cultivate as well when they are young. My 

 experience has proved that the height I speak of is the happy medium. 

 I prefer very low trees to very high ones. Six foot trunks soon die. 



E. T. Hollister — One suggestion: it is almost impossible to get 

 good Missouri pears. Now in my commercial experience, we found 

 only one party who put his pears up in such shape that I could sell 

 them to advantage. If our Missouri people would handle their pears 

 as the California growers, we would not have to go across the Rocky 

 mountains for our pears. 



A. Ambrose — We have not the pears to handle. 



Mr. Hollister — I have seen nice pears spoiled in handling. 



Mr. Durkes — Missouri pears are left on the trees too long, and 

 packed in large packages to bruise. They should be wrapped like the 

 California pairs. 



W. G. Gano — Why does Mr. Murray recommend to cut back every 

 second or third year? Why not cut back every year? 



Mr. Murray — If the whole tree is cut back, it will grow too thick 

 in the middle, and the fruit will be dull colored. Cut one-third or one- 

 half each year, early in the spring, before the sap starts at all, at any 

 time in February or March. 



Mr. Ambrose — I would say in regard to Mr. Murray's statement 

 about pruning the pear every third or fourth year, I think the best 

 results come from cutting back the young wood of dwarfs every year. 



Capt. Hynes — Sixteen years ago I planted sixteen pear trees. 

 Those planted in rich garden soil have died long ago. One planted in 

 virgin soil is good yet. 



Mr. Murray — Where the soil makes a very large growth, such cul- 

 tivation as that of which I spoke would be bad. We must not jump at 



