THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 763 



self-fertile on the coast, have the quality and form of the fruit im- 

 proved by crossing. Generally speaking, on the Facitic coast little or 

 no attention is paid to the Bartlett so far as fertility or sterility is 

 concerned. It regularly sets heavy crops of well-sized fruits with its 

 own pollen. On the other hand, such varieties as Comice and Nelis 

 are completely sterile to their own pollen in the Rogue River Valley, 

 all statements to the contrary notwithstanding. As stated before, 

 the matter of self-sterility and self -fertility should be worked out for 

 the various varieties in each particular district. I have worked this 

 problem out for the Rogue River Valley, and since the data have been 

 published elsewhere I shall not burden the reader with it here. 



While volumes might be written on how to prune the pear, the 

 whole principle of pruning may be stated in a single short sentence — - 

 use the open head, no matter what variety. In such varieties as tend 

 to grow very upright, they should be pruned so as to throw them more 

 open, while the reverse should be practiced to a certain extent on 

 straggling or spreading varieties. The tree when set out should be 

 headed back so as to stand 18 to 2-i inches high. After the first year's 

 growth, the frame limbs should be selected and headed back to 12 or 

 11 inches. During the growing season, if the trees are making extreme 

 growth and producing too many shoots it is well to pinch back or trim 

 out those that are in excess of the needs of the tree. If the season has 

 been such that the trees have made little or no growth, the shoots should 

 be headed back to a single bud so as to start a new frame of vigorous 

 shoots. The successive years' pruning should be such as to continue 

 tlie open head, and by shortening in to not over eighteen inches for 

 each cut, stiffen up the body and framework. The frame or scatfold 

 branches need not be pruned of all the lateral shoots. Those to the 

 inside and some on the outside should be removed, but a few may be 

 left as temporary fruiting branches which, by heading in, will readily 

 develop fruit spurs. Fruit borne on these temporary fruiting branches 

 will hang close to the tree and will not have a tendency to throw the 

 tree out of shape, which so often happens where the first crop is borne 

 somewhat above the scafilold limbs. By means of the temporary fruit- 

 ing branches trees are brought into early bearing, and at the same 

 time no fruit spurs need be permitted on the body or scaffold limbs. 

 The reason for keeping fruit spurs off from the heavy wood is to 

 prevent dangerous body infections of pear blight. Should infection 

 occur on a temporary fruiting branch it is easily removed before any 

 damage is done to the body of the tree. Pears reach the bearing age, 

 under proper care, earlier than do apples, and once in bearing pruning 

 will not have the tendency to throw them out of bearing as it will in 

 apples. However, severe heading of such varieties as Bosc and Comice 

 is not advised; as a matter of fact after they reach the age of five or 

 six years it is best to withhold all pruning for two or three years, 

 ,-5aving the thinning out of crossing or interfering limbs. 



The details of cultivation, fertilization and cover cropping need no 

 extended discussion. To grow fruit of quality demands all that good 

 agricultural practice has taught in the production of other crops ; in 

 other words, the pear demands scientific agriculture. Unthrifty trees 

 can not produce luscious fruit; however, it is not good practice to 

 over-stimulate the trees for the reason that they are then much more 



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