PEARS. . 205 



But if it had not of been for the dwarf Anjou pear tree that I 

 planted a few years ago you would not of had to bear the burden 

 of hearing this paper read. The Anjou is a remarkable pear. 

 It keeps in fine eating shape from the first of November until 

 the last of December and is a large bell- shaped pear, one speci- 

 men that I measured was eleven and three quarters inches in 

 circumference. They are just juicy enough to eat well out of 

 hand, and the keeping quality is superb. 



PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. 



A pear tree should be set deeper than it was grown in the 

 nursery, and in the case of dw^arfs it should be set three or 

 four inches above the graft. I would plant some dwarfs, for 

 they are quite ornamental and would grace any lawn and do not 

 take up much room, and then they come into bearing so much 

 sooner. As to putting them in the sod, I think they will grow 

 and bear in the heaviest bluegrass sod, in fact I have them do- 

 ing so, but it is better to cultivate them some while young and 

 mulch them later on. 



Fertilization will not hurt them. Indeed I told one fellow 

 that I put twenty-five dollars worth of fertilizer around every 

 pear tree I had, and when he looked at me as if he thought I 

 had gone crazy, I speedily told him that when my barn was 

 burned some years ago, I distributed the ashes among the pear 

 trees and estimated the value at so much per load. 



Nevertheless we find it a good plan to put both w^ood and coal 

 ashes about the pear trees, and also while remodeling our house 

 some time ago we distributed the plaster and lime about them 

 also, and the tree from which the gold medal fruit was raised 

 had a compost heap of stable manure within six feet of it for 

 the past year, as we have such a heap of rotted manure handy 

 for use about the lawn. Of course this rich plant food will in- 

 duce a large growth and it is well to prune the pear trees some- 

 what, and in order to prove this we used the knife very severely 

 on some of our trees last spring and the result was beyond our 

 anticipations, it is alright to remove from one-third to one-half 

 of the previous years growth. In this way the trees will not 

 grow so pyramidal in shape and the bearing surface will be ul- 



