94 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



Economic considerations are becoming more and more important in 

 choosing sites for all fruits in New York. Transportation facilities, 

 including good roads, markets, labor, and packing and selling organizations 

 are now more important in the pear regions of the State than the natural 

 determinants of soil and climate, since these are so favorable in any of the 

 fruit regions in which pears are largely grown. Natural advantages are 

 more common than man-made ones, and the pear may be grown on vast 

 areas of New York lands so far as climate and soil are concerned, but which 

 are wholly unsuited because the economic factors are unfavorable. Sites 

 for pear-orchards should be sought for in localities where there are pears 

 enough grown for a central packing association; near a shipping center 

 where the haul is short and over good roads; the freight service should be 

 prompt, regular, and efficient, with low freight and good refrigerator service; 

 labor should be abundant and not too expensive; and the markets should 

 be several and so located that they are not controlled by growers in regions 

 more advantageously situated. 



The pear-grower is becoming more and more concerned with the kind 

 of stock upon which his trees are grafted. One or more of several objects 

 is sought in working a pear on roots other than its own. The stock may 

 be chosen, and most often is, with the single purpose in view of perpetuating 

 a variety; it may be selected to dwarf or magnify the size of the cion; 

 very often the stock is better adapted to the soil than the cion would be 

 on its own roots; the quality of the fruit is sometimes improved by the 

 stock; lastly, some stocks are much more resistant to fire-blight than others. 

 It is this last character of the stock that is now receiving most attention. 

 Stock and cion are united either by budding or grafting, with budding 

 coming more and more in use. More than with any other fruit, double- 

 working is used in propagating pears. For example, the quince stock is 

 often preferred to a pear stock. But some varieties of pears do not unite 

 well with the quince, in which case a sort which makes a good union with 

 the quince is first budded or grafted on the stock, and when this cion has 

 grown to sufficient size, it is top-worked to the desired variety. According 

 to the size of the mature plant, pear-trees are designated as dwarfs and 

 standards, the difference in size being brought about by the stock. Dwarf 

 trees are usually grown on quince stocks; standards, on pear stocks. 



Dwarfing pear-trees is an old practice, having been in use in Europe 

 at least 300 years. During this time the use of quince stocks to dwarf 

 the pear has been a common practice in France and England. For a 



