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DUCHESS AND TYSON PEARS. 



HEN dwarf pears are 

 spoken of, the Duchess 

 is always first in mind, 

 and it is widely planted 

 in our Province. It is of French 

 origin ; and in Canada it ripens early, 

 in October. Its immense size, the ex- 

 cellent quality of the flesh, and the 

 productiveness of the tree, have well 

 combined to make it the dwarf variety 

 for market purposes with fruit growers 

 in Southern Ontario Some have 

 planted it by the hundred in solid 

 blocks e.xpecting to reap rich returns, 

 and until within two or three years past 

 all expectations seemed to be justified ; 

 but we have been disappointed, for 

 the price for Duchess pears, as well as 

 for all other fruits, has been unusually 

 low. Formerly 75 cents was the ordin- 



Fk.. lOT.'l — 1H:C11K» iKAK. 



ary price for i 'i peck basket of these 

 pears, but now 25 to 40 cents seems to 

 rule 



What is the remedy ? First plant 

 other varieties near for cross fertilization 

 of the blossom. Second, aim to grow 

 only the the large, fine sized samples. 

 No pear is more uninviting than a badly 

 grown Duchess, knotty from curculio 

 stings, undersized and colorless. Culti- 

 vation and manuring must be liberal, 

 but that is not enough. The grower 

 must thin his fruit well, leaving only the 

 best to mature ; and he must prune pro- 

 perly. Very few of our growers take the 

 trouble to prune their dwarf pear trees 

 after any definite plan. The shape 

 should be pyramidal, as shown in the 

 accompanying illustration, in which the 

 tree is bush form, the lower limbs quite 

 near the ground, and the others short- 



