274 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



profitably grafted with better kinds. Figs. 

 43, 44 show the process. The old top, as 

 in the case of grafting- large apple trees, 

 must be gradually reduced and not all taken 

 off in one year. A tree over sixty years old 

 of this kind on the writer's farm, had about 

 seventy grafts of Bartlett and Beurre Bosc 

 put in some years ago. A fair proportion 

 of the grafts took, and many baskets of fine 

 fruit of these varieties have since been gath- 

 ered. 



Varieties. — In the choice of varieties 

 consideration must be given to the structure 

 of the blossom. Some varieties are almost 

 self-sterile, and should be intermingled with 

 varieties having an abundance of pollen. 

 Among those more or less self-sterile are 

 Anjou, Bartlett, Clapp, Clairgeau, Lawrence, 

 Louise Bonne, Sheldon and Winter Nelis. 

 Self-fertile varieties include Duchess d'An- 

 gouleme, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Diel, Flemish 

 Beauty, Keiffer, Seckel and Tyson. In the 

 coldest districts of Ontario pear culture can 

 hardly be successful. One or two Russian 

 varieties might be tried, and the Central 

 Farm Horticultural Department, Ottawa, 

 will give full information on this point. If 

 it is desired to plant a few of the better 

 kinds, the following are suggested for trial : 

 Flemish Beauty, Anjou, Keiffer, Clairgeau 

 and Clapp. 



For sections where the sweet cherry suc- 

 ceeds, and the finer kinds of Domestica 

 plums, the following list is suggested in 

 order of season : Clapp, Tyson, Bartlett, 

 Flemish Beauty, Duchess d^ Angouleme, Bous- 

 sock, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Diel, Beurre 

 d' Anjou, Beurre Clairgeau, Keiffer and Law- 

 rence. For home use, Rostiezer, Sheldon 

 and Seckel must be added — three varieties 

 of the highest quality. In a commercial 

 orchard it is doubtfully wise to have many 

 varieties. In southern Ontario a good short 

 list would be Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Clair- 

 geau, Keiffer and Lawrence. 



In the culture of pears for the home use, 

 it should be added that, to secure the high- 

 est flavor, the fruit should be picked when 

 the stock parts easily from the stem on lift- 

 ing the pear, and ripened indoors. The 

 winter pears should be kept in a cool dry 

 place until about ten days from the ripening 

 time, at which time all pears should be 

 placed in a room with the temperature of 

 from 65 to 70 degrees. 



Diseases. — Blight — This bacterial disease 

 is the most serious drawback to pear culture. 

 The life-history of this malady has been 

 thoroughly explored and described. The 

 disease usually effects an entrance into the 

 tree through the blossom or the ends of the 

 young twigs, penetrating to the lower part 

 of the branch, and often communicating it- 

 self to many of the larger limbs. If all af- 

 fected wood is not properly cut out and 

 burned, enough of the bacteria will survive 

 the winter to spread the trouble broadcast 

 next year. It has been often suggested that 

 putting the orchard into sod will minimise 

 the danger. The evidence is, however, very 

 contradictory on this point, and there are 

 manifest disadvantages attending the prac- 

 tice. The more sod the less fruit, as a rule, 

 and the fruit on the cultivated ground is in- 

 variably larger. The better way is to avoid 

 heavy manuring of non-bearing- trees, and 

 late cultivation, and choose varieties which 



