STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 49 



animal dressing, until the trees come into bearing. Then leave off 

 the cultivation, and mulch the ground all over, so as to prevent the 

 growth of grass and weeds, and also keep the ground light and 

 mellow. It will need renewing about once in two 3'ears. 



As soon as the tops of the trees are large enough, I would graft 

 them in the limb, either by splice or cleft grafting, using well known 

 varieties that will give a succession of fruit during its season. I will 

 give a list of a few varieties that I have been fruiting with a good 

 degree of success. First we have Osband's Summer, that will give 

 ripe fruit about the first of August, and are in eating some two or 

 three weeks. Then comes Clapp's Favorite, and if you will com- 

 mence picking them as soon as large enough, and continue from time 

 to time, and take them into the house to ripen, you will have fine 

 ripe pears for some two or three weeks, until the Bartletts begin to 

 ripen. That is a variety too well known to need an}' comment from 

 me, except to say no pear orchard should be without it. Next we 

 have the Nickerson, one of the seedlings of old Kennebec, a fine 

 grained swett pear, excellent for eating, and cannot be easily beatea 

 for canning. Souvenir du Congress, which ripens about the same 

 time, is a bright yellow with a little flush, ver}' juic}' and the flesh 

 firm and crispy. The Sheldon ripens the last part of October and 

 the first part of November. The tree is very hardy, and of thrifty 

 growth, but a shy bearer. The fruit is large, round and covered 

 with a light russet, very juicy and melting, one of the best eating 

 and selling varieties we have at this season of the year. The Good- 

 ale, one of the most profitable of Maine's seedlings, ripens about 

 the same time as the Sheldon ; fruit very large and green ; flesh 

 white and of verj^ good quality. The tree is very hardy and upright 

 in growth, an annual bearer and very productive. Later we have 

 the Duchesse d' Angouleme, Buerre d' Anjou, Kieffer, and many 

 others that are highly recommended, but I have not fruited them 

 enough to decide which I should prefer. 



As soon as you commence grafting, you will find the trees will 

 require a large amount of pruning until they come well into bearing, 

 which will be earlier than with the apple, thus proving false the old 

 saying, "That he who plants pears, plants only for his heirs." The 

 scions will need cutting back for a number of years after being set. 



If you wish the fruit to be»melting, juicy and of the finest flavor, 

 they should be picked from the trees as soon as they will readily 



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