CULTURAL METHODS FOR PEARS 



IRA PEASE, OSWEGO, N. Y. 



A pear orchard set on a hill or a sidehill where drainage is 

 good, sloping toward a body of water, is preferable. No slope 

 should he so steep as to make spraying impracticable. Lowlands 

 should be avoided, and a southern slope is not so good as some 

 other, because buds start too soon in the spring. The land should 

 be well and deeply underdrained. 



WELL-MATURED TREES AND DISTANCE OF PLANTING 



The trees should have good roots and well-matured tops. Trees 

 with soft, green tops, though they may be large, should be avoided. 



Standard pear trees should be set not less than twenty feet apart. 

 Seckel, Anjou, Flemish Beauty, Kieffer, and other large-growing 

 varieties may be set at greater distance with profit. Trees that 

 are not very much subject to blight will usually attain a larger 

 size than those that are. Of course dwarf trees may be set nearer 

 together, but trees on dwarf stock often throw out roots from the 

 pear part of the tree above the union and become standard trees 

 and grow to full size. 



CARE IN SETTING 



In setting trees, care should be exercised to pack the earth under 

 the roots, as well as on all sides and on top. After thoroughly 

 packing the earth, throw on the surface an inch or two of loose 

 earth for a mulch to retain the moisture. Water may be applied 

 if very dry, but mulching with earth should follow the watering. 

 In order to get a good growth, the trees should start at once after 

 being set. This refers to spring setting. 



Cut off all the branches which are less than three feet from the 

 ground when setting. With Bartletts, Clapp's, and Sheldons, or 

 any variety inclined to shoot up tall and slender, shorten the 

 remaining branches. Seckel, Anjou, and varieties that make a 

 round, stocky head should be trimmed to a whip ; that is, all side 

 branches should be taken off. 



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