THE PEAR 129 



to stand more trying climates. The hybrids have made 

 commercial pear growing possible in southern regions 

 where it had been impracticable with the older sorts. 



Culture and Varieties 



There is no such demand for Pears as there is for 

 apples, and the commercial production of the former is 

 of far less importance than that of the latter. But in 

 certain regions Pears are grown on a large scale with 

 profit, and in most places where the fruit trees thrive 

 they should form an important feature of all home 

 orchards. Pears are valuable for dessert and preserves, 

 and by growing several varieties the season can be 

 extended from midsummer to midwinter. 



Pear trees thrive and live longest on a moderately 

 rich clay soil that induces a steady but not too thrifty 

 growth. Two-year-old trees are desirable for planting, 

 at distances of twenty feet each way. The young trees 

 should be so pruned as to induce a low spreading top 

 that will protect the trunk from sun-scald. Wood ashes 

 and other fertilizers with little nitrogen are to be pre- 

 ferred to those rich in nitrogen, as this element induces 

 a rapid soft-wooded growth that is commonly thought 

 to render the branches more hable to the attack of Pear 

 Blight than branches having a slow, hard-wooded 

 growth. 



Most varieties of Pears when grown as standards 

 come into bearing slowly, a truth expressed in the old 

 couplet 



Plant pears 

 For your heirs. 



But when Pears are budded on quince stocks they are 



