HOW TO GROW AND MARKET FRUIT 



holds good generally in fruit-growing. Pears do especially 

 well under the sod- mulch system of culture. Always avoid 

 too much tillage, nitrogen and stable manure give more potash 

 and phosphoric acid. 



Try to get the trees to begin ripening wood and fruit earlier 

 in season than apple trees. Grow good-sized trees in the first 

 four or five years, by careful planting and fertilizing, then 

 make them get down to bearing fruit as rapidly as possible, 

 without much regard to more growth. On bearing trees cut 

 back the tips of new wood in May or June, prune moderately 

 in the spring, and thin the fruit. You will have no trouble in 

 getting plenty of pears of high quality if you do this. 



Kieffer is the kind for commercial orchards on a large scale, 

 because of the sure crop, the quantity yielded, and the ability 

 of the fruit to stand handling. Bartlett is not far behind, 

 however. It is a summer pear, of finer quality for eating fresh 

 than Kieffer, but it pays for this by being so mellow and tender 

 that it will not stand so much handling. It should be picked 

 a week before fully ripe. 



Anjou, Lawrence and Clapp's Favorite need no intro- 

 duction to the majority of planters, and each is suited to a 

 special condition, under which it is unexcelled. Anjou and 

 Lawrence do well higher up than Clapp's Favorite. Seckel 

 is the highest quality pear known. It is small and very mellow. 

 Duchess, Flemish Beauty, Le Conte, Worden-Seckel, Garber, 

 Manning's Elizabeth, Winter Nelis, Bosc, Howell, Sheldon and 

 Vermont Beauty are good also, and succeed nearly everywhere. 

 There are many other varieties of pears which have merit, but 

 better stick to two or three best kinds for commercial orchard. 



Cross-fertilizing of blossoms is very important with pears. 

 Where this is not sufficient, the fruit is liable to be small and 



Eoor, rather than fewer in number. Time of blooming has to 

 e taken into account, also, as varieties differ widely. Anjou, 

 Flemish Beauty, Garber, Howell, LeConte and Kieffer, for 

 instance, ordinarily will shed their petals before the flower 

 buds of Vermont Beauty and Winter Nelis are open. Clapp's 

 Favorite, Manning's Elizabeth, Duchess, Lawrence, Bartlett, 

 Seckel and Clairgeau are between these two classes, and are 

 likely to be fertilized by both. Local information on this 

 matter is valuable. Spend a few days in observing pear trees 

 blooming in the locality in which you intend planting. 



Pear foliage is tougher than that of most other fruits, still 

 many enemies have to be reckoned with. Leaf Blight and 

 Fruit Crack is fungus that causes reddish spots on the tops of 

 leaves, brown spots underneath, and pink spots and cracks in 

 the skin of fruit. For Fire Blight, Scab, Rot and Oyster Shell 

 Scale, see the data under Apple. Pear Midges are mosquito- 

 like flies which lay their eggs in the little fruits. From these 

 hatch maggots which later cause the fruit to crack and drop, 

 then the maggots spend the winter in the ground. Pear Psylla 

 are sucking insects. See under Apple for the other scales, 

 Caterpillars, and Codling Moth. Pear Slugs are greenish black, 

 slimy worms that chew on the upper sides of leaves. 



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