G20 



POMACES. X. PYRUS. 



Propagation The pear may be propagated by layers or 

 suckers, but not easily by cuttings. These modes, however, 

 are productive of very indifferent plants, and are justly rejected 

 in favour of raising from seed, and grafting or budding. 



From seed. This mode is adopted either for the purpose of 

 obtaining new varieties, or for producing pear stocks ; in the 

 former case the same principles of selection or crossing are to 

 be followed as in raising seedling apples, between which and 

 the pear tree the chief difference is, that the latter requires a 

 longer period, nearly double, to come into bearing. 



In raising pears for stocks, the seeds from perry-makers are 

 generally made use of, but the most proper are those from the 

 wild pears, as likely to produce plants more hardy and durable. 

 There is, however, less difference between the pear stocks or 

 those raised from the cultivated fruit and wild pear stocks, 

 than there is between the free apple and crab stocks. The seeds 

 being procured, may be sown and afterwards treated as directed 

 for seedling crab or apple-tree stocks. 



By grafting and budding. The most common stocks on 

 which the pear is grafted, are the common pear and wild pear ; 

 the pear, is, however, dwarfed and brought earlier into a bearing 

 state by grafting or budding on the quince or white-thorn. The 

 pear will also succeed well on the whitebeam, medlar, service, 

 or apple, but stocks of the wild pear and quince are in most 

 general use. Pears, on free stocks, grow most luxuriantly in 

 good soil and on a dry bottom, those on wild pear stocks grow 

 less rapidly, but are deemed more durable, and will thrive on 

 the poorest soil, if a hardy variety and not over pruned. " On 

 the quince," Miller observes, " breaking pears are rendered 

 gritty and stony ; but the melting sorts are much improved ; 

 trees on these stocks may be planted in a moist soil with more 

 success than those on the wild pear stocks or thorns." On the 

 thorn, pear* come very early into bearing, continue prolific, and 

 in respect to soil will thrive well on a strong clay, which is un- 

 suitable both to those on quinces or wild pears, but it is sup- 

 posed to have an unfavourable influence on the fruit, in render- 

 ing it smaller and hard ; and the graft or buds require to be 

 inserted very low, that the moisture of the earth may tend to 

 favour the swelling or enlargement of the diameter of the stock, 

 which does not increase proportionably to, nor ever attains, the 

 same size as the stem of the pear. The free and wild pear 

 stocks are to be planted in nursery rows at the same distances 

 as recommended for free or wild apples; and the quince and 

 thorn at the same distance as the Paradise stocks and creeper 

 apples ; in other respects the management is the same as for the 

 apple. 



Choice of sorts. Select from the catalogue given, according 

 to purpose and quality. 



Choice of plants. Abercrombie takes trees at one year from 

 the graft, and thence to the sixth year or older. Forsyth says 

 " I would advise those who intend to plant pear trees, instead of 

 choosing young ones, to look out for the oldest that they can 

 find in the nursery, and witli strong stems." 



Soil and site. " A dry deep loam," Abercrombie observes, 

 " is accounted the best soil for the pear-tree, when the stock is 

 of its own species ; on a quince stock it wants a moist soil, 

 without which it will not prosper. Gravel is a good sub-soil, 

 where the incumbent mould is suitable. Cold clay is a bad 

 sub-soil ; to prevent fruit trees from striking into it, slates may 

 be laid just under the roots. For wall trees the soil should be 

 made good to the depth of 2 or 3 feet ; for orchard trees 1 8 

 inches may do. Pear trees, on their own stocks, will thrive on 

 land, where apples will not even live ; supposing the plants to 

 be hardy varieties, little removed from wild pears, and to have 

 room to grow freely as standards. To the more choice of the 

 early autumn and prime winter pears, assign south-east, or west 



