1244 



PEAR 



PEAR 



1684. Cluster of Pear flowers. 



with two or three exceptions, are not very serious. The 

 tree is attacked by borers, although to ii less extent than 

 peaches and apples. These are kept in check by digging 

 them out once or twice a year as on other fruit stocks. 

 The fruit is attacked to some extent by the codlin-moth, 

 but the arsenical sprays keep this insect in check. Of 

 late years the psylla, 

 attacking the growing 

 parts, has been serious 

 in parts of the East, al- 

 though it is very irregii- 

 lar in its outbreaks. It 

 can be controlled by thor- 

 ough work with a spray 

 of whale-oil soap, one 

 pound in three to five 

 gallons of water, begin- 

 ning soon after the fruit 

 has set, and repeating 

 the application whenever 

 the psyllas become nu- 

 merous. In some parts 

 (X !:z). of the East the fruit is 



attacked by the Pear 

 midge, a minute fly whose maggots work in the very 

 young fruit. Thorough cultivation will check this seri- 

 ous pest, but its complete control often involves the 

 destruction of all the young fruit on the infested trees; 

 in some sections the application of kainit to the soil is 

 said to kill the insect after it leaves the fruit to un- 

 dergo its transformations. 



The foliage and fruit of the Pear are attacked by para- 

 sitic fungi, which cause the leaves to drop and the fruit 

 to become scatiby. These diseases are readily held in 

 check by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. Fifty years 

 ago the White Doyenne Pear was the most popular va- 

 riety for growing on the quince root, but because of 

 the Pear scab it passed away. It was supposed that the 

 di«ease was due to uncongenial climate. Since the ad- 

 vent of the sulfate of copper sprays, however, it has 

 been found that the White Doyenne can be grown as 

 well as ever, Flemish Beauty is also an example in 

 point. Years ago it was one of the most popular stand- 

 ard varieties, but of late years it has been little grown 

 because of the cracking of the fruit. It is now likely to 

 come into vogue again for home planting. The Bor- 

 deaux mixture is a specific for the disease. 



Pear blight or fire blight is the most serious disease 

 of Pear trees. It is an American disease. It is caused 

 by a microbe which enters through the growing points 

 (flowers and tips of shoots) and thrives in soft or "suc- 

 culent" parts. Gradually the micro-organism works 

 down the stems, killing the tissues and causing the 

 leaves to die. In the leaf-blight, which is a distinct 

 disease, the leaves are more or less spotted and they 

 fall; in the Pear blight, the leaves turn black and hang 

 on the tree. The fire blight attacks apple trees, 

 particularly in the Plains region. it is probably ab- 

 original on hawthorns and related plants. There is 

 no perfect preventive of the disease. Some varieties 

 seem to be relatively immune, as, for example, the 

 Duchess. It is now generally believed that trees are 

 more subject to the disease when they are making ex- 

 cessive growth; therefore it is advised that tillage and 

 the application of stimulating manures be moderate. 

 As soon as the disease appears, cut out the affected 

 parts, severing them some inches below the lowest 

 point of visible attack. Do not allow blighted branches 

 to remain on the tree over winter. Pear blight is not 

 equally prevalent or virulent every year. 



There are no recent American books on the Pear. 

 T%vo books have been written on this fruit: Thos. W. 

 Fields' "Pear Culture," New York, 1858; P. T. Quinn's 

 "Pear Culture for Profit," New York, 1869, New ed., 

 1883. 



Some years ago the writer secured from the ven- 

 erable T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, since deceased, an 

 article, for publication, on the Pear. The article was 

 not published, however, and it is reproduced below, 

 omitting only the parts on insects and diseases. The 

 writer is glad to place this article alongside the others 

 in order to contrast the view-points of two generations. 

 Mr. Lyon's article, which is most excellent and cautious 



and characterized by beauty of style, is of tbe type that- 

 we no longer see. The person who is familiar with 

 present-day points of view will discover that it lays the 

 emphasis on formal presentation, propagation, pruning, 

 varieties, whereas little or no attention is given to sys- 

 tems of tillage, pollination, spraying, and commercial 

 methods. l_ -q -q 



The Pear. 1. Its Importance. — So far as cultivators 

 generally are concerned, this fruit is less important 

 than its near relative the apple, for the reason that, 

 while the two begin to ripen at nearly the same season, 

 there are few, if any, desirable varieties of Pears in 

 season later than December (if we except a few austere 

 ones, suitable only for culinary purposes), while apples 

 are abundant for four or five months longer. Moreover, 

 during its entire season, the Pear is supplemented by 

 the mass of luscious, though perishable, summer and 

 autumn fruits. The liability of very many usually ex- 

 cellent varieties to be rendered indifferent in quality 

 by unfavorable seasons, neglect or unsuitable soil, is 

 also a serious detriment to the general popularity of 

 this fruit. The liability to the loss of the trees by 

 blight, beyond question detracts greatly from the value 

 of the Pear, especially for commercial purposes; while 

 it a>so exerts a discouraging influence upon amateur 

 planting. To the careful and discriminating amateur, 

 as well as to the man of wealth, with a fondness for 

 fruit culture, whether in person or by proxy, this fruit 

 oft«n assumes a prominence over any, if not all, others. 



2. Extent of Cultivation. — Doubtless, for reasons 

 heretofore stated, Pear trees are but sparingly planted 

 by most persons. The fruit sent to the market comes 

 largely from the plantations of specialists who, with 

 soils adapted to the purpose and the necessary knowl- 

 edge of varieties, have undertaken the business as a 

 commercial enterprise. In the climates of the seaboard, 

 and, to a considerable extent, in the region of the Great 

 Lakes, the Pear is exceptionally successful; while away 

 from the influence of large bodies of water, and es- 

 pecially in the prairie regions of the Mississippi valley, 

 from unsuitableness of climate or soil, or both com- 

 bined, the trees are liable to be either killed or seriously 

 injured in winter, and hence are short-lived and un- 

 profltable. 



3. ^S7>('c/. — Perhaps in no other important particular 

 does the climate of eastern and central North America 

 differ more widely from that of the Pear-growing re- 



1685. Bartlett Pear ( 



gions of Europe than in its liability to sudden and 

 extreme variations of temperature. Owing to this cli- 

 matic peculiarity, aspect becomes an important consid- 

 eration in the selection of a location for a plantation of 

 Pear trees. As a means of avoiding the full influence 

 of exposure to the rays of the sun, during the severer 

 paroxysms of summer heat, while the trees are in actual 



