PEAR 



our fruit from the orchard, baskets holding % bushel, and 

 cart into packing house on low wagons, the platform of 

 which is made of 2-inch hemlock plank 18 feet long and 

 hung as low as will permit a 2-foot front wheel to turn 

 under; being low it is very convenient to load from the 

 ground. A man can readily load 70 to 80 baskets with- 

 out getting on the wagon, and the packing house floor 

 is about the same height as the low wagon for conven- 

 ience of unloading and reloading on other wagons for 

 carting to markets. John S. Collins. 



PEAR 



1251 



1692. Packing Pears for export. 



Dwarf Pears. — Dwarf Pear trees are produced by 

 budding the Pear-wood upon the French quince. The 

 point of union should be so low that, when the young 

 trees are transplanted into the orchard, this point will 

 be 3 or 4 inches below the surface of the ground. The 

 quince, being naturally of a slower growth than the 

 Pear, will, by the moisture of the ground and its protec- 

 tion from the drying effects of the atmosphere, be kept 

 more nearly equal to the size of the Pear. As the tree 

 becomes older the Pear will throw out Pear roots at the 

 union, which will give increased vigor and strength to 

 the tree in its years of maturity when producing heavy 

 crops of fruit. 



The soil best adapted to dwarf Pears is a rich loam, 

 with a subsoil which requires thorough underdraining— 

 a tile drain within 5 feet of every tree in the orchard 

 would be thorough draining. The soil should be good 

 strong corn or potato ground, and kept in such condi- 

 tion of fertility from yiar to yi;ir, for which purpose 

 good, well composted, b:irnyard njanure has no equal, 

 butraay be supplemented by other fertilizers — as ground 

 bone and potash. Small crops, as beans and potatoes, 

 may be grown between tlie trees the first few years after 

 planting, but never should they be allowed in the least 

 to interfere with thorough tillage, or to rob the trees of 

 proper and desirable nourishment. The growth of the 

 tree is of far greater value than any farm crops which 

 can be grown between the trees. The soil should be 

 thoroughly cultivated at least every 10 to 15 days during 

 the growing season till about Augu.st 15 to September 1. 

 It should cease in time that the wood may fully ripen. 

 .Suitable cultivation can hardly be given with any crop 

 on the ground, except, possibly, when sufficient space 

 is left without a crop next to the trees. 



The trees should be planted in rows 15 feet each way, 

 or in rows 20 feet apart each way with one tree in the 

 center of each square. As the trees become older the 

 entire ground should be given up to frequent cultiva- 

 tion, and under no conditions should a dwarf Pear or- 

 chard be seeded to grass, unless to clover for the pur- 

 pose of plowing it under for fertilization. 



Dwarf Pears require thorough annual pruning, w^hich 

 may be done at any convenient time after the falling of 

 the foliage and before the buds become in the least 

 swollen in the spring; but where the cold is severe it is 

 better not to prune till about the first to middle of 

 March. This pruning should begin with the first year, 

 and be continued annually during the life of the tree, 

 cutting back all of the new growth to within 4 to 8 buds. 



and thinning out all .surplus branches which will not be 

 wanted for limbs to the tree, so that at maturity the 

 tree shall be open-headed, with opportunity for plenty 

 of air and sunshine all through the tree, without which 

 superior quality of fruit cannot be grown. The lower 

 limbs should be within 20 to 24 inches of the ground. 

 Trees when 20 to 50 years old should not be more than 

 12 to 14 feet high, and the diameter of the branches 

 about 12 to 16 feet. See Fig. IKIl. It is a very errone- 

 ous impression that a dwarf Pear orchard under proper 

 conditions is .short lived. There are in the United 

 States orchards in vigorous condition, and now prod>ic- 

 ing annual crops, that are from thirty to fifty years 

 old. 



Some of the advantages of dwarf over standard Pears 

 are: more trees can be planted to the acre, they com- 

 mence bearing much younger, the fruit is not so liable 

 to be blown off by early winds before maturity, it is 

 much more quickly and easily gathered than from high 

 trees, the fniit is larger and of better quality than that 

 on standards. All varieties do not succeed equally well 

 as dwarfs, because they do not all form an equally per- 

 fect union with the quince. Duchess is the leading and 

 most profitable variety now grown as dwarf, although 

 many others succeed well. L. T. Yeomans. 



Pears for Export. — Pears have not been grown for 

 the export trade to any large extent, but there is no good 

 reason for it. As France supplies the English market 

 with the finest Pears that are grown, the American 

 shipper needs to study the varieties, season, and extent 

 of the French supplies to avoid a difficult competition 

 which has to be met in seasons of full production. When 

 the Pear crop has been light on the continent, as often 

 occurs, we have successfully exported the Louise Bonne, 

 Anjou, Bosc, and Winter Nelis. Later varieties, as the 

 Easter and Josephine de Malines, with their very fine 

 quality, would meet with ready sale in foreign markets. 



As size and quality are important factors with Eng- 

 lish buyers, Pears for export slioiiM b.. grown upon 

 dwarf trees, that close pruning may be done, the fruit 

 judiciously thinned, and the much higher culture given 

 that the dwarf tree requires. 



The fruit should be gathered when it has reached its 

 most perfect development, but not allowed to come to 

 its full maturity, or approximate ripening. This is the 

 right condition of fruit when it is to be shipped without 

 refrigeration. With refrigeration, a little fuller maturity 

 may be allowed. Each specimen should be wrapped in 

 paper. A layer of excelsior should be placed on the bot- 

 tom of the box, which is marked to be opened; over this 

 place a sheet of paper. Pack the Pears in single layers. 



1693. Box of fancy Pears for the domestic market, 

 each Pear wrapped in paper. 



"ing each with paper and excelsior until the box is 

 filled, nailing cover securely under considerable pres- 

 sure. Boxes should hold 36 large Pears, and 00 of me- 

 dium size. Fig. 1692. This is a refinement of even the 

 best packing for the common domestic trade. Fig. 

 1693. The risk in exporting is in the lack of proper 

 facilities on steamers that are not fitted with refrigera- 

 tion. The fruit often becomes overheated and decays 



