THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 99 



(2) phosphate as above and muriate of potash to give ioo pounds of potash 

 to the acre on another plat ; (3) phosphate and muriate as above and nitrate 

 of soda and dried blood to give 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre on a third 

 plat; (4) six tons of stable manure on a fourth plat; and (5) one plat 

 left unfertilized as a check. 



Planting practices vary so greatly from place to place and from time 

 to time, and each method at the place and time seems so justifiable, that 

 one can hardly advocate particular methods and can only state what they 

 are. Thus, pears have been set in accordance with all of several 

 planting plans, and at distances ranging from sixteen to twenty-five feet 

 apart. At present, pear-orchards are usually laid out in meridians and 

 parallels at intervals of eighteen and twenty feet; when the first distance 

 is used, one hundred and thirty-four trees are planted to the acre; if the 

 second, one hundred and eight trees. It is patent to the eye of every 

 passer-by that these distances are more often too small than too great. 

 Certainly on rich soils and with varieties the trees of which are spreading, 

 the distance might often better be put at twenty-two or twenty-four feet. 

 A poorly-colored pear is usually a poorly-flavored pear; and color and 

 flavor are largely dependent on sunshine and air which are hardly to be 

 had in closely-planted trees. Perfect alignment is imperative for con- 

 venience in working and pride of appearance. Dwarf trees in New York 

 should be set at least fifteen feet apart each way, one hundred and ninety- 

 three trees to the acre, although it is a common practice to set them 

 closer. 



Until recently one of the discouragements in pear-growing was the 

 failure of fruit to set, even though the trees bore an abundance of blossoms. 

 The discovery that failure was often due to self-sterility in a variety, and 

 that it was necessary to set another variety near-by to furnish pollen to 

 fertilize the self-sterile blossoms has removed much of the uncertainty in 

 growing pears. We now know that self-sterility has a most important 

 economic aspect in the planting of pears. Some of the varieties most 

 profitable when planted to secure cross-pollination, are so unfruitful as to 

 be quite unprofitable when a tree stands alone or when the variety is set 

 in a solid block with no other sort near. Under most conditions Bartlett 

 and Kieffer, the mainstays of American pear-culture, both need pollen 

 from another variety to insure a full set of fruit. Under some conditions 

 both may be sufficiently self-fertile. From these two statements it is 

 seen that self-sterility is not a constant factor in a variety. 



