PEAR 



PEAR 



2513 



in the digging, handling, preparing, and planting of 

 trees: 



1. In digging trees, aim to secure as many of the 

 main fibrous roots as possible. 



2. Expose the roots as little as possible to the drying 

 influence of sun and wind. 



3. Prepare the roots for planting by cutting away 

 the bruised and broken portions. 



4. If the roots have been essentially shortened in 

 lifting, cut away the superfluous branches and also cut 

 back such as are to remain till a proper balance of root 

 and top is secured. 



5. In heavy retentive soil, plant the tree very little 

 if any deeper than it stood in the nursery, and, in addi- 

 tion, raise a slight mound about the trunk to avoid the 

 occurrence of standing water at that point. 



6. In strong but dry soil, a tree may be planted an 

 inch or two deeper than it stood in the nursery. 



7. In light sand, with dry subsoil, a tree should be 

 planted 3 or even 4 inches deeper than it stood in the 

 nursery. 



8. Dig the hole in which a tree is to be planted 

 deep enough to receive 2 or 3 inches of fine soil, before 

 putting the tree in place, making it large enough to 

 allow the roots to be spread out in their natural position. 



9. See that good, friable surface soil is well filled in 

 beneath, among, and over the roots. 



10. Should the soil be dry, with no immediate pros- 

 pect of rain, it will be well after nearly filling the hole 

 with earth, to apply a pail of water, and, after it shall 

 have settled away, to fill up the hole with earth and 

 tramp it down firmly. Staking will rarely be found 

 necessary, except, possibly, in the case of trees old 

 enough to have been already branched, but such stake 

 must be watched and the tree protected against injury 

 by rubbing against it. 



Subsequent cultivation. 



(a) Newly planted trees: Ground occupied by young 

 trees must be kept well cultivated during the spring and 



2816. The Seckel pear tree as it stood in 1880. 



early summer. If hoed crops are planted, larger quan- 

 tities of manure will be required; but, in either case, 

 cultivation should cease as early as the beginning of 

 August in order to hasten the ripening of the young 

 wood. This process should be continued during at 

 least five or six years, after which green crops may be 

 grown and plowed under as a means, in part, of main- 

 taining the fertility of the soil. 



(6) Mulching: Especially during the first few years 



2817. Stump of the Seckel pear tree. 1908. 



after planting, in case of hot dry weather during the 

 growing season, mulch may be applied to check evap- 

 oration from the soil and to keep it cool, but it should 

 not be permitted to take the place of cultivation. 

 The soil should be well pulverized before applying it. 



(c) Manuring: As stated previously, manures should 

 be applied sparingly but regularly, preferably in late 

 autumn, and 

 should be plowed 

 under, or other- 

 wise mixed with 

 the soil at that 

 time or in the 

 early spring, as 

 a means of pro- 

 moting early 

 growth and the 

 thorough ripen- 

 ing of the wood 

 in advance of 

 severe cold. 

 Thorough ma- 

 turing of the 

 wood should also be assisted, as already said, by ceasing 

 cultivation the early part of August. 



Gathering and ripening the fruit. 



All selected pears, whether intended for the market 

 or for use at home, should be carefully hand-picked. 



(a) Gathering summer and autumn pears: With very 

 few exceptions all pears acquire a higher quality if 

 gathered before they are fully ripe. The generally 

 accepted rule is to gather the crop when an occasionally 

 full-grown wormy specimen is ripe, or when there is a 

 perceptible change in the color of the maturer speci- 

 mens, or when the stem parts readily from the branch 

 if the fruit is slightly lifted. 



(6) Ripening summer and winter pears: When gath- 

 ered, the fruit should be placed in a cool room devoted 

 to the purpose, and spread upon shelves, or in lack of a 

 suitable room they may be placed in shallow boxes or 

 drawers, where in due time they will acquire their full 

 color and flavor. Since this fruit parts with moisture 

 quite freely, it, and especially the later ripening varie- 

 ties, should be protected from a drying atmosphere, par- 

 ticularly from drafts of air, which will cause the fruit 

 to shrivel and become tough and leathery. It is also 

 true of at least very many varieties that even if blown 

 off or gathered when but two-thirds grown, the fruit if 

 put away as already described will usually acquire a 

 satisfactory quality. Fruits thus gathered and ripened 

 are found to have less tendency to decay rapidly at 

 the core. 



(c) Gathering and ripening of winter dessert pears: 

 These should remain upon the tree as long as practi- 

 cable without danger from frost. When gathered, they 

 should be placed in a cool frost-proof room, and it will 

 be well also to wrap each separately in soft paper. 

 Some varieties are found to ripen perfectly without 

 further attention, but the quality of most kinds will be 

 much improved if they are brought into a temperature 

 of 60 or 70 a fortnight before their usual season of 

 maturity. 



(d) Winter cooking pears: These should be gathered 

 and put away in close packages in a cool, frost-proof 

 room, in the same manner as russet apples, like which 

 they will shrivel, and become tough and leathery if 

 left exposed to the air. They may remain in this con- 

 dition until needed for use. 



Packing and marketing. 



In America, pears are generally packed for market 

 directly from the tree, without awaiting the process of 

 ripening. Barrels are largely used as packages, although 

 this fruit is frequently put up in half-barrels and some- 

 times in bushel, peck, and even in half-peck baskets. 



