42 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



Most of our common pears will take readily when grafted on 

 the quince, but the quince transforms them into dwarfed trees. 

 Such trees do produce, with proper care, very fine fruit. The re- 

 mark about their being better than on standard trees refers, how- 

 ever, to other climates than ours, for California grows just as large 

 pears on standard trees as can possibly be grown, while where con- 

 ditions are harder the higher culture of the dwarf tree and the 

 protection which it requires from climatic hardships, gives the dwarf 

 tree the advantage. You can get pears on quince roots from most 

 of our California nurseries. 



Pollination of Pears. 



Is it necessary in grozuiiig the Cornice pear successfully, to put some 

 other pear near for the purpose of pollination in order to make it suc- 

 cessful? Will the ordinary Bartlett pear do for pollination? 



The Com.ice pear blooms with the Bartlett, and would there- 

 fore presumably be of pollinizing benefit to the Bartlett if the latter 

 should require such treatment. Common experience in California, 

 however, is that the Bartlett is self-fertile and not self-sterile as it 

 is commonly reported in Eastern publications. California practice 

 is, then, to plant Bartletts solidly without reference to preparation 

 for pollination. Taking the matter the other way around, the Bart- 

 lett will do for pollination of the Cornice probably, if that should 

 be necessary. 



Lye-Peeling Peaches. 



Please give the for)nula for peeling peaches by dipping them in caustic 

 soda or lye. 



Lye for peeling peaches is used at the rate of half to one pound 

 to the gallon of water, according to the strength of the lye, which 

 you can determine by the quickness with which it acts. The lye 

 water is kept boiling, and the fruit is dipped in wire baskets, only 

 being allowed to remain in the lye a few seconds, and is then plunged 

 at once into fresh water. You must be careful to keep the lye 

 boiling hot, also either to use running water for rinsing or change 

 it very frequently, for you have to rely on fresh water to remove 

 the lye, or the fruit is likely to be stained. 



Aged Peach Trees. 



What sliould be done zvitli peach trees 35 years old zvJiicli are becoming 

 unthrifty, bearing only at the ends of the limbs, etc.? 



Old peach trees become bark-bound and need to be cut back 

 to Just above the crotch for the forcing out of new branches, this 

 being facilitated, of course, by application of manure, good cultiva- 

 tion of the soil, use of water during the dry season, etc. The peach 

 is, under most conditions, not a long-lived tree, and if your trees 

 are 35 years of age, it is probable that best results could be obtained 

 by grubbing them out and replanting with young trees on new soil 



