PEA 



PEA 



SI 9 



Though the pear will grow upon 

 the quince, or even upon the white 

 thorn, it should not be grafted on 

 the former, unless it be for dwarf 

 trees, and even for these it is not 

 good ; and in no case upon the lat- 

 ter. The stock of the thorn will 

 not grow to so large a size as the 

 scion will : The trees will therefore 

 be top heavy, and short lived, as I 

 have found by experience. There- 

 fore it is best in general, that pears 

 should be grafted upon pears. 



The propagation of pear trees 

 from the seeds, and the culture of 

 them in nurseries, do not differ 

 from the propagation and culture 

 of apple trees. See J^^'ursery. 



Pear trees bear fruit at the ends 

 of the last year's shoots, as well as 

 upon the spurs. Therefore, the 

 new shoots should not be shorten- 

 ed, lest the fruit be diminished : 

 And, for the same reason, these 

 trees should never stand so near to- 

 gether as to crowd each other. But 

 the distance at which the trees are 

 to be set in an orchard, or in a 

 grove, depends partly upon the na- 

 ture of the trees, as some grow lar- 

 ger than others ; and partly upon 

 the fruitfulness of the soil. In gen- 

 eral they may be allowed to stand 

 nearer together than apple trees. 

 These, as well as other fruit trees, 

 should have the ground tilled about 

 them, to promote their growth and 

 fruitfulness, at least until they are 

 become so large as to bear plenti 

 fully, and occasionally from time to 

 time afterwards. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Repository, vol. IV. No. III. con- 

 tains a description by Professor 

 Peck, with drawings of the insects 



which destroy the young branches 

 of the pear tree, and the leading 

 shoots of the Weymouth pine. 

 " The genus, to which this insect 

 belongs is called Scolytus,of which 

 it is an undescribed species. It is 

 precisely J^ or -J^^^ of an inch in 

 length, y^^ in diameter; of a deep 

 brown colour, the legs and anten- 

 nas pale, and of a rust colour ; the 

 thorax in front is rough with small 

 tubercles which point upwards and 

 is studded with erect bristles, as 

 are also the elytra or wing-cases 

 and other parts of the body. The 

 elytra are striated with slightly im- 

 pressed points, and between the se- 

 ries of points are rows of bristles. 

 The plane of the anterior opening 

 of the thorax, which receives the 

 head, is nearly at right angles with 

 that which joins the abdomen, so 

 that the head is entirely under- 

 neath. The eyes are oblong, and 

 the antennae inserted at their lower 

 and anterior edge. 



" The mischievous effects of this 

 minute insect are observed in June 

 and July ; the dead part of the 

 branches of the pear tree should be 

 immediately cut off and burnt with- 

 out delay, as the insects have not 

 then left them." 



Mr. Forsyth gives a catalogue 

 of more than seventy different 

 kinds of this fruit. 



A writer in the American Farm- 

 er, vol. II. p. 347, mentions a dis- 

 ease, which atTects pear trees,which 

 causes a withering of the interior 

 bark, especially the limbs appear- 

 ing in spring, in spots and bars, and 

 more extended affections of the 

 same kin^, spreading to the de- 

 struction of the individual limb, 



