TEAR 



Dur fruit from the orchard, baskets lioUUii{,'"'» Inishel, and 

 cart into pacliing house ou low wagous, tlie 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 ih.- pa.-kin:; Im.un.- Il^ur 



is about the same height as ih.- |m« w.i-.iii l"i nvm 



ience of unloading and reloa.lin- mi, nth. r \v;i^'..ii^ for 

 carting to markets. .Ichin S. ('<.i.i,ins. 



1092. Packine 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 

 ■ luinee, being naturally of a slower growth than the 

 I'car, will, by the moisture of the ground and its protec- 

 linii fn.iii till- (Irving effects of the atmosphere, be kept 

 niiirr iiiaiiy iqiud to the size of the Pear. As the tree 

 iHrni.ivs ,,lil.r the Pear will throw out Pear roots at the 

 iini.'ii, wiiirli will give increased vigor and strength to 

 the tree in its years of maturity when producing heavy 

 crop* of fruit. 



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

 with a subsoil which requires tluprough underdraining— 



the orchard 

 uM be good 

 such condi- 



a tile ilrain within 5 feet of iv.ry 

 would be thorough drainini.'. I'li' 

 strong corn or potato groumi. ani! 

 tion of fertility from year to yrai 

 good, well composted, barnyard ii 

 but may be snjiplcmented by other f 

 bone and i>i>ta-,li. Small crops, as 

 may be ;;rowTi between the trees tin 



The trri - i . i ; i ' . ^i jti ri ''a ^ I r. I'cct each way, 



or in row.v J i ;. i ;,,m;: . ml. Hav vv.ili mim- tree in the 

 center of ca, ii - iiuaiL. As the trees becuine 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. 

 jUwarf I', ars rei|uire thorough annual prtming, which 

 «fPJ I.e ,l..ne at any convenient time after the falling of 

 ilie iMliau'e ami before the buds become in the lea.st 

 swollen in the -pring; but where the cold is severe it is 

 biiier not to prune till about the first to middle of 

 March. This priming should begin with the first year, 

 ami be continued annually during the life of the tree, 

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



PEAR 1251 



and thinning out all surplus branches which will not be 

 wanted fur 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 u feet high, and the diameter of the branches 

 al.out 12 to 16 feet. See Pig. 1691. It is a very errone- 

 ims iinprission that a dwarf Pear orchard under proper 

 conditions is short lived. There are in the United 

 States orchards in vigorous condition, and now produc- 

 ing annual crops, that are from thirty to fifty years 

 old. 



Some of the advantages of dwarf over staiulard Pears 

 are: more trees can be |.laiiiril i.i ilie a.-i-i-. they com- 

 mence bearing much youii-ii\ the fruit i^ not so lialile 

 to be blown off by early wiml- l.rioie matin ii\, ii is 

 much more quickly and easily ^atlin-e,! ilian ii.im limb 

 trees, the fruit is larger and of h. i •■ r ^ ,:, i , : ihan that 

 on standards. All varieties do n-i - ! ■ i -My well 



as dwarfs, because they do not nil i. i n s . ; mlly per- 

 fect union with the quince. l)m^lh - I- lie 1. Minn; 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 should be 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 "iMnrii . or avproxiniatn ripening. This is the 

 riglit i I : ■ . . i, ' ,,„j, „.|,|.,| i, j,, to be shipped without 

 refri_o I / . r.tii-eration, a little fuller maturity 



may !.< ; i .ili speeimen should be wrapped in 



paper. A la. el of i ...elsior 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, 



\ ''^iHsSTMy^'h^l^i 



each Pear wrapped in paper. 



le. Fig. 



ifrigera- 



