CHAPTER XIV. 

 THE PEAR. 



It used to be said by many fruit farmers 

 that it does not pay to grow pears. How- 

 ever, some of the most skilful and success- 

 ful growers at Crockenhill, Chart Sutton, 

 and Teynham have young, promising pear 

 plantations of pyramid or bush form 

 budded or grafted on the quince stock, 

 planted generally 9ft. apart on the 

 square, with black currants or goose- 

 berries between. 



The varieties chiefly adopted, and which 

 give most success grown in this way, in- 

 clude Williams' Bon Chretien, Clapp's 

 Favourite, Conference, Dr. Jules' Guyot, 

 Doyenne du Comice, Catillac (Dec. to 

 April), Fertility, Hessle or Hazel, Pitmas- 

 ton Duchess (where this is found to suc- 

 ceed), Souvenir du Congres, also Beurre 

 Bosc, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Uvedale's 

 St. Germain, (Jan. to April), Le Lectier 

 (Jan. to Feb.), and Emile d'Heyst. 



Eai'ly potatoes or mangolds are usually 

 planted between, and sometimes Brussels 

 sprouts or cauliflowers, but to grow the 

 two latter without " drawing the land " 

 needs heavy manuring, or it will be detri- 

 mental to the trees and bushes. Pears 

 form an excellent avenue on the sides of 

 the road through a plantation, or a wind 

 break. For this purpose Hessle and 

 Fertility have proved very suitable. 



Even bush pears do practically nothing 

 in the way of bearing for four years, but 

 by eight years bear a good crop of hand- 

 some fruit. 



The cultivation consists of digging in 

 winter with the necessary pruning to 

 shape the trees, with horse hoeing and 

 about five hand hoeings during spring and 

 summer. If pear scab appears on foliage 

 or fruit, the trees should be sprayed while 

 the leaf is off with copper sulphate or lime 

 and sulphur, and just before the buds 

 open and after the petals have fallen with 

 Bordeaux mixture or lime and sulphur. 



The spraying with lime and sulphur 

 has also been found effective against 



" Pear mite," which lives between the 

 upper and lower surfaces of the leaves. 

 The Pear Midge, which sometimes infests 

 the interior of the fruit, making it useless, 

 is often a serious pest; the affected fruits 

 should, if possible, be picked and des- 

 troyed, and a dressing of kainit given to 

 the ground below and around the tree. 



Cross-pollination in pear blossoms is 

 very important. It is therefore advisable 

 to mix the varieties and keep bees, as it 

 is found with many varieties that they 

 will not set fruit if pollinated with pollen 

 of the same variety. In planting avoid 

 planting together a very early flowering 

 with a very late flowering sort, alternate 

 the variety every two or three rows. Con- 

 ference seems to be a good polleniser for 

 other varieties. 



I once planted forty Pitmaston Duchess 

 trees in a plantation away from other pear 

 trees. For four years they blossomed, but 

 set no fruit. I took them up and re- 

 planted them in another part of the farm, 

 among a small plantation of other varie- 

 ties of pear, and placed a hive of bees 

 amongst them. These trees that had been 

 barren bore fruit well for several years 

 whilst the bees were there, but now with- 

 out bees they do not seem to bear so well, 

 my successor does not favour bees. 



In Worcestershire, and in some parts of 

 Kent, one sees fine, tall, old pear trees, 

 probably between 100 and 200 years old, 

 still bearing small fruit. 



The approximate life of a standard pear 

 has been put at 70 years; its commence- 

 ment of remunerative return, tenth year 

 after planting; its period of laest produc- 

 tion, between 25th and 40th years; yield 

 per acre when mature, up to six tons per 

 acre; price per ton, £7 to £28 (pre-war). 



The approximate life of a dwarf pear on 

 quince is put at 20 to 50 years; com- 

 mencement of remunerative return, fifth 

 year; period of best production, 15th to 



