342 THE NEW GARDENING 



seed-production, of a sort, for a tree may bear fruit with- 

 out forming seeds. 



Very few Pears are self-fertile in the seed-sense, and 

 growers will be wise to keep bees in or near the orchard 

 or garden for the sake of ensuring cross-pollination. It 

 is not suggested that all Pears will not bear fruit in the 

 absence of bees, or where there are no other varieties 

 the pollen of which may get access to each other, but 

 the majority will not, and if they do the fruit is seedless. 



It is important to make the position clear. Apples, 

 Pears and Plums are often spoken of as " self -sterile." 

 This does not mean that they cannot in any case be 

 fertilized with their own pollen, and bear fruit, but only 

 that they are barren in the sense of not forming seeds. 

 This shows that self-sterility is a matter which concerns 

 the raiser of new varieties more closely than the fruit- 

 grower. 



Whether the flowers of a Pear are fertilized with their 

 own pollen or with that from another tree of the same 

 variety, they are barren in the seed-sense though not 

 always in the fruit-sense. When, however, they are 

 crossed with the pollen from another variety, whether 

 by bee or other agency, they are fertile in both the seed 

 and the fruit sense. 



It is interesting to note that Pears which are barren in 

 the seed-sense, generally differ in shape from the seed- 

 fertile fruits. 



While it is established that some Pears may be fertilized 

 with their own pollen only and yet be fruitful, so that 

 the absence of bees is not vital to the fruit-grower, never- 

 theless there is evidence that cross-fertilization is bene- 

 ficial to all varieties from the fruiting point of view 

 alone. It is for this reason that the Pear-grower is 

 advised to keep bees. 



