CHAPTER XV. 



The Pear. 



pear having now established itself as the leading 

 fruit of the Gulf coast, except that portion devoted to 

 the orange, and its general management having been 

 so fully given in horticultural journals, as well as books, little 

 remains to be said, except to mention the varieties best suited 

 to the far South. And first, it may be remarked that the 

 experience of the last few years has quite definitely settled 

 the question as to the blight ever becoming a cause for alarm 

 here, if orchards are allowed to take their natural rest during 

 the winter. That bearing orchards should be neither plowed, 

 fertilized nor pruned at that time is certain. There is 

 scarcely a doubt that trees thus treated will remain perma- 

 nently healthy if not allowed to greatly overbear. It is true 

 that all the bearing orchards have been grown from more or 

 less long-rooted trees, but the native vigor of the Chinese 

 pears is so great, and the water level so near the surface, 

 that the natural motion of the sap is likely always to be main- 

 tained during the growing season. This is shown plainly 

 from the fact that the leaves remain fresh and green on the 

 trees until December. It is to this fact that this section owes 

 its remarkable exemption from blight ; for if the trees are not 

 stimulated during winter, the sap will remain dormant until 

 the proper time for growth in spring. As to varieties for the 

 Gulf coast region, it may be well to repeat that the experi- 

 ence of thirty years has shown that none of the old standard 

 American or European varieties can be depended on to pro- 

 duce a paying crop anywhere in the far South. It is true 

 that isolated trees here and there have given some pears, but 

 only in small quantities ; nor are the trees sufficiently vigor- 

 ous in our climate. The Le Conte, Garber and Kieffer, 

 ripening in succession, are a perfect success everywhere. 



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