NEW YORK FRUIT GROWERS.— II. 



nitrogen, the last furnished by plowing 

 under Crimson clover or well-decom- 

 posed barnyard manure. 



Treating the Tree. — At about five 

 years, the trees will begin to show signs 

 of fruiting, which should be regulated 

 by trimming. The trees should be 

 trimmed systematically, according to 

 the form that the grower has decided 

 upon. I prefer the pyramid, and trim 

 to a leader. This is done by cutting 

 the lower branches to four or five buds, 

 those higher a little shorter and so on 

 to the leader, which should be left 

 longer. The cutting back and thinning 

 out must continue annually, to obtain 

 the highest results. Whether this is 

 done closely, must depend upon the 

 variety and the vigor of the trees. Some 

 trees have a tendency to set fruit more 

 than do others. Trimming should be 

 done during the dormant season which, 

 in Western New York, is between Nov. 

 i and March i. No trimming should 

 be done after the sap starts. If the 

 tree has become stunted and exhausted, 

 from overbearing or other cause, it can, 

 if not too far gone, be revived by cut- 

 ting back into the old wood, and allow- 

 ing the tree to make a top of new wood. 



After the trees have come into full 

 bearing, which is at the age of from 

 eight to twelve years, no farm crops 

 should be grown among them. Plow 

 the orchard during May, but never 

 more than three inches deep : I do not 

 approve of plowing any deeper, as it 

 cuts off many of the pear roots. Then 

 move the soil often by the use of a 

 cultivator or spring-tooth harrow. By 

 this treatment, the soil will be kept in 



mellow, moist condition. Under no 

 circumstances should it be allowed to 

 become hard and cracked. 



Feeding and Thinning.— The orchard 

 should now be in full bearing, and the 

 fertilizers should, consequently, be ap- 

 plied more liberally ; I cover my orchard 

 every second year with a light covering 

 of well rotted barnyard manure. In the 

 alternate years, I plow under Crimson 

 clover, adding to this a liberal amount 

 of muriate of potash, applied by sowing 

 broadcast, by hand, and worked in by 

 the cultivator. I have sprayed for the 

 last six or eight years with varying 

 success. I believe in spraying, when 

 necessary, but the person doing the work 

 should have a knowledge of what he is 

 spraying for, what to use, and how and 

 when to use it. This is important to 

 insure success. 



The thinning of fruit is absolutely 

 essential, in many cases. The work 

 should be done early in the growing 

 season and, wherever a tree is over- 

 loaded, a sufficient amount of the fruit 

 should be removed to relieve it thor- 

 oughly. The money expended in thin- 

 ning is amply repaid in the protection 

 of the trees, and the superior quality 

 of the fruit. Thin whenever a tree is 

 overloaded, and bear in mind that, with 

 judicious thinning of the fruit, and care- 

 ful precautions to prevent the trees from 

 overbearing, annual crops will be the 

 result. Nearly all kinds of pears should 

 be gathered at least one week before 

 they naturally ripen on the trees, as 

 pears allowed to ripen upon the tree, 

 lose much of their substance and quality. 



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