340 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



has never hurt my Bartletts until two years ago, but 

 two of these manured trees contracted the disease then. 

 One of the healthiest pear trees I own is a Beurre d' 

 Anjou in my yard. The grass has never been disturbed 

 around it for sixteen years, but the yard is well dressed 

 with manure and wood ashes every year. The blight 

 has hurt my Beurre d' Anjou planted in my orchard and 

 well cultivated, terribly. They were both out of the 

 same nursery and planted at the same time. A very 

 extensive nurseryman and fruit grower in New Jersey in 

 whose judgment I have the greatest confidence tells me 

 to cultivate pear trees until they are pretty well grown, 

 then let them remain in sod, and manure them without 

 cultivation. This plan just hits the tree in my yard. 

 I have a block of trees in my orchard which I sowed in 

 clover and mowed the clover around them for several 

 years. During that time there was no blight among 

 them, but not being manured they made slow growth of 

 wood. When the clover ran out I commenced cultivating 

 them and the blight has nearly ruined them. Another 

 block of Beurre d' Anjou was put in clover at the same 

 time. The trees were thrifty and vigorous while the 

 clover 'was growing around them and bore most enormous 

 crops of elegant pears, but as soon as we resumed their 

 cultivation, the blight made its appearance and now 

 many of the trees are dead. I planted eight Bartletts 

 nearly thirty years ago in a very rich piece of land along 



