THE PEAR 73 



shoot being allowed to grow in advance of the others, 

 and this shoot or center should be kept all through the 

 life of the tree, and whenever any laterals grow beyond 

 it they should be checked, thus forcing the growth into 

 the lower branches. If proper attention is given to 

 the training of the tree while young, very little after 

 priming will be required. 



Age of Bearing — The pear tree may be expected 

 to produce paying crops of fruit at an earlier age than 

 the apple, i. e., from five to eight years from planting, 

 according to the variety, and unless attacked by disease 

 may be expected to bear for fifty or more years. Like 

 the apple, it generally produces fruit only in alternate 

 years, unless the land is kept rich, well cultivated and 

 the fruit thinned. The cause of this condition is the 

 same as with the apple and the remedy is the same. 



VARIETIES 



In form, size and color of the fruit the pear does 

 not vary much from the apple, but in the color 

 of the branches, the appearance of the leaves and its 

 habit of gi'owth, the variations are much greater; so 

 m-uch so in many cases that most varieties may be 

 distinguished by the expert from the appearance of 

 the leaves or twigs alone. Varieties are generally 

 classed as summer, autumn and winter. Of the varie- 

 ties that will succeed in all localities it will be impos- 

 sible to give a satisfactory list, and the reader is again 

 referred to his own State experiment station workers, 

 the following lists being given as those in most gen- 

 eral cultivation throughout the country and possessing 

 valuable qualities. 



SUMMER PEARS 



Ansault — A pear of medium size, light greenish- 

 yellow, mostly covered with thin russet, melting, juicy. 



