with two or three exceptions, arc nut very serious. Tlie 

 tree is attacked by borers. :iltlii>ui.^ii t" ;i l<-~-. . \tt-jil i)i;in 

 peaches and apples. These ar.' k. i>i in rU.rk i.\ .Ii-'l-mii; 

 them out once or twice a y-.tr ■■>- "U "Uirr truii si... k-- 

 The fruit is attacked to somi- . \i.iit l.y the .•...lliii 111..1I1, 

 but the arsenical sprays keep this insect in check. i>f 

 late years the psylla, 

 attacking the growing 

 parts, has been serious 

 in parts of the East, al- 

 though it is very irregu- 

 lar in its outbreaks. It 

 can be controlled by thor- 

 ough work with a spray 

 of whale - oil soap, one 

 pound in three to five 

 gallons of water, begin- 

 ning soon after the fruit 

 has set, and repeating 

 the application whenever 

 the psyllas become nu- 

 merous. In some parts 

 of the East the fruit is 

 attacked by the Pear 

 midge, a minute fly whose maggots work in the very 

 young fruit. Thorough cultivation will check this seri- 

 ous pest, but its complete control often involves the 

 destruction of all the young fruit on the infested trees; 

 in some sections the application of kainit to the soil is 

 said to kill the insect after it leaves the fruit to un- 

 dergo its transformations. 



The foliage and fruit of the Pear are attacked by para- 

 sitic fungi, w^hii'h cause the leaves to drop and the fruit 

 to become scabby. These diseases are readily held in 

 check by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. Fifty years 

 ago the White Doyenne Pear was the most popular va- 

 riety for growing on the quince root, but because of 

 the Pear scab it passed away. It was supposed that the 

 disease was due to uncongenial climate. Since the ad- 

 vent of the sulfate of copper sprays, however, it has 

 been found that the White Doyenne can be grown as 

 well as ever. Flemish Beauty is also an example in 

 point. Years ago it was one of the most popular stand- 

 ard varieties, but of late years it has been little grown 

 because of the cracking of the fruit. It is now likely to 

 come into vogue again for home planting. The Bor- 

 deaux mixture is a specific for the disease. 



Pear blight or fire blight is the most serious disease 

 of Pear trees. It is an American disease. It is caused 

 by a microbe which enters through the growing points 

 (flowers and tips of shoots) and thrives in soft or "suc- 

 culent" parts. Gradually the micro-organism works 

 down the stems, killing the tissues and causing the 

 leaves to die. In the leaf-blight, which is a distinct 

 disease, the leaves are more or less spotted and tliev 

 fall; in the Pear blight, the leaves turn black and hang 

 on the tree. The Are blight attacks apple trees, 

 particularly in the Plains region. It is probably ab- 

 original on hawthorns and related plants. There is 

 no perfect preventive of the disease. Some varieties 

 seem to be relatively immune, as, for examplt , the 

 Duchess. It is now generally I)elii\..l ili .1 tii.- ..k 

 more subject to the disease when iln \ .t. i.. l^ '.j . \ 

 cessive growth; therefore it is a(h 1^. . I 'I .r 11". . .1 1 



the application of stimulating mariut. - I I< r ii. . 



As soon as the disease appears, cui i.m iIh .iilici.il 

 parts, severing them some inches below the lnwt-t 

 point of visible attack. Do not allow blighted branches 

 to remain on the tree over winter. Pear blight is nut 

 equally prevalent or virulent every year. 



There are no recent American books on the Pear. 

 Two books have been written on this fruit: Thos. W. 

 Fields' "Pear Culture," New York. 18.')8; P. T. Quinn"s 

 "Pear Culture for Profit," New York, 186fl, New ed., 

 I88.S. 



Some years ago the writer secured from the ven- 

 erable T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, since deceased, an 

 article, for publication, on the Pear. The article was 

 not published, however, and it is reproduced below, 

 omitting only the parts on insects and diseases. The 

 writer is glad to place this article alongside the others 

 in order to contrast the view-points of two generations. 

 Mr. Lyon's article, which is most excellent and cautious 



PEAR 



and characterized by beauty of style, is of the type that 

 He 11.. |..Tii,'er see. The person who is familiar with 

 |.i. s. ni .kiy points of view will discover that it lays the 

 . iii|.li,i-i~ ..11 formal presentation, propagation, pruning, 

 \ aneiies. whereas little or no attention is given to sys- 

 tems of tillage, pollination, spraying, and commercial 

 methods. l H. B. 



The Pear. 1. Its Importance. — So far as cultivators 

 generally are concerned, this fruit is less important 

 than its near relative the apple, for the reason that, 

 while the two begin to ripen at nearly the same season, 

 there are few, it any, desirable varieties of Pears in 

 season later than December (if we except a few austere 

 ones, suitable only for culinary purposes), while apples 

 are abundant for four or five months longer. Moreover, 

 during its entire season, the Pear is supplemented by 

 the mass of luscious, though perishable, summer and 

 autumn fruits. The liability of very many usually ex- 

 cellent varieties to be rendered indiflerei.t m .juality 

 by unfavorable seasons, neglect or uiiswit.l I. ...il. 1-, 

 also a serious detriment to the general |.<.|.ularit\ ..f 

 this fruit. The liability to the loss uf the ire.s hy 

 blight, beyond question detracts greatly from the value 

 of the Pear, especially for commercial purposes; while 

 it also exerts a discouraging influence upon amateur 

 planting. To the careful and discriminating amateur, 

 as well as to the man of wealth, with a fondness for 

 fruit culturfe, whether in person or by proxy, this fruit 

 oftan assumes a prominence over any, if not all, others. 



2. Extent of Cultitfatiov. — Doubtless, for reasons 

 heretofore stated. Pear trees are but sparingly planted 

 by most persons. The fruit sent to the market comes 

 largely from the plantations of specialists who, with 

 soils adapted to the purpose and the necessary knowl- 

 edge of varieties, have undertaken the business as a 

 comiiier.ial enter). ris.-. In the climates of the seaboard, 

 and. t.. a .■..ii-i.lerahli- extent, in the region of the Great 

 Lakes, 111. I'.ari- .N-w-pTieTially successful; while away 

 from th. inlliH II... i.f lartre bodies of water, and es- 

 periall\ in ih.- j.iaiiie regions of the Mississippi valley, 

 from nii-n:ial.l.ii. -s of climate or .soil, or both com- 

 bined, th. tt. .- ai. lialtle to be either killed or seriously 

 in.iiire.t in umtrr. tiiid hence are short-lived and un- 

 profitalile. 



3. Jji;;f<-^ -Perhaps in no other important particular 

 does the climate of eastern and central North America 

 differ more widely from that of the Pear-growing re- 



gions of Europe than in its liability to sudden and 

 extreme variations of temperature. Owing to this cli- 

 matic peculiarity, aspect becomes an important consid- 

 eration in the selection of a location for a plantation of 

 Pear trees. As a means of avoiding the full influence 

 of exposure to the rays of the sun, during the severer 

 paroxysms of summer heat, while the trees are in actual 



