1248 



PEAR 



8th. Dig the hole in which a tree is to be planted 

 deep enough to receive 2 or 3 inches of tine soil, before 

 putting the tree in place, making it large enough to 

 allow the roots to be spread out in their natural posi- 

 tion. 



9th. See that good, friable surface soil is well filled 

 In beneath, among and over the roots. 



10th. Should the soil be dry, with no immediate pros- 

 pect of rain, it will be well, after nearly filling the hole 

 with earth, to apply a pail of water, and after it shall 

 have settled away, to fill up the hole with earth and 



PEAK 



true of at least very many varieties that even if blown 

 off or gathered when but two-thirds grown, the fruit if 

 put away as already described will usually acquire a 

 satisfactory quality. Fruits thus gathered and ripened 

 are found to have less tendency to decay rapidly at the 



.f wi 



Pea 



tramp it down firmly. Staking will rarely be found 

 necessary, except, possibly, in the case of trees old 

 enough to have been already branched, but such stake 

 must be watched and the tree protected against injury 

 by rubbing against it. 



11. Subsequent Cultivation. — {a) Newly planted trees : 

 Ground occupied by young trees must be kept well 

 cultivated during the spring and early summer. If hoed 

 crops are planted larger quantities of manure will be 

 required, but in either case cultivation should cease as 

 early as the beginning of August in order to hasten the 

 ripening of the young wood. This process should be 

 continued during at least five or sis years, after which 

 green crops may be grown and plowed under as a 

 means, in part, of maintaining the fertility of the soil. 



(6) Mulching: Especially during the first few years 

 after planting, in case of hot, dry weather during the 

 growing season, mulch may be applied to check evap- 

 oration from the soil and to keep it cool, but it should 

 not be permitted to take the place of cultivation. The 

 soil should be well pulverized before applying it. 



ir) MaTiuring: As stated under that head (5 1, manures 

 sli.iul.l !"• :qiiplied Sparingly but regularly, preferably 

 in hit.' autMiiiii. and should be plowed under, or other- 

 \vi^.- niixc.l with the soil at that time or in the early 

 spniiL'. a^ a means of promoting early growth and the 

 tlHiiMu-ii ii|i.iiing of the wood in advance of severe 

 . .il.l. I'lpiniii^-li maturing of the wood should also be 

 a--i-i..|. a- already said, by ceasing cultivation the 



12, r.'.f'A. ,,»-, '""? Ripening the Fruit. -Xn selected 

 Pears, wl;. ili. i im. lali .1 for the market or for use at 

 home, sliMiild 1.. , :,ir fullv hand-picked. 



(a) (iatlirniii.' -iiiiiiii.-r and autumn Pears: With very 

 few exoeptiiius all I'ears acquire a higher quality if 

 gathered before they are fully ripe. The generally ac- 

 [•epted rule is to gather the crop when an occasionally 

 full grown, wormy specimen is ripe, or when there is a 

 perceptible change in the color of the maturer speci- 

 mens, or when the stem parts readily from the branch 

 if the fruit is slightly lifted. 



(6) Ripening summer and winter Pears: When gath- 

 ered the fruit should be placed in a cool room devoted to 

 the purpose, and spread upon shelves, or in lack of a suit- 

 able room they may be placed in shallow boxes or 

 drawers, where in due time they will acquire their full 

 color and flavor. Since this fruit parts with moisture 

 quite freely, it, and especially the later ripening varie- 

 ties, should be protected from a drying atmosphere, par- 

 ticularly from drafts of air, which will cause the fruit 

 to shrivel and become tough and leathery. It is also 



Some varieties an- fcmnil to ripen perfectly 

 without further attenti..!]. but the quality of 

 most kinds will l>e mueli improved if they are 

 brought into a temperature of 00° or 70° a fort- 

 night t efore their usual .season of maturity. 



( rf ) \\ inter cooking Pears : These should be 



gathered and put away in close packages in a 



o I frost-proof room, in the same manner as 



et apples, like which they will shrivel, and 



me tough and leathery, if left exposed to 



air They may remain in this condition 



til needed for use. 



1) Picking and Marketing. -In America, 

 1 (. irs are generally packed for mai-ket directly 

 from the tree, without awaiting the process of 

 ripening Barrels are largely used as packages, 

 alth ugh this fruit is frequently put up in half- 

 barrels and sometimes in bushel, peck and even 

 on in half-peck baskets. American growers rarely 



ripen their fruit before marketing it. This, if 

 done at all, is more generally accomplished by 

 the dealer, doubtless with decided profit, since in the 

 larger cities fully fifty dollars have been known to be 

 paid for a single barrel of selected fruit, and yet the 

 same fruit ripened and offered in quantities to suit cus- 

 tomers has been sold at two or three times the original 

 cost. The marketing of unripened Pears is obviously 

 unprofitable so far as the producer is concerned. 



In Europe, the choicest fruits are carefully selected 

 and house-ripened. When approaching their best con- 

 dition the fruits are separately wrapped in soft paper, 

 and are then put up in packages of perhaps one or two 

 dozens, and sent so as to appear upon the market when 

 in the best possible condition. Such fruits command 

 prices quite in excess of what they would have realized 

 had they been offered in an immature condition. 



14. Varieties. — Since the popular and desirable va- 

 rieties of Pears may be found fully described in stand- 

 iinl |ii.iii.il..L-i' al works, such descriptions here are not 

 ill . ' . .\mong the very numerous varieties 



.if 1 . il in such works there are doubtless 



mail- I -III- high quality and other valuable char- 



, for .some unexplained reason, have 

 he attention of growers, 

 vary in their season of ripening with 

 of latitude, and often, to some extent, with 

 of location, even in the same latitude, the desig- 

 nation of such .season h. n.nies a matter of more or less 

 difficulty. In the fiilli.\v in;; li-is the season given will 

 be approximately that lietw..ii the forty-second and 



failed to 



Since 

 change 



for 



and to pel- 

 supply of 1 

 The foil. 

 these, arra 



It is as true of the Pear as of most 

 s, that very many varieties are of 

 ve appearance, or of such delicate 

 to disqualify them for the market, 

 .•-s,.>v, in :,■„ eminent degree, the 

 i~ II) i.|i ri nil.-r them desirable, 

 iiiilispensable forthe 

 inied amateur Pears. 



-1 lit a II A I if the most popular of 

 ximutelv in the order of maturity: 



De.T,rl>orn in. e. Ai 



Rostiezer m. Aug. 



Manning Elizabeth.. . .e. Aug. 

 Brandy wine e. Aug. 



.Excellent, but-. 



n. Sept. 

 . Sept. 



niddle: b. beginning. 



