192 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE 



Trees from Home vs. Distant Nurseries The ques- 

 tion as to whether it is best to grow our own trees, to 

 purchase them from nurseries near home, or to send to 

 sections a long distance away where they have peculiar 

 advantages of soil or special skill that comes from long 

 practice which enables them to grow better trees and 

 at a lower price, is one that needs careful consideration. 

 There can be no doubt as to the value of two trees 

 equally well grown, the one from a nursery within a 

 short distance of the place of planting, where they may 

 be dug and planted the same day, and one grown hun- 

 dreds of miles away. The one grown in the home 

 nursery will be, beyond question, the best to plant. 



It is the practice of local nurseries to buy young 

 stock of parties who are very skillful, and are growing 

 in large quantities, plant them in their own nurseries 

 for a year or two, and then sell to the local trade. These 

 trees are, as a rule, more sure to grow than trees planted 

 at first hand, but are more expensive. The question as 

 to where to obtain the best trees for planting is an. 

 important one, and can only be settled by a very careful 

 consideration of all the surrounding conditions, but one 

 thing must be impressed on the planter that it does 

 not pay to buy poor stock at any price. 



PROPAGATION OF THE PEAR 



The pear is propagated in practically the same 

 way as the apple, but requires more care in the selection 

 of the seed, in the growth of the seedlings and in their 

 care in the nursery. The stocks most in use by the 

 nurserymen are imported, and called French stocks, 

 but by a careful selection of seed and an especially good 

 soil, good native seedling stocks may be grown. 



The varieties of the pear are generally increased 

 by budding (see page 189). Some nurserymen, how- 



