PEARS, PEACHES, QUINCES, ETC. 1 57 



be saved if the shoots are pinched off in the summer than 

 if they are allowed to grow and then cut off. 



Pear trees are planted from twenty to twenty-five feet 

 apart, according to the variety for standards, and twelve 

 to fifteen feet for dwarfs, though if the latter are set 

 below the point where grafted or budded roots are formed 

 from the pear stock the tree becomes a standard 

 and will need the wider space first mentioned. Dwarf 

 trees are sometimes very satisfactory if planted on very 

 heavy soil, as the quince root upon which they are 

 grafted grows best in such soil. Some varieties succeed 

 better upon the quince stock than others, and only those 

 that do well on this stock should be planted as dwarfs. 



Renovating Old Trees. 



The majority of pear trees in the older sections of the 

 United States are very much in the condition of the apple 

 trees neglected, unpruned, and unsprayed, and produc- 

 ing fruit that hardly pays for harvesting. To put them 

 into condition to produce fruit that will bring a fair 

 price in the markets, we must first reduce the amount 

 of old wood which is covered with fruit buds just as we 

 would with the currant or gooseberry bushes, and by 

 fertilization, mulching, or cultivation induce some 

 strong, vigorous growth that will produce large and fair 

 fruit. This is done in the same manner as described for 

 the apple. Pear trees may be regrafted to desirable 

 varieties and produce fruit more quickly than the re- 

 grafted apple tree. 



Varieties. 



The number of varieties of pears of commercial value 

 is much less than that of the apple, but fewer kinds are 

 generally planted. Those recommended and most gen- 

 erally grown are: 



