PRUNING THE PEAR 



301 



year so that the coming buds will form limbs growing in the direction of the 

 weather side of the tree. But use moderation and take your time for it, and 

 don't cut too many big limbs off three-year-old trees none, in fact, if it can 

 be helped. In bringing limbs to proper place, I have found a piece of corn- 

 stalk the required length for the intended place, inserted endwise between the 

 limb and the body of the tree to be spread, to be a very good brace, easily 

 made, and not likely to injure the tree." T. E. Ozven, Santa Cruz. 



These methods will suggest others by which one can bring 

 the most irregular grower into shape. If the tree is cut at plant- 

 'ing so as to form the head low, it may be safely left until bearing 

 age for shaping. The tree naturally makes a viny growth of 

 young wood, and the object of leaving it alone is that one limb 

 holds the others more upright until the main limbs become large, 

 or stiff enough to keep the shape ; so they may be left, after being 

 thinned out to form three to five limbs, as judgment may direct. 

 Some trees will be best with three or four, others five. 



The experience of pear pruning just cited has been secured in 

 regions more or less subject to coast influences. In the hot interior 

 valleys, with the pear as with the apple, care must be taken to 

 prune so as not to open the tree too much to the sun, but to shorten 

 in and thin out only so far as is consistent with maintaining a good 

 covering of foliage. 



The pruning of bearing pear trees is much like that of the 

 apple, to be determined largely by the habit of the tree, and to 

 secure a fair amount of fruit on branches with strength and stiff- 

 ness enough to sustain it. 



Summer pruning will promote fruiting either in a young or an 

 old tree and some practice it to secure early bearing of young trees, 

 but the common practice is winter pruning to secure strong wood 

 and prevent overbearing. 



THINNING PEARS 



It is quite important to attend to thinning the fruit on over- 

 loaded trees. Even the popular Bartlett will often give fruit too 

 small for profitable sale unless thinned. With pears, as other 

 fruits, thinning should not be done until it is seen that the fruit 

 is well set. Dropping off from natural causes sometimes thins the 

 crop quite enough. 



IRRIGATION OF THE PEAR 



In some situations the pear needs irrigation, though it will 

 endure drouth which would destroy most other fruit trees. There 

 is no profit in small, tough fruit. As stated in the chapter on 

 irrigation the wood growth and fruit show whether proper moisture 

 needs are met or not. Early pears are advanced in development 

 by irrigation in some parts of the State, and this is an important 

 factor in their value. 



