THE PEAR. 411 



fill practice for strong clayey soils, as, on such stocks, the pear 

 may be grown with success, when it would not otherwise thrive. 

 It also comes rather earlier into bearing. Grafting on the 

 mountain ash is thought to render the pear more hardy, and it 

 retards the blossoming so much as to prevent their being in- 

 jured by spring frosts. The pear is sometimes budded on the 

 apple, but it is then usually very short-lived. 



For rendering the pear dwarfs the Quince stock is almost 

 universally used, as the pear unites readily with it, becomcG 

 quite dwarf in habit, and bears very early. Some large grow- 

 ing pears — as the Duchess ofAngouleme — extremely liable to 

 be blown off the tree, bear much better on the quince stock, 

 and others are considerably improved in flavour by it. The 

 dwarf pear, however, it must be confessed, rather belongs to the 

 small garden of the amateur, than to the orchardist, or him who 

 desires to have regular large crops, and long-lived trees. The 

 dwarf tree is usually short-lived, seldom enduring more than a 

 dozen years in bearing — but it is a pretty and economical way 

 of growing a good many sorts, and getting fruit speedily, in a 

 small garden.* 



The pear not being very abundantly supplied with fibrous 

 roots, should never be transplanted, of large size, from the nur- 

 sery. Small, thrifty plants, five or six feet high, are much to 

 be preferred. 



Soil, situation, and culture. The best soil for this fruit 

 tree, is a strong loam of moderate depth, on a dry subsoil. Tlie 

 pear will, indeed, adapt itself to as great a variety of soils as 

 any fruit tree, but, in unfavourable soils, it is more liable to 

 suffer fi'om disease than any other. Soils that are damp during 

 any considerable portion of the year, are entirely unfit for the 

 pear tree ; and soils that are over-rich and deep, like some of 

 the western alluvials, force the tree into such over luxuriant 

 growth, that its wood does not ripen well, and is liable to be 

 killed by winter blight. The remedy, in this case, consists in 

 planting the trees on slightly raised hillocks — say eight inches 

 above the level of the surface, and using lime as a manure. 

 Soils that are too light, on the other hand, may be improved 

 by trenching, if the subsoil is heavier, or by top dressing with 

 heavy muck and river mud, if it is not. 



In a climate rather cold for the pear, or on a cold soil, it is 

 advantageous to plant on a southern slope, but in the middle 

 States, in warm soils, we do not consider a decidedly southern 

 exposure so good as other rather cooler ones. 



* Whether the Pear can be successfully cultivated on the Quince for mar- 

 ket is yet a debateable question ; but that dwarfs are a great acquisition 

 to the garden where large standards are inadmissible is unquestioned. 

 We beUeve the promise of some varieties on quince warrants tho expecta- 

 tion that they wDl be found profitable for general cultivation. 



