FRUIT CULTURE IN AMERICA 313 



business of growing and curing pears, alone produces many millions of pounds 

 of this product. 



Dwarf Trees. — Many years ago the planting of dwarf pear trees was 

 quite general, but now there are few who will plant them except in small 

 places. Dwarf trees grow well and bear at an early age, but they do not prove 

 nearly so profitable for commercial growers as standard trees. Where only a 

 few trees are needed, because of very small space in which to grow them, or, 

 if one is anxious to have fruit very soon, the dwarf trees have an advantage ; 

 but, for general use, pear trees are much better on the Pear than on the Quince 

 stock. They grow larger, live longer, and are able to bear much more fruit 

 per acre than the dwarfs. Most of the dwarf pear orchards were planted in 

 New York and New Jersey, and in nearly every case Angouleme is the variety 

 used, as it does better as a dwarf than any other. The distance apart at which 

 dwarf pear trees are commonly planted is from 12 to 16 feet, and they are kept 

 headed back by annual prunings. Standards are set from 20 to 30 feet apart, 

 and are not pruned very severely, except in California, where closer planting is 

 followed and the trees are pruned annually and severely. 



American Blight. — The greatest enemy to pear culture in America is the 

 blight, which often destroys whole orchards, especially in the Eastern States, 

 where the climate is moist. In California and other Far- Western States there 

 is very little of it. A rank growth of the branches and weather that is both 

 warm and wet furnish ideal conditions for its spread. This leads to a system of 

 culture in the east which does not include the stimulation of rank growth. It 

 is a common practice to allow grass to grow in pear orchards, rather than till 

 the ground, but some of the best growers object to this, and practise frequent 

 tillage because of the better fruit obtained. The only known method of keeping 

 the blight from spreading is to cut away the affected branches ; it is often very 

 difficult to detect the diseased parts until they are almost dead. Cutting out 

 diseased wood as it appears, like fighting fire, is about the only successful 

 thing to do. 



THE PLUM 



There are three classes of plums grown in America — the European, Japanese, 

 and American. They are quite distinct botanically and in their characteristics, 

 and each has its special points of value. There are native plums growing in 

 almost every section of the country, from the Arctic regions to the tropics, and 

 the fruit was gathered and eaten by the aborigines from the earliest times and by 

 the early colonists. But in comparison with the cultivated plums of Europe, 

 which are varieties of Prunus domesticOy they are poor, being very sour and in 

 some cases almost inedible. 



European Plums. — When the best European varieties were planted in the 

 rich, virgin soil of this new world, the trees grew rapidly and in some cases bore 

 fruit of good quality in abundance. But there soon appeared a dread enemy in 

 the shape of a little beetle that laid eggs in the young plums. They hatched 

 into grubs and caused the plums to sicken and drop off. It had always attacked 

 the native plums and some other fruits, but most of them were able to outgrow 



