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THE PBAH Af^U ITS CULTPRS. 

 BY P. T. QWINN, NEWARK, N. J. 



Bead he/ore Fa. Hort. Soc, Sep. 3-, 1867. 



In preparing an essay on the pear and its culture) 

 to be read before this intelligent body whose mem- 

 bers are more capable of imparting information on 

 horticulture and its kindred branches, than being 

 instructed or becoming listeners to one who has 

 always looked up with respect to the knowledge ema- 

 nating from this old and useful Society. I feel the 

 delicate position in which I am placed, in discour- 

 sing on a topic so familiar and well understood by 

 the active members of the Pennsylvania Horticul- 

 tural Society. 



My remarks will be brief and directed principally 

 to the culture of the pear for market purposes. In 

 going over the ground, in case there are any conclu- 

 sions drawn that may differ from the "laid down 

 rules," I will state them, because my experience 

 of over a dozen years in growing pears for market, 

 has led me to accept them as facts, and by stating 

 them (in case I am correct) it may be the means of 

 preventing some one from repeating the same mis- 

 takes that myself and many others have tasted the 

 bitter fruit of It is singular in leed, but neverthe- 

 less true, that there are but few persons who have 

 planted pear trees in a large way, who have not 

 fallen into the same class of mistakes, and by so 

 doing have their pockets and patience sorely tried. 



The science of growing trees that will produce 

 choice fruit is very siniple when once understood, 

 but it is during the time spent in wading in the 

 dark without any lighthoixse to guide our steps that 

 the inexperienced suffer from a series of disappoint- 

 ments. It is folly to suppose that every person who 

 plants an orchard of pear trees succeed. On the 

 contrary, as far as my personal observation has ex- 

 tended, there has been more money lost than made, 

 for I could enumerate five persons who have utterly 

 failed to every one who has made pear culture pro- 

 fitable. 



Think but an instant, of the number of pear trees 

 that have been sold annually for the past fifteen 

 or twenty years, and then search for the healthy 

 vigorous orchards that should by this time be pro- 

 ducing abundantly ! Such orchards are but few in 

 comparison to those of sickly, mis-shapen and 

 unproductive trees to be found everywhere. 



There are many obvious reasons for the numer- 

 ous failures that present themselves to our, view 



an eveiy side, and much valuable information has 

 been arrived at by obserTation, but this has gen- 

 erally been found a very expensive means of 

 gaining information. Under the excitement of 

 " pear fever/' many persons planted large fields 

 without any preparation of the soil. Others 

 selected long lists of varieties that were uusuited ta 

 their soil and climate. Others^ again, believed 

 that a fruit tree once in place, could take care of 

 itself without farther expense or trouble to its- 

 owner. 



It is only necessary to say in this connection, that 

 with such treatment and want of definite know- 

 ledge pear culture will seldom pro^ve profitable. 



At this point, the question would naturally sug- 

 gest itself. Can pear culture be made a safe invest- 

 ment for capital ? I would assuredly answer yes^ 

 provided a judicious selection of varieties are made, 

 and the soil properly prepared before planting ; this 

 with a certain amount of care in providing for the 

 wants of the trees, during the early stages of growth, 

 will make the investment both safe and remuner- 

 ative. The inducements now offered forgrowing pears 

 for market, are greater t han they were ten years ago, 

 from the fact that the demand-is still greater than the 

 supply, and the prices average higher now than then. 



The first important movement to be made, pre- 

 paratory to planting, is a thorough preparation of 

 the soil, whether for garden or field culture. In 

 case the land is a heavy clay retentive of moisture, 

 underdraining will have to be resorted to in order 

 to aerate the soil and carry away the stagnant 

 water. This should be done at least a year before the 

 trees are planted. In the meantime the surface and 

 subsoil should be thoroughly distributed by repeated 

 plowing. My practice is to underdrain during the 

 summer, then fall plow and subsoil, leaving the land 

 in ridges during the winter. In the spring, when 

 the ground is dry enough to work, .surface plow, 

 running the lifting subsoil plow in the bottom of 

 the furrow. This latter operation, with the effects 

 on the soil of the alternate freezing and thawing 

 in the winter monthsj leaves the soil in fine mechani- 

 cal condition. The land is then made ready for a? 

 root crop, usually potatoes which are planted in 

 the ordinary way, the rows wide enough apart to 

 admit of horse implements. Before the crop is 

 planted, our custom is to apply to the surface broad 

 cast five or six hundred pounds of super-phosphate to 

 the acre, and harrow it in ; and woodashes in the drill 

 at the time of planting. The surface should be kept 

 loose and free from weeds, by frequent disturbance 

 of the surface soil with the horse hoe. 



