Vol. LIX. No. 2641. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 8, 1900. 
$1 PEE YEAR. 
POSSIBLE PROFIT IN PEARS. 
A TREE THAT DID ITS DUTY. 
The Secret of Its Success. 
The R. N.-Y. hears many big stories, and receives 
many theories pointing the road to wealth on the 
farm. Our own experience goes to show that a crop 
of contentment is more likely to roll in at the door 
than a crop of cash. Still, we have no desire to throw 
a wet blanket over any honest scheme for getting rich 
on the farm. We are glad, therefore, to print this 
letter: 
LONG LIFE TO PEARS.—Speaking of longevity of 
pear orchards, I have a 
standard pear tree, 45 
years old, as thrifty as 
any tree in Niagara 
County, which has 
borne without failure 
any year from two to 
four barrels of pears. 
A part of this period 
Bartletts were worth in 
market $30, $20, $18, $15, 
$6 and $3 per barrel, as 
the lowest. I think it 
is fair to say that $3 
net would be a price 
low enough to be true 
as a basis to figure on. 
At an average of two 
barrels per year for 45 
years, it produced 90 
barrels at $3, $270, and 
1,000 trees like it would 
produce 90,000 barrels 
at $3, or $270,000. These 
trees would certainly go 
on 10 acres. Now let 
the wise ones tell us 
how to make 1,000 trees 
in an orchard bear like 
this tree—and a fortune 
awaits the man who 
does it. I can name the 
exact conditions under 
which this tree has pro¬ 
duced this record, and 
it is not difficult for any 
young man of 20 to fol¬ 
low to success. I am 
open to answer all ques¬ 
tions from Hope Farm, 
because he writes inter- 
e s t i n g 1 y (from my 
standpoint). s. t. m. 
Niagara Falls, N. Y. 
A FEW REFLEC¬ 
TIONS. — That’s right, 
by all means let the 
wise ones tell us how to 
make 1,000 trees in one 
orchard bear like this old veteran. The Hope Farm 
man says he has the 10 acres of suitable ground, but 
he lacks the exact knowledge. He is too old ever to 
hope to handle all of the $270,000, but the children 
are coming along, and they are quite likely to de¬ 
velop more expensive tastes. Let us have the facts, 
therefore, so that we may fill the markets with pears. 
HOW THE TREE IS CARED FOR.—The pear tree 
in question stands near the kitchen door. When 
hands are washed it is handy to give the water a 
throw out towards the tree. In Winter, to save car¬ 
rying coal ashes farther away in yard, we dump 
them near the tree, and by Spring there is quite a 
pile, and it’s left until it thaws sufficiently to be re¬ 
moved. Now my theory is, that the tree gets water 
enough, and as I understand it. you are fixed to pipe 
water to an orchard of 10 acres. That is point No. 1. 
No. 2 refers to a good protection for the roots in 
Winter; this might be done with swamp grass or 
straw, not to be taken away until moderately warm 
weather, some time in April. The soil is quite stiff 
clay, and the tree never has been sprayed, nor has 
there been one bit of manure put near it in all these 
years. It has never blighted, nor had any care what¬ 
ever, so that I can’t see anything to lay this longev¬ 
ity to except plenty of water and protection to roots 
in Winter. 
Now if we could make an orchard of 1,000 trees do 
as it has done, it would be about as good a bank as 
anyone would desire. I have simply let this alone, 
no trimming and no care. I believe that plowing near 
trees disturbs roots, and breaks many of the life- 
giving fibrous roots, and retards healthy growth. I 
believe that the orchard should be cultivated very 
thinly about trees of all kinds. An orchard should 
be underdrained, and before setting trees the land 
plowed deep—subsoiled. The main thing is water at 
regular intervals and protection of roots in Winter, 
and I guess a pear orchard of Bartletts of 1,000 trees 
handled in the manner suggested would not only take 
care of the Bud, the Graft and the Scions, but also 
give you some comfort besides. You could expect in 
six years to begin to get returns. Hope Farm must 
be near New York, where you could sell fancy stock 
at top prices; that pays best, sell culls to the hogs by 
picking off early. Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, 
have forgotten more about pears than I, probably, 
will ever know. I thought my tree very remarkable, 
and have merely stated facts. s. t. m. 
R. N.-Y.—We shall be glad to have our horticultural 
experts tell us what they think of U is. We found 
an orchard of old pear trees on the farm. They stood 
in a thick, tough sod, so old and poorly cared for that 
the young cedars were coming in. The trees seemed 
ready to die and most of them bore little or no fruit 
last year. Late in the Fall we had that old sod 
plowed rather shallow, and left the rough furrows 
standing up nearly on edge. In February we hauled 
the manure from a hog¬ 
pen and spread it on the 
frozen ground between 
the trees. This was 
against the advice of 
most pear growers. 
This Spring the ground 
was plowed again and 
planted to cow peas, 
Soy beans and Kaffir 
corn. Old residents say 
that there never was 
such a load of fruit as 
the trees have borne 
this year. A few twigs 
blighted, but no serious 
damage wa3 done. The 
foliage is rich and 
green. We do not feel 
like saying that this Is 
the best way to treat 
old pear trees, because 
in another part of the 
farm some trees still 
standing in sod have 
given an enormous crop 
as the result of apply¬ 
ing nitrate of soda and 
muriate of potash on 
top of the grass. What 
treatment does a pear 
tree ask for? That is 
what we want to find 
out! Did the old tree 
really receive ideal 
treatment? 
WHAT PEARS 
NEED —In neglected 
trees with heavy sod, 
you could do nothing 
but plow and drag to 
let in moisture, and 
while it would damage 
some small roots, the 
benefit might be expect¬ 
ed, in such a case, to be 
far greater than the in¬ 
jury. But to set an or¬ 
chard, underdrain sub¬ 
soil, set trees (standard), keep plenty of moisture, 
and work the ground on top fine by dragging not 
over three inches deep. This should be done once a 
week, and especially after every heavy rain. Then 
mulch around trees eight to 10 feet in a circle, at 
least, late Fall, and take away the mulch in the mid¬ 
dle of April. Enrich the soil with what you choose to 
give growth, make and mature fruit buds, and to 
stand the drain of bearing, and you need not fear the 
result. I recently met the man of whom I bought the 
place 37 years since. He set the tree eight years be¬ 
fore that. Remember that while orchard trees glory 
in plenty of moisture, they will not thrive on wet 
feet; water is necessary for the body and to drink, 
but not desirable to be continually submerged in. 
s. T. M. 
A CROSS BETWEEN THE JAPANESE RASPBERRY ANI) THE ROSE. Fig. 210. 
