THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
3^3 
diluted with 6 parts of water, or whale-oil soap, i pound in 
4 or 5 gallons of water, or with one of the tobaeco extraets. 
Repeat the application at intervals of 3 to 7 days until the 
insects are under control.” 
San Jose scale infests pears, but this enemy is controlled 
by up-to-date spraying methods with lime-sulphur, and needs 
no special treatment. 
Fire blight has probably caused more injury to pears than 
any other one disease. It has an old history. It was known 
on the Hudson River as early as 1780. It is a disease 
associated with the indigenous wild crab apples and wild 
thorns of this country. It is of bacterial origin, and attacks 
the tree through the blossoms, through the young shoots, 
and through abrasions or breaks of the bark. There is no 
easy method of treating or doping trees which will render 
them immune to pear blight. So far as we know at the 
present time, the only rational way is to destroy all sources 
of infection, clean out all diseased and cankered spots, then 
disinfect the cut surface with corrosive sublimate solution 
one part to one thousand of water. Hawthorns or other 
disease carrying trees near the orchard should be destroyed. 
During the growing season, every tree in the orchard should 
be inspected once a week, beginning with the fall of the 
blossoms. Water sprouts on the sturnps should be removed. 
The greatest pains should be taken to disinfect the wound, 
and see that no diseased parts remain over from year to 
year. 
The pear industry of California is threatened with extinc¬ 
tion by this disease. A few growers are controlling it, but 
the great mass of the growers fail to realize the possibility 
of exterminating only by thorough sanitation. 
PACKING AND MARKETING 
Pears should be picked before fully colored and before 
they are fully ripe. Especially is this true of the Kieffer, 
which, if allowed to ripen on-the tree, is very much poorer in 
quality than if picked somewhat early and ripened off the 
tree. The time to pick is when the pear will separate readily 
from the spur, if turned up. They should be immediately 
put into cold storage or a cool room. In no department of 
fruit culture has cold storage played a more important part 
than in pear culture. The condition of markets, often 
demoralized in the hot, humid seasons, affected especially 
the early varieties, like Clapp and Bartlett. The introduc¬ 
tion of the refrigerator car and the cold storage warehouse 
has alleviated the situation wonderfully. The Atlantic 
Coast region has extended its planting in response to the 
better facilities for handling the fruit. Jersey City annually 
stores from 60,000 to 100,000 bushels of summer pears, from 
30,000 to 60,000 bushels of later varieties, in addition to 
many cars of California pears. In Boston, Buffalo, and 
Philadelphia, large quantities of pears are also stored. 
Among the cardinal principles for the successful handling of 
pears are these: the fruit should be picked before mature, 
either for storage or for other purposes; it should be stored 
at the earliest possible time after picking. The hotter the 
weather the more quickly should it be gotten into storage. 
The best temperature is from 34 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 
The fruit should be stored in packages which will allow the 
heat of the fruit to radiate readily, for a barrel of Bartlctts in 
storage will ripen in the center before the whole mass is 
cooled down. 
Wrapping is essential in the case of the finer grades of 
fruit. It protects from bruising, lessens the wilting and 
decay, and promotes bright color. It does not pay to store 
poor fruit. hTuit which is to go into storage must be 
handled in the best way in every respect. 
Doings of Societies 
MEETING OF AMERICAN CEMETERY 
SUPERINTENDENTS 
This association met in its twenty-fifth annual convention 
in Philadelphia, September 12-15. Nearly one hundred and 
fifty members were present. The members of the association 
were entertained by the park and cemetery authorities of the 
city. In addition to the interesting visits to these institu¬ 
tions, the members of the association enjoyed visits to 
Thomas Meehan & Son’s Nurseries, the Andorra Nurseries, 
Henry A. Dreer, Riverton, New Jersey, and to Wm. H. Moon 
Company. These important establishments are all within 
easy reach of Philadelphia,, and furnished attractive and 
instructive study grounds for the visitors. 
• RAILWAY GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION 
This is a comparatively new organization. It held its 
annual convention in Chicago. During the progress of the 
meeting, the delegates were the guests of Vaughan’s Seed 
Store, and were invited to visit the nurseries and green¬ 
houses of this firm at Western Spring, Illinois. The trip 
was made by special train, and the entire membership was 
entertained at luncheon prior to making a complete tour of 
the nurseries and trial grounds. 
FRUIT AT THE NEW YORK STATE FAIR 
The display of fruit at Syracuse was not quite equal to 
that of 1910. The principal interest in the fruit exhibition 
centered in the contest between the New YMrk State Fruit 
Growers’ Association and the Western New York Horticul¬ 
tural Society, for the prize of $500. It was understood in the 
early part of the season that this prize would not be competed 
for, but later on, the program was changed, and the regular 
competition took place. The State Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion was successful in winning the prize this year, as they 
were last season. It was given on the basis of the exhibit 
containing stronger educational features than its competitor. 
The New York State Vegetable Growers’ Association 
made its first exhibit, which aimed to demonstrate the best 
types of packages for the marketing of vegetables. This 
feature was very instructive. 
The Canadian Horticidturisl for September, is devoted in large part 
to the packing and handling of fruit. It is'an exceedingly creditable 
number, and one which will be of much service to fruit growers, espec¬ 
ially to those who areinterested in up-to-date methods of packing fruit. 
lit. 
