Middletown transcript., 1868-04-11
horticultural Qepartntrnt.
PEAR CULTURE.

to pear culture, show that the attention of
caltivators is turned to this fruit as mar
ket crop. The demand for fine varieties
has been so much greater than the supply
that the fruit in our city markets has al
ways been at price far beyond the reach
OF those of ordinary means. The fruit is
temptingly beautiful, but from cents to
25 cents apiece is too much for the major
ity of pockets. The question generally
put by those who are thinking of planting
pears is: Shall 1 plant standards or
dwarfs? Our reply is: standards, by all
means, with perhaps the single exception
of the Duchesse dAngouleme. The dwarf
pear, 4. e. the pear on ounce stock, has
done good service, but not in the orchard.
As these trees come early into bearing.
they have enabled us to.test large num-
Der of varieties, in much shorter time
than could have been done if the depen-
dence had been on standards alone. For
garden culture, and for those whose space
| is limited, nothing can be better adapted
I than the pear upon ounce; here large
and paying crops. are not looked for, and
the trees receive all the care and culture
they require, and without which they soon
become useless. 1t is claimed by some
that if planted deep enough to cover the
union of the pear and ounce, roots will
be produced from the pear wood. This is
undoubtedly the case with many varieties,
and when it takes place, the tree is no
longer dwarf, but is a pear tree on its
own roots, with clump of decaying
ounce roots in contact with them, and
which we would much rather not have
there. The chief objection urged to the
pear on its own roots is the length of time
before it comes into bearing This is
condition which varies very much with the
different kinds. Some, like the Dix, make
one wait provokingly long time, but the
most profitable market varieties arc not
open to this objection. Had the many
plantations that have been made of dwarf
trees been of standards, the fruit would
now be much more plenty than it is
While the dwarf tree has done much to
improve our knowledge of pears, We think
that it has been detrimental to pear cul-
ture. Some twenty years ago the ounce
stock was so strongly advocated that many
supposed that the finer sorts Of pears could
only be grown upon it. We now find We
ry few who recommend its use in an Or
chard planted for profit.
4 good soil, one that will produce a fair
crop Of any farm produce, will do for the
pear, and it is none the worse if it is of
rather stiff nature. Draining should be
done, if needed, and the ground well pre-
pared by plowing and subsoiling. A sue
cessful grower recommends preparing the
land thoroughly and growing a root crop
the year before setting out the trees. This
is undoubtedly good practice, as the soil
not only gets thoroughly worked, but has
the advantage of the liberal manuring Civ
en- to the root crop.
There is no task more difficult than to
make selection of varieties of any kind
of fruit that shall answer everywhere. We
give here list of those we should set out
were We about to raise fruit for market.
In this case the question of quality is se-
condary to that of profit.
WINDSOR OR SUMNER BELL.-An old
sort, worthless for eating, but profitable
as an early market pear and always in de-
mand for cooking.
BARTLETT. Nothing need be said of
this well known and popular variety. Po-
mologists may discuss whether it is a sec
ond or third rate pear; cultvators know
that there is money in it.
LOUISE BoNNE DE JERsEY.-Succeeds
generally; sometimes astringent, but its
beautiful check makes it sell
BUERRE Characterization large,
and abundant bearer, and profitable.
DucHEssE p AHGoULEWE About the
only variety found profitable on ounce,
on which it generally docs better than on
its own roots.
BUERRE D D'ANJou.-First class in all re-
spects, and keeps well.
LAwRENoE.-A good late autumn va
riety
VICAR OF WAKEFIELD.--An abundant
and regular bearer, excellent as a cooking
pear, and when well ripened fair for the
table, but it is so uneven in quality that
it is unpopular in the market for the latter
purpose. Cultivators, however, find il a
profitable variety
To this list might be added Seckel, Shell.
don, and some others. In planting for
market, it is great mistake to have few
trees of many kinds the orchard should
comprise but few profitable .orts-such
as the people know and will buy, or which
by their attractive appearance commend
themselves at once Picking and packing
are much facilitated, and the commission
merchant has much less trouble with a
large lot of one or two kinds, than where
there arc small quantities of dozen
varieties.
The PEACH BoRER.-It is stated IN au-
thorityd eemed reliable that TO externninate
the peach borer it is only necessary to
pour small quantity of common sperm
oil on the bark of the trees, close to tho
roots, without disturbing the earth. If
the scaly bug infests the bark Of your trees,
rub them with an oiled swab, and il will
be destroyed also. Oil is the most effec-