Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-09-15

| five inches deep aad from the tree out, at
least two feet-should Summer drought
| occar, the grower will find his trees Wig
| orous and fresh, while his neighbours who
neglects this treatment will be sick1y ard
cast their leaves-aftcr the second Sum-
mer, mulching may be dispensed with.
CULT1vATIoN-Dw Pears need cul-
tivation just as much as corn, cabbage or
potatoes -one may have fine soil, good
exposure and the best trees. but without
thorough cultivation he will find the Dwarf
Pear business zone grand failure" From
our own observation aud after having read
the best authorities and consulted the most
successful growers, we would Recommend
that the Pear Orchard be cultivated in
some hoed crop each year and we give the
preference to Potato crop, as barn yard
manure is invaribly usel in growing it.
the slips LOFT in blowing can be easily spa
ded and the entire lot planted and ,corh;ed
In working the Potatoes the orchard
gets all the attention necessary, and apart
from this, the valuable properties of the
manure, not consumed by the Potatoes is
carried below, and taken up by the 6brous
matter Of the tree roots, thus assisting the
development of its fruit and growth
A good top dressing each fall, in Nosem-
Der, Is of great valne to your trees-a
compost of horse droppings, ashes and lime
is the best dressing we can suggest
PRUNINe.-This commences the Spring
after planting, Gin March) your trees, if
grown by a good NurSeryman. should
run from three to four feet in height,
and have from three to ten we'll develop
ed limbs, (not spurs) if two years old-at
least one half of the terminal and Lateral
limbs of the last years growth should now
be cut off after this, each year, for at
least four or FIVE years, in March cut back
one half of tie preceding years growth.
Should you fud that y7ur leaders are
growing too vigorously, pinch the termi
nal buds during the Summer if buds
appear when you do not wish limbs to
grow, pinch them off, this is much better
than to wait until the wood is matured
and pruning must be done with knife
but if you leave it until then, be sure
your knife is ike razor-ln cutting, al>
ways cut just above bud. The Pear,
unlike other fruit, bears from permanent
spur; after the fruit has been picked, if
this spur is cut back, new fruit buds will
start at It's base The germs of these
buds can lie seen at the time Of gathering
the fruit. The GOOD buds are readily dis
tingushed from the fruit buds. as the
latter arc full and plump, while the for
mer are usually pointed. Wood bulbs can
be converted into fruit buds by bending
down Or breaking off the shoot just above
the bud. This distinction between wood
and fruit buds should be kept constantly
in mind when pruning.
TH1NNINa-Thinuing the young fruit
after it has Set, often becoms absolutely
necessary in many choice varieties. Says
Thomas W. Field, a successful cultivator
Of, the Pear. "Gool soils, iue cultiya-
ton, healthy and vigorous trees and all
the requisites Of Pear growing will often
fail of producing fine fruit, if all that Sets
is allowed to remain on the tree. The
fruit of Davlon's Seeding. Louise Bonnie
de Jersy, Ozbornds Summer, Des Nonnes
and many other fine varieties will Set in
such quantities that. if thinning is neglec-
ted. not one half will reach the full size
and in many instances none will. This
Spring, MIR. Jonathon Gordiner, residing
in Chesters Gap, Warren County, and
myself counted one hundred and eight
! "Ozbands Summer Set on a limb three
feet in length, all were taken off but thirty
No tree should be permitted to hold fruit
the first or second Summer after planting
Ii. e) if only two years old when planted
one or too, if the tree is very vigorous.
might be allowed the second Summer
The period for thinning is when the fruit
is from half to three quarters of an inch
! in diameter, as it Is not until then wo
can distinguish the healthy from the i'm
perfect ones.
GATHERING. -Su!nmcr varieties should
be gathered about ten or fifteen days before
they are fully ripe-as soon as the pear
has attained full size aud begins to take
color, gather all that variety, place in a
dark, dry, cool room and the fruit will
fully dcvelope in about ten or fifteen days;
if it is desired to hasten ripening, bring
them to the lig ht and throw Aanel cloth
over them, which will, in two or three
days fully ripen and color your pears
For early and late Fall Pears the best
test of the proper condition for gathering
is, the cleaving of the Stem from the Spur
when slightly raised-many fine varieties
we'll, if permitted to ripen on the tree. be
found rotten at the core, which will keep
for weeks if picked earlier, among these
are the Flemish Beauty, Beurre Diel and
Louise Bonnie de Jersy Few pears ripen
will on the tree and those that do, are i'm
proved by gathering as herein directed. l.
Late keeping winter varieties should be
| permittel to remain on the trees as long
as the erosts will permit, than gather and
carefully pack in room of low uniform
temperature, the lower the better, not to
freeze, dry atmosphere is absolutely in
dispensible, and there should be nothing
| in the room from which the fruit can
absorb flavor. Before dismissing the sub
iect of gathering, we would remark. that
the fruit should mecer DO gathered early
| in the morning while the dew is on. nor
in wet or cloudy days when it becomes
necessary to pick in such weather. the
fruit should be exposed to light and air
until perfectly dry. Pears picked in the
middle Of a Sunny dav are superior In
flavor and keep infinitely better.
VARIETIES Equally important with
selecting good varieties is securing Wig
orous. will developed Stock. there is more