Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-06-02
farm und Aousehald.


At the April meeting of the Alton.
Ill, Horticultural Society, H. j. Hyde
read the following essay on the culture
the pear,
"If it were only necessary 70 read the
experience and theory of Others in order
to be a successful fruit grower, what
wise class We might claim to be, =" be-
cause eve Y wide awake man keeps pos
ted in the numerous periodicals and pa
pers of the day." But unfortunately
for a numerous class. they rush into
fruit raising without the least idea that
it takes brains and work to raise even
fruit. and L may say that it takes at
least as much OF these two articles to
succeed as in any other of the numer-
GUS occupations open to labor and capi-
tai and in relation to the particular
fruit set apart for this essay think
there is at least fine chance for study,
labor, brains and capital, and it will
take all of these, and then there is even
a possibility of failure, at least DOctr
Houghton, of Penn, large grower
tells US that thus far We have all failed,
but it does not follow that the mystery
may not yet be penetrated and pears
raised by the busbel anu barrel profita-
bly,.
doubtless there is not man here
but has some idea of how 10 cuitiva :
pears, and perhaps by comforting to-
gether we may yet in the West produce
the man who will take up the gauntlet
so carelessly thrown down by the Doc
tor and claim at least that some things
can be done as well as others. MY
faith in pear growing is sUrong" Ihave
not yet tried all the plans l have read
and heard about, probably from the
want of faith, in there being so many
competent advisers. / have found ex-
perience and proper application OF
reasonable remedies a good school and
plenty of room for scholars. have sue
ceeded thus far in my orchard as well
as could expect too. | have not tried
grass to any extent, and while on some
soils and some climates it may he a good
plan, l can hardly think that fine fruit
of any kind will be raised here by the
non-cult9re system.
"If you are going TO plant pears select
the varieties least liable 10 blight either
one or two years old, and then prac-
tice on them such remedies AS suggest
themselves to your own reason, and
then you may expect reasonable sue
cess. Root pruning in Summer is claim
ed by some as being good; l cannot say
as to Summet pruning, but if were to
prune the top at any season, l much pre-
fer the Summer, as it has tendency to
check growth. AS TO root pruning to
control blight, l am believer in its eff
cacy, not from theory alone, but from
practice the last four years. L think
pear trees are as tenacious Of life as most
fruit trees. 1 see it every year on my
place. 1t may be others have noticed
it, that trees attacked with blight, that
are not killed the same season will put
forth the following year, with even
more vigor sometimes than if the top
were not reduced by the blight, by "a
proper system of root pruning, We con-
troll the blight; and why? simply if our
trees are thrifty, they grow all Summer,
and when attacked the sap is active,
and the disease spreads like tile; but il
root pruned, they form their terminal
bud early -,he Tree is repairin@ selS, e,