Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-25
The Pear in Texas.

Tex, writing for Farm and Ranch, say
many thousands of pear trees in thu
Lone Star state are bearing their frs
fruit this season. The trees, thougl
young, are doing well. The fruit, foliag
and growth are healthy on nearly al
varieties.
Those who have planted good varietie
and who have given them moderated.
good attention are reaping rich reward
The pear promises the most profitable
returns of all fruits.
People hesitate to plant pears because
they must await too long for fruit.
This ls not a good reason, from the fac
they must wait anyway, and again, i
they plant they will have something Il
pay them for waiting.
This is an off year in fruit, yet thosf
who have planted pears wisely and vel
are selling their fruit at $500 to 5000
per acre.
If one acre in every hundred acres oil
Texas soil was planted in pears and made
only 500 per acre, it would amount to
more than all the farm crops of the state
combined, and the labor would be less
than half. In fact, when the horticult-
ural resources of Texas are developed its
greater than it is now.
Any good cotton-producing soil will
suit for pears or apes. The aspect
should be such as will drain we'll. All
pears do well in deep clay subsoil.
In choosing varieties Mr.. kirkpatrick
would recommend Kiefer for all parts of
the state. The LeConte is a very valua-
BILE early pear near the coast, and over a
holt nf oh In rUiH ba
Duchess is also valuable pear for all
locations. The Bartlett it doing well in
many places. The Louise is q good pear
for Texas. The CARRIER, Early Harvest,
Howell aud others are winning great
fame.
Pear trees should be set deep, say
three or four inches below the graft so
they may throw out roots above the
graft and thus free themselves from any
incumbrance from foreign stock. The
soil should be well prepared by deep
breaking and narrowing; and the trees
should be well cultivated for three or
four years, and then kept IN grass, say
mesquite grass. One third of the new
wood may be cut off for two or three
years. After that it Is best to let the
Chinese varieties run up, especially the
LeConte. Mr.. kirkpatrick does not say
this last, but in our own experience with
the Chinese varieties we have found it
best. The LeConte will never get fully
to fruiting until it has ran up and taken
upon itself somewhat the habit of the
LON hardy poplar.
A good pear tree, says MIR. Kirkpat-
rick, If properly cared for will pay
interest on ten to twenty dollars, and
some trees less than ten years old are
now paying 10 per cent. on fifty dollars,
aud almost without work after the fourth
year. During the first few years cotton
or vegetables can be raised between the
rows, thus reducing the expense of culti-
ration to q small amount. The trees
nay be planted about fifteen or twenty
feet apart, and in cese of crowding they
,an be thinued.
II you are not able to buy trees, then |
yet good stock of cuttings in the fall or |
winter. Il you are near the coast make |
,our scions about fifteen inches long, |
harpen the lower end with a slope three /
" four inches. Make your land in |
'idges, liks you would for potatoes.
Place the cuttings quite close and stick |
hem down firmly. Cultivate carefully
md you are apt TO grow many nice trees.
( you are hundred or more miles from
he coast you should, in addition 10 the
happened cutting, make an upward in
sion in the cutting three or four inches
bove the slope and insert a sharpened
,iece of pear or apple root, wedge
haped and tied with waxed cotton
bread.
If these CRAFTS are hard TO set deep in
he earth O long coulter will open the
oil sufficiently. These piece roots will
i'd in the cutting and cause q larger per
ent. to grow.
Here we desire TO add something to
hat Mr.. Kirkpatrick has said with ref
renee to propagatlng the pear by out
ngs. OF course he refers to the Chi
csc varieties, (Kiefer or LeConte, } for
he other kinds cannot be propagated
nat way. When the LeConte first got
s booming start at Townsville, Ga.
e went over there for the purpose of
arning something concerning their
lethods of propagating 1t by cuttings. |
GLOWING is the sum and substance of
hat we learned:
Select for your cutting bed southern
ope, upon which the sun will shine I'M
throughout the day. Open
our cutting trenches running east and
est. Smooth off the northern side of
lie trench with a spade, having it slope
Place your cuttings eight
IN inches apart along on this smoothed
de and have them cut so that when the
ench is filled in there will be not less
ian two buds underground and one
oove. Throw little soil into the bot
N of the trench, say tive inches, and
,und it firmly around the bottom ends
the cuttings. Add another two or
rec inches and pound again, and SO on {
/ the trench is full. I
Seventy five per cent. of LeConte cut G
lg put out strictly on this plan will [
ow every time. About the lst of Feb q
airy is the best time for putting them Y
It in any section OF Texas. T
1t is usual TO select partially shaded /
cation for cuttings, but such location I
not best for the LeConte pear-it wants v
the sunshine 1t can get while in the u
ting state. Aud It also wants e
avy pounding of the soil around 1t to O
event drying out.