Smyrna times., 1902-02-19
LAYTON DEP1D''. 1D"..lgg7EAR CULTURE
e: + r; Y RESTS MANY FARMERS
ntion: SUBJ - libr
in advano FORy fVC
lie PAPER OF JAMES T. SHALLCROSS
READ BEFORE FARMERS INSTITUTE.
The Growing and Treatment of the Keiffer
Pear Brought Out a Free Parliamentary
Discussion, Several Taking Part.

At the Institute in Dover, "Pear
Culture" received some attention, es-
pecially the Keiffer. James T. Shall
cross, of Middletown. read the follow
ing paper:
An old saying, and probably true in
its time, was: ''He that plants pears
plants for his heirs" This saying has
long since been exploded. You need
not go back over forty years and you
will find there were few people in this
section of the country that had heard
of dwarf pears. Dwarfng the pears
was by budding the pear or ounce
stocks grown on ounce roots; they
come into bearing at two or three |
years old. Since then experts in pear
growing and pear culture have been
springing up all over this country. At
the present time we have standard |
pears bearing most varieties on trees |
planted from two to five years. We
now have the wonderful Keiffer, often |
bearing in the nurseries at one and |
two years old from graft or bud. In
selecting trees for planting 1 wonld
prefer good One-year-old trees, as they
have more fibrous roots than older
trees. You can, and to advantage,
work the newly planted orchards to
some growing crop and work them
we'll during the season, after they
commence to bear Plow your orch
ards early before they come out in leaf
or bloom. If not done before that
time 1 would defer working them for
that year, as experience has taught me
that plowing an orchard after it has
put out its leaves and bloom causes one
OF the most dreaded diseases of the
pear grower, the blight. L attribute
this to the early culture of the trees.
After plowing early you then can cul-
tivate or harrow the trees on up to the
first of June, when in my judgment
all cultivation should cease. AS it is
very rarely bearing pear tree makes
another leaf or bud after the Goth day
of June, l think that cultivation
should cease several weeks before the
last leaves and buds are set. Cultiva-
tion tends to keep up an extra flow of
sap. This has tendency to make the
trees start out some of the buds al
ready formed, and as a rule these
branches will die with what is known
as twig blight the next year.
keiffer Pear a Money Maker.
AS for the varieties to plant. For
commercial purposes, have come to
one variety as a money maker, that is
the Keiffer. think the pear growers
on the peninsula are getting more
money from this than all other varie-
ties combined. 1t is my opinion that
this Keiffer pear industry is yet in its
infancy. 1 believe that Keiffer pears
will be shipped abroad the same as our
apples are now shipped, and there will
be growing demand and a good mar
ket for all good irst-class pears for
years to come, provided first class
fruit is shipped. Gull and assort them
good, send none but the best, and ]
think it will pay all concerned in the
industry. 1 attribute a good deal oil
my success in fruit culture to the hon
ey bee as a pollenizer. They carry the
pollen of the blossom from one tree t.
another, thus fertilizing the barrer
blossoms.
A lively discussion followed. Ques
tion: Is tkere no money in any vari
ETY. but Keiffers?
MIR. Shallcross: 1 have grown pear
for quite long time, my father grey
most all the varieties, but the none
pear seems to be the Keiffer pear, an
it has been the main one for sewers
years past. If you put out the Bart
lett pear at the same time, you will nc
receive many from them for eight @
ten years. have had Keiffer pears g
five years old to average FIVE peac
baskets to the tree. The Keiffer wi
stand more manuring than any otht
pear 1 know of. If you manure thei
too highly think you will find thi
Won will get the blight, but the Keiff,
will stand more than any other variei
ever tried. The time to market the
is the time when there is a market f,
them. L find that spraying with Bo
deaux mixture will almost always era
icate the rust.
Use of the Bordeaux Mixture.
Mr.. Barker: The rusty or da
growth on the fruit sometimes troubl
US a great deal, and even before t
time of a picking it is there. W
spraying net make it clean and brigt
Answered by several, yes.
Mr.. Shallcross: Blight is sometim
caused by plowing a pear orcha