El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-17

! who has his trees growing in the nur-
sery row can dig them when he has
/ his lands in shape to receive them,
when it is his turn TO irrigate from the
ditch or when the other duties on the
farm will best allow him TO take the
/ time for planting.
AIIuviaI Soil Best.
The pear is particularly adapted to
conditions prevailing here. It is hardy,
resistant to drouth, flood and some al
kali Almost any well cultivated soil
will do. but best results are obtained
on the rich alluvial soils. 1t is grown
on silt and clay loans and even on our
heavy adobe soil; on soils that have
the water-tabIe near the surface of far
below. In fact, the pear will thrive on
almost any well cultivated soil
Its tap-root extends, deep into the
soil and can be removed with greatest
difficulty. Last winter the writer was
engaged in removing an old orchard
from the college farm with an improv-
ed stump puller. No trouble was en-
countered with the apple, plum or april
cot trees, but a three-quarter inch
steel cable was snapped without so
much as budging the pear roots. Upon
taking a new hitch a fe~ feet above
ground, the trunk was pulled in two
and the tree had to be grubbed out.
High Land is Preferable.
In the valley below Ell Paso, the
best orchards are seen on the high land
extending through the middle OF the
valley. a location near the river or
the foothills is not so favorable. In
the Mesilla valley, the river flows
through the lowest part and the gener-
al slope is from the mountains on the
east toward the river, instead of slop-
ing north and south from a raised mid
die, as in the lower valley. One of the
severest drawbacks to successful fruit
growing here is the prevalence of late
frosts, and it behooves one TO select
orchard land with an eye to the topo-
graphy of the region.
Clay subsOils cause pears to be later
in maturing and give them better keep
ing qualities. Dry soils have the eff
feet Of keeping them small and taste
less; wet ones cut the life of the tree
down to a few years.
Longer Lives Than Apple Here.
Ordinarily the pear is not considered
as healthy and long lived as the apple,
but with US it is the opposite. The
pear blight, which has been devastat-
ing orchards throughout the country
causing tremendous losses, is unknown
to fruit growers of the Rio Grande
valley. The absence of the blight here
is an asset that will grow in impor-
lance as more orchards are set out and
in proportion to the activity of this dis
ease in other regions
In the east the Bartlett pear sells
for more than other varieties Here it
Is our best variety and yields 500 box
es or more per acre, which bring the
grower 81 and often more per box at
the station The variety that opens the
pear shipping season with US is Clapp's
Favorite, which is often taken for the
Bartlett. Winter Bartletts, or Win
ter Nrelis do well as late pears.
Starting an Orchard.
To start an orchard one can buy the |
buded trees directly from the nur- /
seryman, or buy the stocks. secure buds !
from nearby orchard and do the bud !
ding himself. Budding is a simple pro- |
cess and consists merely in placing q |
single bud from one tree upon the |
growing wood of the stock. IF the price |
OF trees is not as great a consideration !
as time, il IS best for the man contem-
plating starting an orchard TO buy
young budded trees from a reliable |
nurseryman or farmer. But should