The Garden.

Otago Witness, Issue 1500, 14 August 1880, Page 7

The Garden.

{Written Specially for the Otago Witness).

By J. N. Grigor.

THE PEAR.

The Fyrus communis, or common wild pear, is the best sbock for working the cultivated or hybrid varieties upon, and is the most suitable for the orchard pear, as it produces much larger trees. Ifc has & wide and indigenous range, extending over Britain, through Central Europe, along the shores of the Levant, Siberia, Tauria, China, India, &c. By some authors it is placed in a different genus from the apple, by its having flexible sides to the seed-cells ; also on account of its turblnated (ia the form of a top) fruit. Nevertheless, these seemingly paltry differences are overlooked by the majority of botanists, and it is still classed along with the hawthorn family, under the head of

Pomaccee. It attains a height of about 40 feet, with a girth of trunk fully two feet, and is sometimes extensively planted throughout Europe as a forest tree, on account of its wood being valuable and extensively used for turnery purposes. Its flowers are invariably white, and are disposed in terminal corymbs— that is, the raceme in which the lower flower stalks are longest, and all the flowers come nearly level above, forming a tuffc. This wild species is not only reared for grafting stocks and timber trees, but is now In use as a hedge plant, being of rapid growth, strong and durable, suiting itself to the soil and situation, and ia not liable to disease. It requires the froquent use of the hedge-knife during the first few years of its infancy, and if it inolines to become to high, by sawing off the heads to the height required, they thicken up and form a fence as serviceable and even more durable than the common white hawthorn. ■ Propagation.-— The manner in which the finer Borts of pears are increased is by grafting and budding. The pips of cultivated pears are alao used, and are termed "free stocks." The varieties are also worked on to quince stocks, which throw them more rapidly into a bearing state, but also have a tendency of dwarfing, and are best adapted in general for espaliers, walls, and pyramidal trees in garden borders. Sometimes the upright variety of the medlar is used as a stock, but does not meet with much en. couragement. It is a oommon system in many of the Colonial nurseries to work pears: on to the oommon white hawthorn, but the disparity of growth between the respective stems oooasions a short duration of the union. The enlargement of the pear stem in the case of strong growing varieties is too much for either the thorn or medlar, whose stock do not thicken uniformly with the growing graft, a protuberance gradually increasing equally with the pear stem from the gratt upwards, bulging over at the union with the stock, whioh ultimately cankers and decays gradually. Pear stocks are preferable for dry and rather poor soils, and quince for ground of richer and better quality. The varieties that have a less vigorous habit should in every case be worked upon pear stocks, as that stock possesses a superabundance of Bap, which is propelled into the graft, invigorating the system as it were with an extra supply of sap blood. Budding is chiefly employed in summer instead of grafting; but by this coarse one year, or nearly so, is lost in point of time. The propagation by seeds is resorted to, either to produce stocks or to raise new kinds. Any fancy seeding thus raised is given time, and to properly test the future qualities of the future pear the best way is to graf b it on a good bearing old tree worked on a quince stock if possible. It will thus fruit in half the time.

Culture.— For standard treeß in orchards the Boil should at least be two feet doep, of a good sound loam. If suoh cannot be had on the ground intended to be planted, trench* ing has to, be resorted to. But if the subsoil is of a sandy nature, a suitable opening ought to be formed and filled in with rich loam, as the fruit from the efforts of drought becomes cracked and disfigured. Any sub* soil inclining to clay rather than sand is preferable for the cultivation of pears, as the trees are very impatient of drought. But if the surface soil be good and deep, a dry subsoil is not objectionable, but in many cases favourable to the early ripening of the frnib of the later sorts. The culture of the pearia similar to the apple ; the fruit, branches are generally formed towards the end of the third year. They should be kept as short as possible, co that the spurs that bear may lie close to the principal branches, so as to receive the full play of the sap which is neceaaary for the enlargement of the fruit. Alt long- jointed shoots should be cut off, and the shorter jointed ones shortened for fruitiag. Summer pruning is not necessary for standards, unless to aim at a particular shape of head. When the knife is freely used on pears, it has to be continued in amputating the young growths whioh the pruning haa induoed to spring up. In planting young trees the distance should ba from 20 to 30 feeb apart, and those intanded for half-Btancl-ards and dwarfs on quince stocks will nofc require to be more than 15 feet asunder* Many writers have advised and still ar© advising the public to chose trees of one or two years old, grafted. It is right when the tree is to be trained into a particular form according to fancy ; but on the other hand, if the planter requires an early return, is there wisdom in choosing a maiden of on© or two years worked ! What would the* nurserymen do with older trees ? throw them away? No; they very judiciously out them back, so that they appear young and vigorous, and every second year transplant those they find no sale for, so as to check their growth and make them better rooted. This treatment makes them fitter to transplant into orchard rows, without any risk of failure. In all the Home nurseries, trees of all ages, r f rom one to ten years old, are kept on hand, so that an orchard may be stocked with sorts that bear the same year that they are planted. It is a foolish mistake-, for people to take too young trees when older and soon-bearing sorts could be had for an extra shilling or two. The produce of a crop^ in one year would pay the additional outlay.' —Classification. — Pears are distinguished according to the season they are fit for uae, such as summer or early, autumn or harvest, winter or late kinds. > The early summer sorts must be gathered as they ripen and eaten from the tree, as they keep no time,, and generally rot in about a week after ripening; even, in some Seasons, they are dooayed inside ?as they ripen. These sorts will not pay in this country, although ifc ia well to have an occasional early tree for present use. The harvest or autumn sorts keep* about a month after- ripening, rendering them of more value than the early. The-, late and winter pears are the best and keep. loDgest, and in general they have t&e- beat; demand. They ought to be gathered in dry/ weather before being fully ripe. IE gathered! wet, they invariably turn black and disfigure on the skin, and if stored in quantity when in a damp state, they soon rot. Ax proper place should be selected for a storeroom, being dry and airy without being exposed to the sun ; or if spread out on a dry floor or shelf, covered with a coating of dry sawdust, so as to prevent bruising when ha.Bd.kd, they will do very well,