The Book of Pears and Plums

Part 1

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+-------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note | | | | A quincunx is a geometric pattern consisting | | of five points, four of them forming a square | | or rectangle and a fifth at its center. It | | forms the arrangement of five units in the | | pattern corresponding to the five-spot on dice, | | playing cards, or dominoes. | +-------------------------------------------------+

HANDBOOKS OF PRACTICAL GARDENING--XI EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS

THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS

THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS

BY THE REV. E. BARTRUM, D.D., F.R.H.S.

RECTOR OF WAKES COLNE, ESSEX EDITOR OF "HELPFUL HINTS FOR HARD TIMES," ETC.

WITH CHAPTERS ON CHERRIES AND MULBERRIES

JOHN LANE: THE BODLEY HEAD LONDON AND NEW YORK. MCMIII

Printed by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh

INTRODUCTION

I have grown pears, plums, cherries and mulberries for many years, and have written many articles about the first two fruits; yet, in preparing this work, I found that I had still much to learn, and I wish particularly to express my obligations to the new edition of Thompson's Gardener's Assistant, edited in six volumes by Mr Watson, Assistant Curator of the Royal Gardens, Kew, and brought out by the Gresham Publishing Company. I have also derived valuable aid from the volumes of the Royal Horticultural Society. The chapter on "cherries" is based chiefly on the booklet contributed by Mr G. Bunyard to my Helpful Hints for Hard Times published by the S.P.C.K.

E. B. WAKES COLNE RECTORY, ESSEX, July 1902.

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION vii

PEARS--

HISTORY OF THE PEAR 1

SITUATION AND SOIL 3

PROTECTION 5

PLANTING 5

STAKING AND WIRING 7

STOCKS FOR PEARS 8

ORCHARD TREES 10

PYRAMIDS 12

COLUMNAR TREES 14

ESPALIERS 15

HORIZONTALS ON WALLS 15

Part 2

FAN-SHAPED TREES 16

BUSHES 16

CORDONS 20

ARCHES 21

PRICES OF TREES 22

GARDEN ORCHARDS 22

MANURES 23

PEARS FOR A PRIVATE GARDEN 24

EXHIBITION PEARS 24

COOKING PEARS FOR EXHIBITION 26

PEARS FOR APPEARANCE 27

PEARS FOR QUALITY 27

COOKING PEARS 28

EARLY PEARS 28

LATE PEARS 29

PEARS FOR COTTAGERS AND SMALL FARMERS 29

SYNONYMS 30

PEARS FOR PERRY 32

GATHERING AND STORING 32

PROTECTION OF FRUIT 33

WINTER AND SPRING WASHES 34

INSECT ENEMIES 37

THINNING FRUIT 43

SUMMER, WINTER, BRANCH AND ROOT PRUNING; LIFTING 43

MARKETING AND PACKING 44

PEARS IN AN UNHEATED ORCHARD HOUSE 46

OLD STANDARDS 51

IRRIGATION 51

Part 3

LABELS 51

AMERICAN PEARS 51

NOTES ON VARIETIES 52

RECEIPTS 54

PLUMS--

WHAT IS THE FINEST FRUIT? 58

ORIGIN OF THE PLUM 58

SOIL AND SITUATION 58

PROPAGATION AND STOCKS 61

PLANTING 62

WHAT IS YOUR OBJECT? 62

PLUMS FOR A PRIVATE GARDEN 63

PRUNING AND TRAINING 66

MANURES 68

THINNING 69

GAGES 69

MARKET PLUMS 70

GATHERING, PACKING, MARKETING 72

STORING AND KEEPING 74

INSECT ENEMIES 75

ORCHARD HOUSE 77

DAMSONS 78

BULLACES 78

IMPORTANT POINTS 78

DRYING BY EVAPORATION 78

BOTTLING 79

PLUM JELLY 82

CHERRIES--

Part 4

"KEEPING" FRUIT, SUITABLE SOIL, ASPECT, SORTS RECOMMENDED BY R.H.S. AND MR BUNYARD FOR EATING, COOKING AND MARKET, PROTECTION, PRUNING, TRAINING, CHERRIES ON WALLS, INSECT ATTACKS, DISTANCES, MANURES, MARKETING, DERIVATION OF THE WORD 83-88

THE MULBERRY

ORIGIN OF THE WORD, SOIL, SITUATION, ASPECT, SHAPE, CULTURE, PRUNING, TREES IN POTS, USE OF FRUIT 89-91

APPENDIX

THE PROPAGATION OF THE PEAR 92

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

PEAR BLOSSOM (from a drawing by Ethel Roskruge) Frontispiece

BERGAMOTTE ESPEREN ON WALL 17

PEAR--MARÉCHAL DE LA COUR 25

PEAR--MARGUERITE MARILLAT 27

PEAR--BEURRÉ DIEL 31

FAN-SHAPED PEAR TREE, ONE YEAR AFTER GRAFTING, SHOWING THE LENGTH OF RESULTING SHOOTS 41

ESPALIER TRAINED TREE CUT BACK FOR GRAFTING--THE GRAFTS INSERTED AND CLAYED OVER 49

PLUM--RIVERS' EARLY PROLIFIC 64

PLUM--CZAR 64

A CHERRY ORCHARD 85

THE BOOK OF PEARS AND PLUMS

HISTORY OF THE PEAR

The Pear is my theme, and a pleasant one it is. Only those who have planted trees, pruned them, watched their growth, plucked the fruits, enjoyed them at almost all hours, seen them on the table month after month as an appetising dish, can fully realise the value of the Pear. A good Pear-tree is like a faithful friend--treat him properly and he will not fail you. Circumstances, as for instance, a late frost, may render him incapable of helping you; he may have nothing to offer you; no doubt he is sorry, but with patience he will do you a good turn.

Pyrus (or pirus), the Latin name for Pear-tree, is the name of a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Rosaceæ. Pyrus communis, the wild pear, from which the numerous cultivated varieties have sprung, is found over a great part of Europe and Asia, within the limits of the temperate regions. Its origin is lost in obscurity. The lake-dwellers in Switzerland are said to have stored the fruits for winter use. It was probably brought by the Greeks, possibly by birds, from Asia, and after a time became a favourite with the Romans as well as the Greeks. It is mentioned by Horace, Vergil, Juvenal, and others. Pliny refers to numerous varieties, describing those with special flavours. He tells us that many of the sorts were called after the countries from which they came, such as the Syrian, the Alexandrian, the Numidian, and the Grecian. Thus he mentions pira nardina, a pear with the scent of nard; pira onynchina, a pear of the colour of the fingernail, and others. These last are evidently Greek. Forty or fifty sorts are named in Roman writers, and the Pear was appropriately dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom.

The Romans no doubt took their pear-trees northwards into Gaul and Britain. The climate of France is so well adapted to the growth of pears, that at one time it was thought all good pears must come from France. I well remember many years ago seeing a garden in this country full of pear-trees, every one of which had come from France. Happily there is no need now to go out of England for the very best varieties. A list published in 1628 by a fruit-grower of Orleans named Le Lectier (there is a new variety called by his name, and probably after him) enumerates 260 varieties. The well known Jargonelle is mentioned in that list. Our Parkinson in 1629 refers to 64 varieties only. Seventy years later we read of 138, and in 1829 of 630 varieties. John Scott, rather famous as a fruit-grower forty years ago, says in his "Orchardist" that he has above 1000 sorts worked upon the Quince Stock. He had studied pomology at the "Jardin Fruitier," the fruit garden attached to the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and, using his opportunities, learnt all the secrets of Pear culture, and brought them from France to Merriott, near Crewkerne, in Somerset. The last edition of Dr Hogg's "Fruit Manual" (invaluable to the Pomologist), published in 1884, contains the names of 647 varieties. Not a few of these were marked as worthless by the Committee of the National Pear Conference, held at Chiswick in October 1885. The Royal Horticultural Society in their "Fruits for Cottagers and Small Farmers" (1892), selected eight varieties only for eating, and two more for late keepers; four were recommended for cooking or stewing. Fresh sorts are constantly being brought into notice, the result of cross-fertilisation, and we may, I think, congratulate ourselves that British pears in a favourable season are as good as those produced in any part of the world. Let any one who doubts this statement attend a Crystal Palace or any other first-rate Fruit Show; his doubts will soon be dispelled.

SITUATION AND SOIL

These two points are of the greatest importance in successful cultivation. No amount of skill will enable even a clever gardener to grow good fruit in a bad site. Where the land is low and swampy, exposed therefore to frosts more than ground at a higher altitude, the effort would be useless. Stagnant water moreover produces canker, and soon ruins trees. Pears love a deep moist soil, but not water that lies for any length of time about the roots. On a hillside, where the slope is more than gradual, so that in a dry season the upper part suffers from drought, they would be a failure. Trees planted near the bottom and properly protected from winds might succeed, yet they would probably suffer from frost. The slope should not be more than two to three feet in a hundred.

The aspect should be south, south-east or south-west. The Pear is of Eastern origin, and probably retains its Eastern habit in blooming early some time before the apple. It needs more warmth, and more protection.

To plant pears in a north aspect even on a wall is a mistake. Morello cherries are a sure crop, pears a very doubtful one. The wood is not well ripened, and bloom-buds are not often formed. The amount of rainfall is also a matter for consideration. If the soil is light, more moisture will be needed than in heavier land. Heavy clays are not good for pears, yet much may be done to improve such soils, and some outlay may be desirable in gardens and small plantations. Good drainage will be necessary. The ground before planting must be well lifted and exposed to the air; some portions should be burnt and mixed with the rest; decayed vegetable matter should be added in abundance. After planting, when the trees are rooted and growing, the soil should be often lifted with a light fork, or hoed, and the air admitted to the roots. A clayey loam is the best of all soils for the Pear, yet even that may be much improved by exposure before planting, and the use of the fork or hoe afterwards. In sandy or chalky soils, pears will have a poor chance even on the free (or pear) stock, unless the ground has been previously prepared by trenching, and then digging in a good quantity of decayed stable or farmyard manure. Marl or clay from other parts, or turf (chopped up) from a field, may be added with advantage. Generous treatment subsequently in the way of liquid manure will alone make trees in such ground a success. Should, however, the soil be shallow and the subsoil gravel or chalk, trees must be lifted every few years, and the expense in a large garden might be considerable.

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