Part 5

As the Pear needs sunshine and warmth as well as moisture, it must have protection from cold winds. Walls and buildings are not always to be had. Black Italian or Canadian poplars well planted and rather close together soon form a good shelter; limes (invaluable for bees) quickly make a good fence if encouraged to throw shoots from the lower part of the tree and closely cut in. Hedges of damsons or the myrobalan (the cherry plum) serve as shelters from the wind and grow rapidly. This cherry plum blooms early, and its flower is often cut off; otherwise its fruit (ripe in August) is useful for tarts. Protection is needed on the south-west against the winds as well as on the north-east. The larger trees should be placed at some distance that their roots may not absorb the nourishment needed in the fruit garden.

PLANTING

seems a simple subject, yet the difference between good and bad work may make the difference between success and failure. Proper planting is of vital importance. The ground should be prepared beforehand. If it is wet, and the water does not readily pass off, drainage is essential. The depth of the drains must depend on the outfall. If they can be sunk three or even four feet below the surface, they are less exposed to danger from deep trenching or the roots above them. The drains should be about five yards apart. The soil should then be well trenched and exposed thoroughly to the action of the atmosphere. But beware of opening holes some time beforehand. Should rain come, the holes will be filled, and if the soil is heavy, may remain there for some time. Abstain, too, from planting in wet weather. If the ground is sticky, the roots will not have free play. Should the soil be light, well-decayed manure may be dug in, especially if it has been well mixed some time beforehand with turfy or good loam. In strong soil, no manure is needed. When the trees arrive, do not unpack them until you are ready to plant. Exposure of the roots to the air should be avoided as much as possible. If delay occurs from rain, frost, or any other cause, put the roots in the ground, laying the trees in a slanting position in a trench, and covering the roots thoroughly with soil. Choose, too, a sheltered position in the garden for the trench. Should the ground be hard from frost, do not unpack the trees; keep them under cover, and protect them as far as possible from cold and frost. When the ground is fit and the weather favourable, open the earth 2 to 3 feet across at a depth of 12 to 18 inches according to the class and size of the tree and roots. Carefully examine the roots. Cut off the points of any jagged or torn roots cleanly with a sharp knife, and shorten all downward and coarse roots. Cut on the under side, and towards the outside, so that the tree may lie flat. Avoid any injury to the rootlets. The aid of a lad will be useful to hold the tree in its place while the gardener is planting. Spread the roots and rootlets carefully out with an upward rather than a downward tendency. Then scatter fine soil amid them, shaking the trees occasionally, adding more soil until it stands erect. Now tread in the soil firmly, and fill up the hole with fresh soil, raising the earth several inches above the ordinary level. The soil will sink after a time, and occasionally more soil may be added subsequently. But deep planting should always be avoided.

With pears on the Quince, it is important that all the quince stock should be covered by the soil, as it suffers in dry weather if exposed, and the fruit would therefore be affected. All buds on this stock should on this account be inserted as near the ground as possible. Should the soil be very heavy, yet pears must be planted, place the roots almost on the surface, and throw the lightest earth obtainable round the stem. If such ground is trodden down hard, and rain should soon follow, the ground would probably become like a brick, and the roots, kept in check, would suffer seriously.

The best time for planting is towards the close of October and in November. Select your trees yourself, and go only to first rate nurserymen for pears if you want varieties on the Quince stock. Each nursery has its specialty. Budding, grafting and double-grafting on special stocks do not always have the attention and skill required. If you cannot go, send your orders early, so as to secure an early choice and good trees. Planting may continue to the end of February, but you must not expect good trees for late orders. The roots, too, make some progress even in winter, so that early planting is preferable in every way.

STAKING AND WIRING

Standards should be attached to a round, strong, stout stake 2-½ inches thick or more, as soon as planted. The best plan is to have the stake in position ready for the tree. For full sized standards, the stakes should be 7 to 8 feet long, and driven 18 inches or more into the ground; they should be in the centre of each hole. Choose durable wood, as far as possible. A straw or hay band, or a piece of bagging, should now be run round the stem, and the stake attached to it by thick string or cord well tarred. The twigs of the willow (soft and strong, especially the golden willow) may also be used. Protection against rabbits must be provided at once. A wire fence round the orchard or garden is best; where there is no fence, put a yard of wire netting (1-¼ mesh) round each tree. This will last for years. The wire should be 3 feet high at the least. Examine your fence every year in September and repair. You cannot be too particular. Serious damage may be done in a night.

STOCKS FOR PEARS

The discovery of the Quince Stock, as adapted to the Pear for budding or grafting upon, has added immensely of late years to the popularity of this valuable fruit. The discovery, it is true, is not a new one. Merlet, writing in 1667 (says Mr Scott), recommends the Portugal Quince as stronger and more favourable for working pears upon than any other variety: "It swells equally fast with the graft, which none of the other sorts do." Le Gendre, an author of about the same date, in Le Manière de cultiver les arbres Frutiers, says: "I have been much aided by the invention of grafting the Pear upon the Quince," and adds that he was one of the first who helped to introduce this method. By this discovery the well-known saying: "Plant pears for your heirs," must give way to another:--

"That those who plant pears Grow fruit for their heirs Is a maxim our grandfathers knew; But folks have learnt since, If you graft on the quince The fruit will develop for you."

This stock checks excessive growth, and brings the tree into early bearing. It is not adapted for large standards nor for light soil; in good pear ground it is simply invaluable. Sometimes poor results occur, but the failure is usually caused by the want of proper care, either at the nursery or in the garden. Young trees are often overworked. Some varieties will not thrive on the quince stock, so that double-grafting has been introduced. Thus the strong-growing Beurré d'Amanlis is grafted on the quince, then two years after some other sort is grafted on it. It is said that in this way Gansel's Bergamot is made "a marvel of fertility," but this is not my experience! The disappointing pear Marie Louise is usually double-grafted, so is that excellent late pear Josephine de Malines for cordons, bushes, or pyramids, and so are many others. Strong-growing varieties like Vicar of Winkfield, Beurré Hardy, Beurré Clairgeau, Marie Louise d'Uccle, and others, are used as intermediate stocks. To check the vigorous Pitmaston Duchess, the weakly Winter Nelis is employed as an intermediary. Our chief nurserymen are studying the habits of each pear which needs double grafting, and failure is rare on their part. Fruits grown on the Quince Stock are often more highly coloured, and not so coarse as such as are on the Pear Stock. Those who have a good pear soil then should plant no tree on the Pear Stock, except in an orchard.

The varieties usually employed are the Portugal, the Angers, and the common Quince. The Angers being compact, prolific, and easily increased, is said to be the favourite.

In some soils Pear Stocks must be used. The Quince would not thrive; it is not strong enough. The latter is surface rooting, it emits more fibres, and does not rejoice in the tap-root of the Pear Stock. But for light and unfavourable soils, and also for large standards, the Pear Stock alone will suffice. This is often called the Free Stock, as compared with the dwarfing Quince. In former years the seeds of the wild pear were used to raise new stocks, but at the present time pear seedlings are sent from France to England and the United States in large quantities. Our cousins, however, are exerting themselves earnestly to improve the pear, and with their energy and variety of climate, will not long be dependent upon France.

ORCHARD TREES

In good soil and a favourable, well-sheltered aspect, standard trees on the pear stock may be a success if planters and owners can wear the cap of patience for eight to ten years. Should it be probable that cattle will use the ground, a strong and lasting fence must be put round each tree, as thorns encircling them will not suffice. Iron fences made for the purpose, with wire netting added at the top, may be the cheapest in the end. Otherwise, put three posts (larch or oak) to form a triangle round the tree. These should be well charred or tarred at some distance from the lower end before being firmly driven in. The tops should slant outwards. Then nail cross-pieces to the posts; old railway-sleepers are sometimes cheap and useful. The standards in good soil should be thirty feet apart or more. It is a mistake to allow the grass at any time to grow under the trees. Moisture which pears require is absorbed, and the air is kept from the roots. Reduce the branches after planting (in October or November) to five or six at the most; cut these back to an outer eye, six to nine inches from the stem. The roots will establish themselves for the first year, and good growth will usually follow. The strength of a tree depends mainly on its roots. These must not be overtasked at first, or the tree will suffer seriously. Next year, late in July, cut back to the sixth leaf all shoots springing from the main branches which run inwards; keep the centre open, well exposed to the light, sun and air, and allow the main branches to develop themselves freely. In the winter cut all shoots not needed back to two or three eyes. If more boughs are needed, shorten the leading shoots, always cutting just above an outer eye. Make the tree as even as you can by shortening leading shoots on opposite sides. Never allow boughs to cross or to interfere with one another. If boughs are void of a fair proportion of shoots and spurs, they should be stopped. Be careful to admit the sun fully on the south side. Cut off all shoots springing from the central part or on the lower part of the branches of old standards. If young standard trees are well planted, carefully fed and pruned, the stems kept clear of weeds and grass, they can be brought into comparatively early bearing. Where irrigation is possible, let a stream of water that has flowed some distance over the ground be turned in dry weather on to their roots, or let liquid manure be given after rain; the effect will be surprising. But beware of very cold or stagnant water!

Early pears are probably the most profitable for orchard planting. The following are reliable:--

Six Market Orchard Standard Pears selected by Messrs Bunyard: Hessle, Fertility, Williams' Bon Chrétien, Beurré Capiaumont, Durondeau, Pitmaston Duchess.

Messrs Rivers' list of seven: Beacon, Bon Chrétien, Clapp's Favourite, Fertility, Conference, Marie Louise d'Uccle, Vicar of Winkfield.

The list of an eminent firm in the south is as follows:--

Bon Chrétien, Hessle, Pitmaston Duchess, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Emile d'Heyst, Marie Louise. At the Pear Conference (R.H.S.), 1885, Bon Chrétien had 50 votes, Louise Bonne 46, B. Capiaumont 38, Hessle 30. Thus, William's B. C. has 4 votes, Hessle 3, Pitmaston 2, Fertility 2. Personally, I prefer Pitmaston as a bush, the fruit being so large. It is a pear for a good market, not a coster's fruit. Ten trees of three varieties would make a good orchard. Vicar of Winkfield or Verulam might be added for a later Stewing Pear. The bloom of Marie Louise is so tender that I prefer Marie Louise d'Uccle, a very good cropper; the fruit is sometimes sold as Marie Louise. The list of 1885 is hardly up to date. Louise Bonne does not do well with me as a standard, and I should substitute Fertility. Clapp's Favourite is also very promising.

If the plantation is of any size, do not put two trees of the same variety close together. Some varieties are self-sterile, yet quite capable of cross-fertilisation from the pollen of other varieties. Bees should be kept close at hand to fertilise the blooms.

The following is Mr Radcliffe Cook's list of orchard standards for Perry (see his "Cider and Perry"):--

Barland, Moorcroft, Red Pear, Taynton Squash, early varieties.

Langland, Yellow and Black Huffcup, midsummer.

Blakeney Red, Butt Pear, Oldfield, Pine Pear, Rock Pear, late.

It is said that in France there are more than 1500 varieties of Perry Pears. We must "wake up" and grow the best varieties.

PYRAMIDS

No one should plant high standards except under special circumstances; pyramids are a part of almost every large and good fruit-garden. In moist, strong soils they should be on the Quince Stock. In light soils the Pear Stock alone has a chance. Some trees succeed only as bushes, others can be trained as pyramids. The lists of the leading nurserymen usually refer to the habits of each tree. Buy trees trained as pyramids direct from the nursery. If you prefer maidens (trees one year old) train as follows: In early spring, after planting, stop the tree slightly, and encourage growth; next winter cut it down almost to the stock. A strong shoot from the base must now be made the leader and the central stem. Next winter cut this back to within 18 inches of the ground. The highest shoot next season must be trained upwards by a straight stake; the side shoots will form branches. These in September must be brought (by stakes) into a horizontal position. The stronger must be more depressed, the weaker may be left for another year. Bend into position before the sap sinks. In winter reduce side shoots on branches to two or three eyes. Cut the leading shoot 12 or 15 inches (according to growth or soil) above the branch below it, so as to produce fresh branches. Bend these down as before. As the tree progresses, the leading shoot may be stopped in summer when it has grown a foot, so as to throw out more branches; it may grow another foot upwards by September, and also send out fresh branches. Every care should be taken to keep an upright and straight stem. In summer pruning check the upper branches before the lower, stopping the terminal shoots so that they shall not spread out further than those below them. Stop them when they have grown 8 or 10 inches, removing the top. Any shoots from the branches (laterals) must be reduced to six or seven leaves about mid-June (on young trees), so as to open the tree and concentrate growth on necessary parts, and also to produce bloom-buds. These may form near the base. In winter reduce to two or three eyes. Pyramids on the Pear Stock in strong soil reach a height of 15 to 25 feet, but such trees are hard to manage. Weak growing sorts might be tried. The larger trees would need annual root-pruning (half a side each year) to secure good crops. Train pyramids from the nursery in a similar way, keeping the upper branches in subjection to the lower, taking care to let light into every part of the tree by summer pruning. Pyramids on the Quince should be not less than 10 feet apart, 15 in strong soil with strong sorts (such as Pitmaston Duchess, or Duchesse d'Angoulême); on the Pear Stock in similar soil for strong sorts 20 feet apart. Avoid crowding. Lift or root-prune rather than crowd. Do not plant two trees of the same variety close together. The pollen of a different sort may make each tree more fruitful. Have hives of bees at no great distance to promote fertilisation.