=Pear= (_Pyrus communis_, _P. sinensis_). _Rosaceæ._ Pear seedlings are grown in the same manner as those of the apple, which see. Pear stocks are mostly imported from France, however, as the leaf-blight is so destructive to them here as to render their culture unprofitable. This leaf-blight is a fungus (_Entomosporium maculatum_), and recent experiment has shown that it can be readily overcome by four or five thorough sprayings with Bordeaux mixture, so that there is reason to hope that the growing of pear stocks may yet become profitable in this country. Heretofore, the only means of mitigating the ravages of this blight was the uncertain one of inducing a strong growth early in the season. Even when pear stocks are raised in this country, they are grown from imported French seed. Aside from its cheapness, however, this foreign seed probably possesses no superiority over domestic seed. But pear seed is so difficult to obtain in America that it is practically out of the market. Pear seedlings should be taken up and removed from the seed-bed the first fall. The foreign stocks are imported when a year old from the seed. The seedlings are trimmed or "dressed" (see page 69), and are set into nursery rows the following spring. The next season--that is, the season in which the stocks are transplanted--shield-budding is performed, as upon the apple. The budding season usually begins late in July or early in August in the north. If the stocks are small, of "second size," they may stand over winter and be budded the second year. Pear trees are sold at two and three years from the bud. Pears do not succeed well when root-grafted, except when a long cion is used, for the purpose of securing own-rooted trees (see page 78). Dormant buds of the pear may be used upon large stocks in early spring, the same as upon the apple, and buds may be kept upon ice for use in early summer (see page 74). Pears are dwarfed by working them upon the quince. The Angers quince is the best stock. The ordinary orange quince and its kin make weak and short-lived trees. Quince stocks are obtained from ordinary cuttings or from mound-layering, the latter method giving much the better stocks (see Quince). The layers should stand until late in autumn of the second season when they will be found to be well-rooted, and may then be taken off, trimmed up and fitted to plant as stocks the following spring, and budded in August. It is imperative to set the bud as low as possible in order to secure long-lived trees. Some varieties do not unite well with the quince, and if it is desired to dwarf them, they should be double-worked (see page 91).