Do not plant Cornice instead of Bartletts except for those who have tested out the Cornice to their production and selling.  Though satisfactory in some places, it makes no such wide record of success as the Bartlett and should be planted only on the basis of experience with it.  Its propagation and culture are the same as other pears.  It takes to the quince all right if you want dwarf trees.  We have no record of its pollination needs, but as the Bartlett in California defies its Eastern reputation for self-sterility, it is likely that Cornice may also take care of itself, for it is not handicapped by such Eastern condemnation.

No Pears on Peach.

I saw, the other day, some Bartlett pear grafts in Salway peach trees, and the party informed me that he had seen three-year-old grafts that had pears last season.  I would like your opinion, as I always thought that such a union was not possible.

Our opinion is like yours, and seeing some pear grafts set in peach branches would not convince us that they would grow or bear fruit.

Pigs in the Orchard.

I have an orchard of Bartlett pears about fifteen years old, located on sediment land.  I desire to set this to alfalfa, and to feed the alfalfa by letting hogs eat it off, thereby leaving the droppings on the land.  What I wish to know is this:  Will this crop be beneficial or injurious to the trees?

Alfalfa can be successfully grown in an orchard, providing you have irrigation water so that the alfalfa shall not rob the trees of moisture; otherwise it is a very dangerous practice.  The practice of running animals of any kind in an orchard is to be condemned.  Pigs are particularly liable to injure trees by gnawing the bark, and we have seen fig trees barked clean as high as a pig could reach by standing on his hind legs.  Of course, if you try an experiment for your own satisfaction, you will have to watch the pigs very carefully.  It is true that growing pasture crops in an orchard and grazing, it off is injurious to trees, because the land lacks proper aeration, and good orchard cultivation is even more necessary in this State than in humid climates.  Therefore, unless you are sure of a good water supply for irrigation, it would be altogether safer to give the whole land to the trees and keep them cultivated well, or else dig out the trees and use the land for other purposes.

Dwarf Pears Not Commercially Grown.

Will you kindly give the experience of pear growers in California who have grown the dwarfs?  If you can give me the data or refer me to persons who can give data showing that the growing of dwarf pears can be made a commercial success the information will be of great value.