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[Road's End Farm <organic87@frontiernet.net>]

I have an old pear tree that sets fruit despite there being no others for 
about six hundred feet; and it produced before I planted the ones several 
hundred feet away. -- the one at that distance is now down to one pear tree, 
and also sets some fruit; it is now well over twenty years old.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
On Oct 10, 2016, at 1:56 AM, Jim Fruth wrote:

>   Despite the belief that pear trees are self sterile, I have observed 
> evidence that they become self fertile after experiencing a period of 
> producing no fruit/seed.  As I mentioned in an earlier email (several years 
> ago), I know a fellow who had a single pear producing tree with no 
> neighbors for miles around - and, consequently, no pear trees.
>   I had a single pear tree for twenty years that began blooming after 
> twelve years but produced no fruit.  I haven't been able to find another 
> pear tree for many miles around.  When my tree became twenty years old it 
> produced a few fruits.  The following year it produced nearly 2,000 fruits. 
> Some might argue that there must have been a nearby pear tree that began 
> blooming at the same time.  That might be a plausible argument if a small 
> quantity of fruits were produced, but 2,000 fruits?  Yes it is hypothesis 
> but the evidence suggests that pears can become self fertile after 
> producing no fruits/seeds for some years. 
> __________________
>