SP II: Physiology and Management Techniques

With the approach of spring, I decided that it was due time to begin exploring and posting on the topics I set aside for Senior Project II. Since last September, I have been conducting nearly equal amounts of research on the biological and economic facets of the European pear as I cooked, baked, painted, and contemplated the abstract.

We're going from this...                                                ...to this!

What does this mean for me? I have a platform to seriously dork out about all of the cool science stuff I've been gathering for the past five months! Like how the European pear can be grafted onto hawthorn rootstock to dwarf the trees AND deter deer (apparently) and that primary compounds responsible for the pear's aroma are hexyl acetate and est- well, you probably get the idea. 

Also, I have an excuse to spend more time outside! This is exciting! I've been a book worm all winter!

Projects that I'll be tackling in SP II include practicing my pruning skills, learning how to graft, and interviewing a few different farmers I met within this past year about their experiences growing pears in New England. My presentation is loosely scheduled for mid-April, and hopefully I will have completed most of these by then and have plenty of pictures to share with my audience.

I suppose I'll have to excavate my half-carved spoon out of the snow bank by the wood shop soon, eh?

Resources
1) "Two Pear Palette Knife Abstract" by Laurie Pace
2)"Doyenne du Comice" from the book The Pears of New York