The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[GingersHuman]

What a little booger. Hope he snaps out of it before he becomes dinner.

 

[speckledhen]

What a little booger. Hope he snaps out of it before he becomes dinner.

Me, too, but we've been going at this for 10 weeks now with Hector. Mary was kind enough to send me these eggs to bring some new, different blood into my Barred Rock line. If Hector cannot learn his lesson, Apollo is not bad looking and he can take Hector's girls to add to his own two and move into Hector's pen with them all. It still achieves the goal of adding different blood to my line, though I really wanted Hector to "wise up". He seems smart enough, but he's extremely dominant and hard-headed.


Off Topic: Check out this cool game camera photo taken the other morning-the light makes it appear that all the trees are covered in frost and it was about 55*.

 

[1muttsfan]

I know that European pears such as Moonglow ripen off the tree. Often they recommend refrigeration for a few days, then let them sit out even longer. If you use them directly off the tree they will be green, and if left on the tree too long become mealy. Asian pears, on the other hand, ripen on the tree.

 

[1muttsfan]

Much as I dislike the damage deer do to cars and gardens, I just love to see them - they are such graceful creatures.

I asked a gardener friend about your pear trees, she suggested checking the soil pH, apparently they like the soil a little on the acid side and if it is too alkaline they are not happy.

 

[speckledhen]

Much as I dislike the damage deer do to cars and gardens, I just love to see them - they are such graceful creatures.

I asked a gardener friend about your pear trees, she suggested checking the soil pH, apparently they like the soil a little on the acid side and if it is too alkaline they are not happy.

I appreciate that. What I can't figure is why they are all in the same line/planting area and only the Moonglow fruits. Found a photo of the three trees so you can see they should all have the same soil, really.

The Moonglow is the last one in line closest to the steel barn, the tallest one. The trunk is larger than the other two but they are the same age. They've been pruned and pruned, year after year, to the right shape the way it's suggested to do. We can add a soil acidifier to them and see if it helps.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hmmm.

As a long time gardener all I can say is if something doesn't succeed at my house, I never replant the same thing. Not interested in Prima Donnas or special needs plants. Or chickens.

 

[speckledhen]

Hmmm.

As a long time gardener all I can say is if something doesn't succeed at my house, I never replant the same thing. Not interested in Prima Donnas or special needs plants. Or chickens.

I agree with you there. Those two pear trees may be good for nothing but root stock for some Moonglow grafts after they all go dormant. I may cut one down and use the other one for that purpose.

 

[Wyatt0224]

That's sad to hear about Hector. I really hope he gets better.

 

[getaclue]

I hope you chased, and popped his tail repeatedly for a little while. If that is hard on you, get a longer switch to increase your reach. My rooster stick is about 4.5 feet long, so when I extend my arm with it, I can reach pretty far. I confess, I haven't used it on a rooster in 2 years, but it sure comes in handy for reaching cobwebs in the upper corners of the coop.

Yes, if you let the Moonglows ripen too long on the tree, they get grainy, so they are better if picked before they get grainy. Since they don't have a soft flesh, that could be part of the reason my grandmother cooked them a little longer too. They weren't tough by any means, but they were not too soft either. They had a good texture, which is why I liked them. The texture was similar to watermelon rind preserves.

 

[speckledhen]

I hope you chased, and popped his tail repeatedly for a little while. If that is hard on you, get a longer switch to increase your reach. My rooster stick is about 4.5 feet long, so when I extend my arm with it, I can reach pretty far. I confess, I haven't used it on a rooster in 2 years, but it sure comes in handy for reaching cobwebs in the upper corners of the coop.

Yes, if you let the Moonglows ripen too long on the tree, they get grainy, so they are better if picked before they get grainy. Since they don't have a soft flesh, that could be part of the reason my grandmother cooked them a little longer too. They weren't tough by any means, but they were not too soft either. They had a good texture, which is why I liked them. The texture was similar to watermelon rind preserves.

Yes, I did chase him all over and thrash his butt a little bit, but it's getting very old now. The pear tree limbs are about 4-6' long that we cut off. I can't be chasing him all over creation and never turning my back on him. If he doesn't shape up, well, it's what it is.

OOOh, watermelon rind preserves! I LOVE those! Grew up eating those, too.