They sure both look Asian to me. I think you should maybe replace both with trees properly identified, but because they are probably Asian they will probably adequately identify themselves very shortly. If they are Asian you don't have to worry about speeding their fruiting- they may even bear next season. The reason I would consider replacing them is because fireblight can be heartbreaking and even if you graft on other varieties the trees may be susceptible unless you have no tender new wood from original trees. On the bright side, many Asians are fireblight resistant. Multiple leader pear trees are common in commercial production in the west coast. Here in the east they are mostly grown to a central leader- I guess we don't get quite as much FB. Festooning (pulling branches below horizontal)the branches may encourage early fruiting but it will not encourage a great scaffold structure. I sometimes use the method for trees I plan to train to a weep or for Euro plums just to get them into fruiting mode but many types of pears should not be trained this way in my opinion. None of the Asians I grow would be good candidates for this, they fruit so early anyway. Asian and European pears are mostly pollen compatible- the problem can be timing of bloom. That issue will sort itself out as well when trees begin to flower.

Mark: The limb-spreading suggestion I made on Austransplant's pear tree was not only to begin to establish the tree's framework, but to reduce apical dominance, or the tendency to grow upward. Branches pulled or pushed down closer to horizontal will usually slow their growth. It is common to find 3 or more central vertical branches on young pear and apple trees, but pruning each of them back will usually result in a flush of new grow at each of the pruning sites the following season, and is unlikely to stimulate lower branching. If you want to select one as your central leader, and grow the tree in that style, then you would completely remove all but one, leaving that one alone in the hope it would grow laterals as it continues its upward growth. In the case of Austransplant's tree, I think he/she has perfectly good branches there that could form the basis for a nice, vase-shaped scaffold. I do not underestimate the difficulty of bending those branches down and holding them there in the right position, but it can be done with a little work and imagination. The ideal angle for the branches of a vase-formed tree is 60 degrees or more, but this does not have to be achieved all at once. For now, I would try for 40 or 45 degrees, depending on the flexibility of the branches, then follow with more bending next spring. Once the bends are set, they will not change. The vertical branches on Austransplant's tree originate at about the right height for a vase tree, and there would be no need to try to stimulate branching further down the trunk. Once the existing branches are spread and apical dominance defeated, the tree is unlikely to grow in more central vertical branches. I think this procedure would result in more precocious fruiting, and a lower, spreading tree, which is certainly easier to maintain in all its requirements. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Typically you summer prune for size control and winter prune to control shape and create new growth. So without seeing a pic of the tree summer pruning seems like the right thing to do.

HI, I am wondering if it is right to prune old pear tree in June/July when fruits are growing? I will be cutting 2 or 3 branches which are around 3-4 inches thick and just want to get rid of them permanently as they do not produce variety of pears that I want. There are at least 2 varieties on my tree and I will be having extra branches with both of them. I know that late winter pruning is producing new growth and want to avoid it on my cut branches, but I am concern for harvest and overall tree health. Aiming to cut 25-30% of foliage.