64 American Ilortk-ultural Sociefy. 



The Bartk'tt fruit was mostly douhlo turhiiiato, pointod at botli eiuls like 

 Kiefiers, yet when cut open had the natural i3artlett taste. The Bartlett 

 tree having been recently moved, which checked its growth and weakened 

 ita reproductive powers, there was not strength and vigor enough to produce 

 a suflicient supply of pollen to impregnate the pistils of the Bartlett blos- 

 soms, and they were in a suiUible passive state to receive pollen from the 

 more vigorous Kieller trees near by, which furnibhed an abundant supjily 

 for themselves and the Bartlelts also. There were but few seed in the 

 crossed pears— some had none, and others were defective. We have care- 

 fully i)lanted the seed taken from these supposed crosses which showed a 

 marked change in outward appearance, hoping some of the offspring may 

 produce fruit equal, if not superior, to that from which the seed was taken; 

 and if we get a new seedling pear, or an improved Bartlett, larger in size, of 

 the same quality, and three to four weeks later in ripening than its female 

 parent, the Bartlett, crossed with the Kieller, it will be of some value to fruit 

 growers who have no retarding house to keep back their Bartletts. 



In 1840 we planted a new pear orchard of 312 varieties; some of them 

 have done well, others not, and have been regrafted with Kieffers and Le 

 Oontes. There was one row of Lawrence through the orchard that has al- 

 ways borne well of excellent fruit and usual size. Several trees, which were 

 of but little value, in the row next to the Lawrence were top-grafted with 

 Le Conte about five years since, and last year (1884) bore abundantly of large, 

 handsome fruit, and produced pollen sufficient to impresinate some blossoms 

 on the nearest Lawrence trees, so that the Lawrence pears thus cross-fer- 

 tilized in the natural way grew much larger than usual and were about equal 

 to the Le Conte in size, measuring 10 inches around crosswise and 11; around 

 lengthwise. 



We have grafted the Bartlett in the tops of Kieffer pear trees, also Kieller 

 and Le Conte in the tops of Seckel pear trees, so as to bring the blossoms 

 close to each other, the most favorable position for cross-fertilization in the 

 natural way. We have also grafted the Lawson, a most beautiful early 

 pear, ripening in July, of medium size and quality, in the tojis of Manning's 

 Elizabeth, a smaller pear of excellent quality, ripening nearly at the same 

 time. If we can, by this system of cross fertilization, obtain a new variety, 

 combining the size and great beauty of the Lawson with the delicious qual- 

 ity of the Elizabeth, it will be an acquisition well worth the care and atten- 

 tion necessary to accomplish .so desirable an object. 



Twenty years ago, when reading the works of Van Mons and others on 

 originating new varieties of pears, I thought I was too old to plant pear seeds 

 with any prospect of seeing the fruit grown from them. But, about live 

 years since, that eminent friend of pomology, Charles Downing, sent us some 

 choice pear seed, slating he thought we Would like to plant them; and we 

 now have in our lawn a strong, vigorous tree ten feet high, grown from 

 them. It bore last summer twenty-five pears ; when about half grown thirteen 

 were removed, as we thought one dozen were enough for a tree five years 



