56 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



locality it is a total failure; and on land which had these characteris- 

 tics of moisture. 



j\Ir. Freeman — 1 do not want a wet soil. 



Mr. Pierson — Well they were on a soil that withstands drought 

 well without being wet. I have seen a great many trees as black as if 

 they had cracked all to pieces. I saw one large orchard of about a 

 hundred trees, and I looked to find one pear that was fit to eat but 

 could not do so, though the trees were loaded heavily. My recollec- 

 tion was that this pear was discarded last year by this Society. It 

 was retained by some oversight perhaps. 



Mr. Flagg — We did not discuss it last year at all. 



Mr. Freeman — My object was to say that it is a pear that is widely 

 disseminated, and to suggest a remedy so as to save it. 



Mr. Barle — I would suggest that it be made to stand for special 

 localities. It has cracked very little in our locality. At Judge 

 Brown's it is really a first-class pear in all respects. I should be un- 

 willing to have it taken off the list. I will make a motion that it be 

 so modified. 



Mr. Douglas — I withdraw my motion. 



Mr. Wier — In our neighborhood we have it on a great variety 

 of soils. I think I have as good soil as there is in Illinois. The last 

 three years it has been a failure everywhere. Every pear that I have 

 seen has been worthless. I am changing my trees into anything 

 else that I can get. They do not appear to graft well. I suppose I 

 had 15 bushels of White Doyenne this year, but I wish to ask Dr. 

 Hull if the crack is caused by the Aphis same as on the apple ; the 

 fungus appears to be the same. 



Dr. Hull — It is impossible for the fungus to be the same. The skin 

 of the pear is nothing but modified leaf, and when the growth of the 

 skin is arrested and the growth of the interior continues, it bursts it- 

 self open. This fungus seems to curtail the expansion, and hence the 

 cracking of the sides. 



Mr. Humphrey — It is spoken of as being successful when grafted 

 on the thorn. 



