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TRANSACTIONS OF THE CENTRAL 



summer defoliation in our neighborliood, -svliicli have been kept in close grass sod or in clover, have 

 held their leaves quite perfectlj- through the summer. 



This leaf blight lays the foundation for wood blight in raan^', if not in most cases. Those trees 

 which shed their leaves in mid-summer will generally put out leaves again in a few weeks; anew 

 wood growth is commenced, many of the perfected fruit buds will blossom, and the freezes of early 

 winter will find the whole tree unripened and unprepared, and all those new adolescent branches are 

 backward with the frost, and the whole tree must be greatly shocked and more or less permanently 

 dise;ised. That such trees should yield to the blighting fungus seems in nowise strange. The tree 

 has passed through the feverish vicissitudes of summer, has been otten wounded in root and top, and 

 finally has been exposed to severities of winter while in summer clothing, and it is quite to be 

 expected that the abused and weakened thing should yield to the attacks of disease. 



Now whatever will keep the leaves on the trees through the season, whether it be high culture, 

 special manuring, root pruning, mulching, or grassing, is better than any other management which 

 is accompanied with leaf blight. Without giving any opinion as to which of these methods is best, I 

 will state two facts: I planted a dozen Flemish Beauty trees nine years ago ; have given them moderate 

 annual culture. Tliey are all alive and in apparent health to-day, but they have been badly defoliated 

 for several summers past, and never matured many fruit-buds, and I have never got a barrel of pears 

 from them all. A neighbor of mine planted a few of the same varietj- out of the same bundle. He 

 set his trees in ground that he seeded down a year or two after, and which has remained in sod ever 

 since, and he says he has never manured them. His trees are as large as mine, and he has had three 

 or four crops, getting over three bushels to the tree in one season, the pears of fine size. I don't 

 know that the grass was good for them, but I shall try what grass will do for mine. Nowplease don't 

 anybody report me as recommending you to plant trees in grass, tor I don't make any recommenda- 

 tion. I think it is only the naturally strong and vigorous trees which will ever amount to ans'thing 

 if planted in grass— or anywhere else. 



I don't wish to speak of varieties, as so much depends upon particular localities and management. 

 It seems unfortunate that so large a share of all our trees ripen their fruit in August and September. 

 'We need more early kinds, and many more later ones. Nature designed the pear season to continue' 

 as long as that of apples. 



I will only say further, that successful ijear growing depends upon fitness of soil, climate and 

 varieties, and the largest energy and thoroughness of management. AVhatever system of culture is 

 adopted, laziness, slovenliness, and neglect will not win. If I have deprecated the too general 

 violation of nature's plans, Ihave not meant that all could be left to nature, for 



" Ours is an art that doth 

 Mend nature." 



A lengthy discussion arose as to the proper time to set pear trees, but no detinite 

 condusion was arrived at. 



The question as to whether the pear threw out roots above the quince stock was also 

 debated. 



Mr. McLain said he had never yet been able to find any, while Dr. Hull asserted 

 that no tree ever bore more than one or two successful crops unless such roots existed. 

 One kind of quince is just as good for stocks as another. 



About thirty years ago people had come to the conclusion that dwarf pears were a 

 fiiilure, but some genius bought up all the Angers quince in the country , and got it 

 puffed into notoriety, thereby extending the time of dwarf-pears and making a fortune 

 for himself . 



Mr. Earle was questioned as to the grass system, but as his essay gives all the 

 necessary information we omit the discussion. 



Mr. Dunlap said that he had over a hundred dwarf-pears standing in blue grass and 

 white clover that did not blight. Some varieties bore good crops, others none. The 

 fruit of some also cracked. Has other trees standards both in grass and cultivated, 

 and both blight equally bad. 



Dr. Hull said that one acre of root pruned pears was worth fifty in grass, and advised 

 people to keep out of grass. 



Mr. Earle said that he shoidd try it — has faith in it. 



Adjourned. 



