STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 1 53 



" Dollars and Cents." Clapp's Favorite has the faults of Flemish Beauty 

 in casting its leaves, and in premature decay of fruit, hut it is a noble 

 looking pear, and worth hoping about, for a while yet. The Ott I have 

 never fruited, and have seen little of, but I like the ti-ee better than any 

 of the others. On the whole, 1 think I will plant a few more Bartletts 

 for early pears. 



As most men conchide to substitute the Bartlctt for all the early kinds, 

 so they, many of them, decide to replace with it all the later ones. The 

 sum of the opinions I have gathered, is, that it pays best of all, notwith- 

 standing the competition of peaches and other fruits, during its season. 

 Possibly they may be nearly right, if the Bartlett can be successfully kept 

 in fruit-houses through the autumn months. This has been done for 

 several years past, in New York and elsewhere, and it will certainly be 

 better than to depend on the old favorite kinds, like the Beurre Diel, 

 Winter Nelis, and Glout Morceau. 



The question of the future market for our pears is an important one. 

 I have been watching the influence of the California pears on our markets, 

 with much interest, and with rather discouraging conclusions. In fact as 

 I have looked abroad over our beautiful orchards, blackened by blight, or 

 standing naked in mid-summer from defoliation, or passing through the 

 destructive vicisitudes of our interior climate, or have heard the ever- 

 increasing hum of the myriad insect hosts which envelojoe them, I have 

 sometimes nearly reached the conclusion, that California is the most 

 promising land for growing pears for Illinois markets. The farmers of 

 the Pacific States grow pears about as cheaply as we do acorns, and with 

 greater certainty of crop, for severe freezes never occur, and insects and 

 funguses are almost unknown. They ship them to Chicago at rates only 

 equaling the express tariffs from Southern Illinois, and sell them for 

 nearly double the prices which we get, pound for pound. It is evident that 

 they are better paid than we are. It is true their pears are far inferior to 

 ours in flavor — especially the later ones; but many of them are very 

 beautiful, and we mtist expect them to sell, regardless of quality — as long 

 at least as this Society recommends the planting of the poorest apples on 

 the list, because they have good looks and will sell. Then as I think it 

 costs the California growers less money to set down a bushel of pears in 

 Chicago, than it does us, all the conditions of growing the crop, as well 

 as transportation expenses being counted, I think it is a very serious 

 question whether we can make pear-growing in Illinois a tempting 

 financial success, in competition with the immense advantages enjoyed 

 by those lucky dwellers along the Golden Coast. 



Parker Earle. 



At the conclusion of the reading of Mr. Earle's report, it was voted 

 to devote twenty minutes, to-moiTow morning, to a discussion of some of 

 its topics, also, that in such discussion, each speaker shall be allowed no 

 more than three minutes, except by unanimous consent of members 

 present. 



On motion, adjourned. 



