STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 297 



of twenty -eight varieties of pears. Many of these are varieties but Httle 

 known, and having, in certain localities, where they had been introduced, 

 or originated, an enviable reputation for health, vigor, and productiveness, 

 though many of these are not tii'st-class in fruit. Mr. Downing thought, with 

 the writer, that if we could have healthy, vigorous trees, that would 

 give us regular crops of good fruit, not best, that we would be better 

 satisfied than we are now, when trying to get a few superlatively good 

 fruits from feeble, unhealthy ti'ees. I shall watch the fruiting of these 

 grafts with great interest. Among them is the celebrated Japan Pear, 

 a fruit entirely unfit for eating, but of great excellence for stewing, bak- 

 ing, and drying; — tree, so far, in the United States, I believe, perfectly 

 healthy and productive. 



Wc raise Qiiinces and Cranberries,''and people are willing to pay 

 large prices for them for cooking purposes alone — then why not grow 

 pears for this puipose .'' 



I have been noticing, for the last ten years, a pear tree growing near 

 here. During that time it has borne enormous crops every other year, 

 and a handsome crop in the alternate years. The tree has had no care 

 whatever. At times it has been cultivated by growing garden truck 

 around it; at others it has been surrounded by weeds or grass. During 

 the whole time it has been a perfect picture of health and ^•igor. Not 

 being able to recognize it in any of the books, I, this fall, sent speci- 

 mens of the fruit to some of our most noted pomologists, none of whom 

 were able to recognize it as a known variety. Charles Downing says of 

 it : " In quality, very good, if not best." The original tree was bought 

 as " Heniy the IV," which, it is supposed, died back, and the present 

 variety sprang from the roots. This \ariety may prove a grand prize 

 to Horticulture in the West. 



My attention has also been called to some wonderful pear trees, of an 

 iniknown variety, near Peoria, the largest of which is over six feet in 

 circumference. The most wonderful stories are tokl of their great pro- 

 ductiveness, health, and goodness of the fruit. 



We need a gi^eat experimental orchard, located at some point where 

 trees will grow; or, series of orcliards, supported by the State, in which 

 all these new fruits may be planted and tested. 



Clapps Favorite — Three years has proven that this splendid nevv 

 pear has foliage which, if it does not look good, is good — rather better 

 than its supposed parent, Flemish Beauty. 



New Siberian Crab Apples — Of these I have a collection of seed- 

 lings, which vary more than seedlings of the common apple, both in fruit 

 and foliage, and all, so far as can be seen, appear to be etjual in hardi- 

 hood. I have several varieties grown by A. R. Whitney, of Lee county, 

 selected, while in fruit, in his orchard, all of which are valualile and 

 interesting — one in particular shows such qualities as an eating apple 

 as to give us hopes that we may yet get, from this hardy stock, fruit 

 of the best quality for all purposes. We have them already as large 

 as average VVinesaps, and witla varieties ranging in season frona July 



