No. 6. DEPARTMjENT OF AGRICUI^TURE. 509 



sitive to the difference between rough and tender handling, and it 

 makes me shudder to see the way these fruits are sometimes poured 

 from one baslcet to another, bruising the tender skin and making 

 a center for decay to start. We do not pour eggs from one basket 

 into another — why pears or peaches? 



In selecting varieties of pears for market purposes, those which are 

 fine in appearance, and generally the larger the better, and rather 

 firm in texture, will be the most profitable. 



Bartlett heads the list, for home or market gardeuvS, and when one 

 says Bartlett no further word of recommendation is needed. The 

 Seckel also needs no introduction, an American variety with an in- 

 teresting history as related by Mr. Downing, a favorite with every 

 one; this pear especially is improved by the blanket treatment while 

 ripening. Last October, our own pears having gone the way all good 

 pears should go, we purchased some Seckels for the benefit of an 

 English guest; they were procured from a vendor ou the street, but 

 were of good size and sound, though unripe and quite hard, and of 

 the usual rustic color; they were placed in a tempered room between 

 folds of flannel and in a few days were ripe and delicious and also 

 finely colored. A late summer pear that sells well to a certain clasrf 

 of purchasers, is fine in appearance and juicy, though rather coarse 

 grained, is the Boussock; if gathered early it ripens slowly and can 

 be marketed during several weeks without any cold storage aid. 

 Probably the pear that has been most planted commercially, espe- 

 cially during the last few years, though one hesitates to mention it 

 here ,is the Kieffer; but it has its friends as well as its foes, and a 

 well-ripened Kieffer pear is by no means to be despised, while for 

 preserving or spicing it stands near the head of the list. The Law- 

 rence is a good pear for market and when well grow and carefullv 

 ripened is very satisfactory. But 1 am sure there are commercial 

 growers here who will want to add other varieties to this list, so 1 

 will pass on to the home orchards, which is a more familiar field 

 to me. 



Brought up from my earliest childhood with an abundance of pears 

 on our own home grounds, we became acquainted with many varie- 

 ties which were then popular, among them several kinds which have 

 now been lost sight of and given place to others. One of these lost 

 kinds which is much to be regretted is the Ott, a seedling of the 

 Seckel, small, roundish pear, greenish yellow in color, very sweet, 

 rich and juicy in flavor, ripening in August, a kind that is safe to 

 eat in the dark, leaving onl}^ the stem in one's hand for, in handlinsr 

 many bushels I have seldom found an imperfect pear, even though 

 the trees have not been sprayed. 



From my own home experience, therefore, if selecting a list of 

 pears, for the home orchard, I would choose in addition to those al- 

 ready named such a variety as would insure a continuous supply. 

 Beginning with Dearborn seedling, a small but sweet and juicy pear, 

 though now rather difficult to find in any nursery, I fear. Madelaine. 

 larger than the former and more tender and juicy and one of the 

 earliest to ripen. Manning's Elizabeth, small to medium, but sweet 

 and good, yellowish in color with red and russet shading towards the 

 blossom end, Koonce, also a very early variety, highly colored and 



