ORCHARDS. 197 



trees for early fruit. With regard to pears, the Duchesse d'An- 

 gouleme was preferred in one of the reports as the best dwarf 

 pear — made better by grafting into a quince stock. 



Pears are a luscious fruit, and orchards of them should be 

 grown here as elsewhere ; but the more approved kinds are not 

 well suited, with us, for culinary purposes. Pear-trees need 

 much more attention than the apple. 



In the report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, for the 

 year 1869, we have the following : — 



" Remarks on Pear Culture. — The value of the pear as a 

 domestic fruit, is second only to that of the apple. For culinary 

 purposes the latter is probably more highly esteemed, but for 

 the dessert the pear is almost universally held as much superior. 

 The pear-tree is hardy, and attains to a great age, — greater it is 

 conceded, than the apple, notwithstanding the popular impres- 

 sion that it is subject to more casualties, and is not so enduring. 

 History proves that the pear is of very ancient cultivation, 

 although it has not been so largely or so generally planted as 

 the apple. Various reasons may have influenced this discrim- 

 ination, the most prominent of which are the greater care 

 required in harvesting the crop, and the difficulty of keeping 

 and ripening the fruit to its highest degree of perfection. Even 

 at the present time the management of the finest winter varie- 

 ties is far from being generally understood. The prevailing 

 opinion that the tree is constitutionally tender, and more subject 

 to diseases and casualties than other fruit trees, has undoubtedly 

 exerted a strong influence against its extended culture ; but 

 however much these reasons may have gained credence in the 

 past, they have now lost their efficacy, and many extensive pear 

 orchards have been planted during the past fifteen years, and 

 their number is constantly increasing." 



The first item dwelt upon under this head is " Sites and 

 Shelter of Pear Orchards." The author says : " Low situations 

 should be avoided on account of the greater extremes of tem- 

 perature prevalent in valleys than in places of moderate eleva- 

 tion, and the consequent probability of injury from late spring 

 and early winter frosts. A sloping hillside, contiguous to a 

 well defined valley, forms the choicest orchard site, not only for 



