VARIATIONS IN QUALITY. 219 



may plant the same varieties, on soil of a little different char- 

 acter, and perhaps those very kinds that have died in this gen- 

 tleman's garden will succeed admirably there, and some other 

 varieties fail. It is exactly so, and I believe it always will be 

 so ; and for that reason I advise all persons who are going to 

 plant pear trees, to plant them on a limited scale. Try a few 

 varieties, and find out, if you can, what varieties will succeed ; 

 and then, if you dare, go into it a little more largely. But 

 these failures will occur, and in some localities it will be one 

 variety and in some another. So I have no hope that we can 

 lay down a rule by which every person can be governed in 

 planting trees. I have no idea that we can name a list of twenty 

 varieties, more or less, that will succeed in all places, even 

 within a circle of ten miles. 



Dr. Nichols. This uncertainty prevails also, I think, in 

 regard to the quality of different varieties of fruit. At a meet- 

 ing of the Farmers' Club at Haverhill, one gentleman said he 

 was going to graft his Vicar of Wiukfield trees, as he was afraid 

 the fruit was good for nothing. I advised him not to do so, 

 and observed that one of our most distinguished pomologists, 

 Marshall P. Wilder, had stated that if but one variety was to be 

 preserved, it should be the Vicar of Wiukfield. So it is that 

 people's opinions differ in regard to the quality of fruit itself. 

 It seems to me that in selecting pears, we should have reference 

 not so much to the quality of the fruit as the hardiness of the 

 tree. To be sure, the quality of the fruit is to be considered ; 

 but a tree that is vigorous, and gives us fair fruit, I prefer to a 

 better quality of fruit, if the tree is liable to be winter killed 

 and is a shy bearer. 



Mr. Ives. I was struck by the remark of Mr. Clement, that 

 in some localities a particular variety of pear will do well, which, 

 in other localities, will fail. One of the most striking illustra- 

 tions of this took place at the National Pomological Convention 

 in Boston. The pears were brought up singly and discussed. 

 Among others, the Napoleon, — a very juicy, nice pear, in some 

 circumstances, — was brought up. One gentleman observed 

 that it was one of the best pears he raised, and one of the freest 

 bearers. He was asked where his location was. It was on 

 Long Island, — such a place. Another gentleman got up in a 

 few minutes and said he considered the Napoleon a very poor 



