THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 757 



ing also produced varieties of noted quality. These two scientists and 

 their followers, working from different points of view, produced fruits 

 that have, by further cultivation, reached the limit of perfection. 



From the standpoint of the botanist, there are some differences in 

 opinion as to the species from which cultivated pears are descendants. 

 There are some who hold that cultivated pears have descended from at 

 least three species, while others who have very carefully studied the 

 subject refer all cultivated pears to one species, the individuals of 

 which have in course of time diverged in various directions so as to 

 form now six races : (1) Celtic, (2) Germanic, (3) Hellenic, (4) Pon- 

 tic, (5) Indian, (6) Mongolic. From the Germanic race we have what 

 is commonly known as the European pear, Fyrus communis, while from 

 the Mongolic race we have the Oriental pear, Pyrus chinensis. Of 

 course, it is understood that there are many wild varieties which come 

 under the various groups. From the horticulturist's point of view 

 there is a totally different classification, namely, dwarf, standard and 

 Oriental. The dwarf pear consists mainly of European varieties 

 propagated by grafting onto rooted cuttings of the Anglers quince. 

 The Japan Golden Russet is also used for dwarfing, but it is to be 

 generally understood that the dwarf pear means the pear worked on 

 the quince root. Standards consist of the European varieties propa- 

 gated on the pear root, the stocks for this purpose being European or 

 Japan pear seedlings or rooted cuttings of some of the Oriental pears. 

 The Orientals are those which are partly or wholly of Chinese or Japa- 

 nese origin. So far as the pure Oriental pear is concerned, there are 

 very few plantings. The important commercial varieties of this group 

 are really hybrids between the Oriental and the European pears and 

 consist of such varieties as Kieffer, La Conte, Garber, Smith and others 

 of minor importance. The reason for this separation into three groups 

 is because the requirements of the varieties coming under each group 

 are usually quite different, demanding distinctive cultural methods. 

 With few exceptions, dwarfs must be considered as belonging to the 

 small gardener or the amateur horticulturist ; the Oriental hybrids, 

 so far as the quality of their fruit is concerned, have no place in the 

 commercial pear orchards of the Pacific coast. Therefore, in consider- 

 ing commercial pear growing in the better sections of the extreme West, 

 we must have in mind the better varieties which have sprung from the 

 European type or group grown as standard trees. 



In looking over the more or less voluminous literature on pear cul- 

 ture, we find it frequently states that pear trees are more difficult to 

 maintain in a healthy, productive condition than apple trees, and can 

 not be grown with the same degree of success over so wide an area of 

 country. This statement is only partly true, for while the pear does 

 not enjoy the same degree of success over so wide an area of country 

 as does the apple, nevertheless with proper soil and climatic conditions 

 the pear will much outlive the apple. There are natural pear sections 

 or districts, just as there are apple districts, and given the suitable 

 varieties for such districts, the pear will always outlive the apple. At 

 the same time the pear will have produced commercial fruit for a 

 longer period and the net returns will be much greater. In its wild 

 state it is hardier and longer lived than the apple, making a taller 

 and more pyramidal head and becoming much larger in trunk diame- 



