THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



759 



ter. While apples are known to reach the great age of 200 years, 

 many pear trees are known to be 500 years old. On the Pacific coast 

 we find pear trees still in bearing in the old IMission orchards of Cali- 

 fornia. These pear trees, after nearly two and a quarter centuries, 

 are still holding their own, with a few olives and date palms as com- 

 panions standing as reminders of the old civilization. 



In a short article such as this is it is quite impossible to discuss the 

 important subject of varieties at any length. Considering the Pacific 

 coast, we find a wide variety of soil types (even in restricted areas), 

 climatic conditions, elevaticms, etc. The varieties best adapted under 

 the various conditions is a subject for wide discussion. In a few 

 localities, principally throughout California and the Rogue River 



Fig. 3>^y. — Bearing branc-he-s of Bosc pears. 

 Hollywood orchard, Medford, Oregon. (Orig 

 inal.) 



Valley in southern Oregon, the matter of varieties best suited to the 

 varying conditions has been well worked out, so that at this time 

 growers are not making the mistakes so common in the past. Besides 

 the matter of soils, climatic conditions, etc., the important matter of 

 the market demands for the various varieties must be well understood. 

 Taking the Rogue River Valley as an example, all plantings now made, 

 or which have been made during the past five or six years, take into 

 consideration all the above factors. In going over my notes I find that 

 over fifty varieties of j^ears may ])e found growing in the Rogue River 

 Valley, yet out of this number seven varieties are really commercial. 

 The varieties in the order of their ripening are Bartlett, Clairgeau, 

 Howell, Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Nelis. Besides these seven varieties, we 



