64 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The persimmons are eaten from the hand or prepared in many ways 

 for food, without cooking, but not so good if cooked. The fruit when ripe 

 can hang on the tree without injury until midwinter; any surplus fruit 

 makes good hog and poultry food, but should have a ration of grain 

 with it. 



Birkett Pear. 



The Birkett pear was sent out by D. B. Wier, of Lacon, Illinois, dur- 

 ing the 70's, if I remember correctly. He propagated from a large old 

 tree found on the farm of Mr. Birkett in that vicinity, the tree was noted 

 for its large size, hardiness, and productiveness. I got one small tree of 

 him. I think that was in the spring of 1878, and my tree is now about 

 forty-five feet tall. The girth of the trunk is four feet, ten inches, and it 

 showed a little fire blight when young, but not any more than Ben Davis 

 apple near to it. But after cutting out the bad blighting varieties of ap- 

 ples, it, as well as the Ben Davis, has not shown any blight. The Birkett 

 pear, now thirty-three years old, appears to be in perfect health, while 

 of the Ben Davis planted about the same time many are dead; and all 

 others are badly damaged from age. 



For over twenty years the Birkett pear has grown fruit each year, 

 although each alternate year the crop is much heavier. I have not meas- 

 ured the fruit so as to be exact about it, but an estimate for the last few 

 years since the tree has attained large size would say about ten bushels 

 for the off years and twenty-five bushels for the full years. The fruit 

 ripens in September. A few of the fruit has from one to three seeds 

 each, but the most of them are seedless. The size and quality of the 

 fruit are both below medium for a pear, but on account of the hardiness 

 and great productiveness, I consider it worthy of planting. I would rec- 

 ommend in planting to plant at one side of the orchard where it would 

 not be in the way. after the rest of the orchard have died out. In propa- 

 gating, it can be grafted in the usual way, either on pear or apple roots. 

 While it grows readily on apple roots, this grafting makes it a dwarf 

 tree and it bears when quite small; and is of quite slow growth, in nur- 

 sery. If grafted on pear roots, it grows faster, but never a very fast 

 grower in nursery. In planting in orchard, whether on pear or apple 

 roots, I would recommend planting deeply, so that it could get on its own 

 roots in case of the dying out of the root on which it was grafted. The 

 tree needs very little if any trimming. 



The Chairman: The next paper will be number five, the "Compara- 

 tive influence of heat and drouth on trees and plants," by L. O. Williams, 

 of University Place. 



COMPARATIVE INFLUENCE OF HEAT AND DROUTH ON TREES 



AND PLANTS. 



L. O. Williams, University Place, Nebraska. 



It is a common practice among tree planters and gardeners to at- 

 tribute the loss of newly planted trees and plants in a time of drouth to 



