332 



ON RAISING PEAR STOCKS. 



have been unusually extensive and fatal 

 there. It will perhaps tend to corroborate 

 Mr. Eenst's theory, if we add, that we learn 



that the worst month, July, in that city, 

 was marked by slight showers and very hot 

 sunshine. — Ed. 



ON RAISING PEAR STOCKS, 



BY JAMES WILSON, ALBANY, N. Y. 



Dear Sir — I was glad to see in the Decem- 

 ber number of the Horticulturist, Mr. Nel- 

 son's article on raising pear stocks from 

 seed. If he has found a way by which we 

 can supply ourselves with pear stocks, with- 

 out being under the necessity of importing 

 them, I for one will subscribe my quota to- 

 ward awarding him some token of the ob- 

 ligations of nurseymen, for his important 

 discovery. 



If the throwing out by the frost the first 

 winter, was the only difficulty we had to 

 contend with here, that could be easily obvi- 

 ated, as the taking of them up in the fall, 

 and laying them in by the heels deep, in 

 some dry, sheltered place, or in a cellar, 

 and planting them out in the spring, would 

 not occupy much more time than taking up 

 and transplanting them when the seedlings 

 have four leaves. If dry, warm weather 

 should prevail at the time when the seed- 

 lings are in a fit state to transplant, it 

 would be rather difficult to succeed on a 

 large scale. A few might be managed 

 very well, as they may be planted in the 

 morning or evening, and immediately wa- 

 tered and shaded from the sun for a few 

 days, till they begin to strike root. 



But we have a worse enemy to contend 

 with than Jack Frost, and I believe the 

 same evil prevails all along the Hudson 

 valley, from New-York even to Vermont, 

 and also about Boston. It is a leaf blight, 

 that strikes the young seedlings generally 



about the end of August or first part of 

 September. The beds of seedlings will 

 ppear to look fine and promising, and all 

 at once the leaves, in spots of the bed, will 

 begin to have brown spots on them. In a 

 few days the leaves will begin to fall off, 

 and the disease will, frequently in a few 

 days, spread over the whole bed or beds. 

 When once this blight gets fairly hold of 

 the seedlings, my opinton is that they may 

 as well be dug under at once, as nothing 

 can then save them. They will often, if 

 the autumn proves fine, make an efibrt to- 

 ward a second growth, but it is a fruitless 

 effort, as they will most invariably die the 

 first winter, under any treatment ; and those 

 that may survive the winter, will seldom, 

 if ever, do any good. If we can keep our 

 pear seedling stocks growing the first season, 

 till the leaves fall by the frost, they then are 

 safe. 



If Mr. Nelson's plan will insure a grow- 

 ing, healthy condition of the leaves, etc., 

 till the frost takes them, the discovery is 

 just what is wanted. 



Perhaps by taking extra care in prepar- 

 ing the soil, by deep digging and extra ma- 

 nuring, we may be able to obtain this de- 

 sirable end. 



Last year my pear stocks were a good 

 deal blighted ; this year, very little. I 

 have been in the habit of sowing in the 

 fall. This year I have laid my pear seeds 

 in sand, with the intention of not sowing 



