424 



ARE THE OLD PEARS EXTINCT? 



St. Michael {White Doyenne or Virgalieu,) 

 are considered, in their decadence, no long- 

 er of any value to the cultivator. We have, 

 for sometime, endeavored to combat this 

 opinion, since we are familiar with abun- 

 dant examples to the contrary. We have 

 just received a letter from Mr. Thomas, 

 so well known as a horticultural writer, 

 from which we take the liberty of pre- 

 senting some further evidence on this sub- 

 ject.] 



I furnish, for the Horticulturist, a few 

 facts, relative to the condition of the White 

 Doyenne or Virgalieu pear, in western 

 New-York. Having been familiar with 

 this pear for more than twenty-five years, 

 and with its uniform excellence, health and 

 productiveness, I had never taken the trou- 

 ble to remember any particular facts upon 

 the subject; supposing that, however worth- 

 less it might prove in some localities, its 

 vigor and fruitfulness in most places would 

 never be questioned. I have, therefore, 

 been compelled to apply to some of my 

 friends for additional facts of a tangible na- 

 ture, to demonstrate what I had before 

 taken for granted. 



So far as my own experience extends, 

 I may state that, during many years past, 

 this pear has generally been regarded as 

 incomparablij the best, for all qualities taken 

 together, throughout central and western 

 New-York. During my business of raising 

 trees for dissemination, I have had more 

 inquiries for this variety than for all others 

 put together. Many of the most enterpris- 

 ing cultivators are planting large orchards, 

 when they can obtain them from the nurse- 

 ries, which are inadequate to supply the 

 increasing demands. The old bearing trees 

 with which I have been familiar, have re- 

 gularly produced several bushels annually, 

 and I have never seen a single specimen 

 that did not possess the fine rich flavor, and 



delicious melting qualities, so conspicuous 

 in this excellent variety. 



A few particular instances, taken very 

 much at random, may serve to exhibit defi- 

 nitely the productiveness of the tree. P. 

 Bahry, of Rochester, informs me, on the 

 authority of H. N. Langworthy, that a tree, 

 measuring about eight inches in diameter, 

 produced annually Jive to seven bushels of 

 fruit, which sold for $2.50 to S3 per bush- 

 el. He also states that H. Colby, near that 

 city, has a tree upwards of twenty years 

 old, which produces annually (not under the 

 most favorable circumstances,) two to three 

 barrels of fruit, which he usually sells for 

 about %S per barrel. 



Oliver Phelps, of Canandaigua, states 

 that a tree upon his grounds, which was bud- 

 ded twenty years ago, has for the last six 

 or eight years borne from four to seven 

 bushels of uniformly fair and good sized 

 fruit. Charles Seymour, of the same vil- 

 lage, informs that he has four bearing trees, 

 one of them forty years old, the others 

 twenty-five and fifteen years old ; and that, 

 although he is not in the practice of mea- 

 suring the crop, " they are uniformly hea- 

 vily loaded with fruit, and seldom fail to be 

 large and perfectly fair." Ralph Chapin, 

 also of that village, has a tree, at least 

 twenty-five years old, in good bearing con- 

 dition, which, for the last eight years, has 

 borne from three to seven bushels annually. 

 A tree, belonging to one of my near neigh- 

 bors, usually produces several bushels year- 

 ly ; the heaviest crop it has borne being 

 eleven lushels. I have given these instan- 

 ces just as they came to hand, without se- 

 lecting the most remarkable merely ; and 

 I could easily increase the number ten fold. 

 Of some of the finest trees which I noticed 

 the past season, I have had no opportunity 

 of ascertaining the products. In most in- 

 stances, the trees have grown in soil of 



