416 



THE CIIKRRY PLUM AND HEATHCOT PEAR. 



but cannot be classed as first quality. I 

 have said nothino: of the White Doyenne, 

 or St. Michael, as I presume its merits and 

 demerits are known to most of your readers. 

 With me it succeeds well, when engrafted 

 on quince stocks, but is worthless on pear 

 Slocks. The Madeleine is the reverse of 

 this ; it succeeds on its own roots, but on 

 quince roots it cracks ; is very astringent 

 and worthless. 



The Easter Beurr^, is a pear of first 

 quality, when well ripened, and will keep, 

 with care, until May, but is, with me, a shy 

 bearer, and often does not come to m'aturity. 



In conclusion, permit me to state, that in 

 my judgment, it would be greatly for the 

 interest of cultivators of the pear, to give 

 more attention to our four native varieties, 

 the Seckel, Dix, Heathcot and Andrews. 



but ripens with the Bartlett, and is inferior 

 to it. Cheever Newhall. 



Dorcliester, Jan. 1947. 



Remarks — The foregoing article will be 

 very acceptable to those of our readers, who 

 are in the " deep despair" of endless cata- 

 logues, and know not where to choose, 

 amidst the infinity of names. After the 

 expression of opinions, like those contained 

 in this communication, from various sources 

 of the highest character, in different parts 

 of the country, we shall arrive at a correct 

 estimate of the absolute value of the great 

 numberof fruits under high sounding names, 

 that have been imported in the last fifteen 

 years. Mr. Newhall is one of the Vice 

 Presidents of the Massachusetts Horticultu- 

 ral Society, and a most intelligent and zea- 

 lous cultivator, and his remarks are consid- 



The Cushino-, a native, is a good fruit, 1 ered valuable on pomological subjects. — Ed. 



THE CHERRY PLUM AND HEATHCOT PEAR. 



That remarkably early, very pretty, and 

 very distinct little fruit, the Cherry Plum, 

 better known, in some gardens in the United 

 States, as the Early Scarlet, and in the col- 

 lections of Europe, as the Myrobolan, is per- 

 haps deserving of a few remarks from us, 

 and of more attention at the hands of fruit 

 cultivators, than it has hitherto received. 



The Cherry Plum is not a high-fiavored 

 fruit ; it is only what may safely be called 

 one of pleasant flavor. But it is, we be- 

 lieve, the earliest of plums ; it ripens at a 

 season when fruit of every kind is exceed- 

 ing scarce ; and it is quite an ornamental 

 as well as acceptable addition to the dessert 

 in the month of July. 



This variety is a rapid grower, and soon 

 makes a neat bushy tree, remarkable for the 

 great number of its small pointed leaves. 

 It always blossoms most profusely, but it is 



considered by many as a very poor bearer, 

 and therefore rejected as of little value. 

 It is on this point, that we wish to ofl^er a 

 suggestion of some practical importance. 

 Mr. Samuel Eeeve, of Salem, N. J., is the 

 most successful grower of this plum, that 

 we know ; and the method he pursues, is 

 worthy of attention, since he finds the Cher- 

 ry Plum the most profitable variety, as a 

 market fruit. 



Mr. Reeve attributes the usual non-pro- 

 ductiveness of the Cherry Plum, to the fact 

 that it ii inclined to too great a production 

 of leaves and wood. He therefore iraiis- 

 'plants his bearing trees, every five or six 

 years. In this way, the over-luxuriance is 

 checked, and an abundant crop of fruit sets 

 and ripens every year. As he is able to 

 send this variety to the Philadelphia mar- 

 kets early in July, when there are no other 



