554 



NEW PEARS AND PEAR CULTURE, 



I could find in the London nurseries. 

 Many of them were as stout as the small of 

 a man's leg, and seven to eight years old. 

 These were planted in rows from N. E. to 

 S. W., 20 feet row from row, and 10 feet 

 apart in the rows,— a path 2 feet wide on 

 N. W. side of row, and border 18 feet wide. 

 After remaining one season, these were 

 cut down and grafted,— half the trees as 

 standards, and half as half-standards, regu- 

 iarlv alternating in the rows. These are 

 all Beurrj Capiaumont, and most charming 

 trees, just ten years old. The half-stand- 

 ards are finer trees, and much handsomer 

 than the full standards. 



Experience soon told me that 20 feet, 

 row from row, is not quite enough. The 

 border for cultivation is too narrow. In my 

 next plantation, I planted my rows 24 feet 

 apart. This is of Loiiixe Bonne de Jersey^ 

 as pyramids on the quince. They are only 

 Jive feet apart in the rows ; so that they will 

 soon form a perfi;ct barrier to the N. W. 

 wind. They have regular summer finch- 

 ing, &c. &c., to keep them in a nice pyra- 

 midal shape. A palh 2 feet wide is on the 

 N. W. side of each row ; and a border for 

 young trees in rows, &c. &c., 22 feet wide.* 

 This plantation of Louise Bonne pears con- 

 tains 2,500 trees. The effect is admirable. 

 The profit is, and will be, very great. By 

 having the trees N. E. to S. W., you will 

 at once see that the trees give but little 

 shade ; the path on N. W. side of row is 

 the only part much shaded. [In this cli- 

 mate, on the contrary, shade for the bor- 

 ders is desirable. Ed.] The soil is a ha- 

 zel, friable loam, from eighteen inches to 

 two feet in depth, under which is a friable 

 white clay, full of chalk stones. This gives 

 a yellow tinge to the leaves of trees, when 



* When the trees iiinrease in bulk, I shall have a path, 

 three feet wide on each side of tlie row. This will leave a 

 border in the centre 18 feet wide; a most eligible site for 

 young trees, or other crops. 



too near the surface. Under the white clay 

 is sand ; so that this soil is never too wet, 

 and never too dry,— just the happy medium 

 for pears. I may observe, that although 

 the soil and climate, in the valley of the 

 Thames, is much more favorable than 

 it is here for many kinds of pears, yet 

 the Beurra Capiaumont is much inferior. 

 There, it is covered with russet, and is of 

 a greenish yellow. Here, it is bright scar- 

 let and gold, and really a superb pear. 

 The Louise Bonne, on the quince, is equally 

 fine. All those who intend to grow pears 

 for supplying the markets, must watch 

 them carefully. With what a large por- 

 tion of my life has my experience been 

 bought. Listen, and I will tell you some 

 of my trials. Easter Beurra I thought a 

 splendid pear, and one that must always 

 sell well. I grafted three to four hundred 

 fine trees, purchased of the nurserymen, as 

 before stated. The grafts grew beautifully, 

 bloomed bountifully, bore a fine fruit, which 

 was hard, and never ripened. After seven 

 years' trial, half were grafted with Capi- 

 aumont, (all right,) th& remainder with 

 Knight's Winter Crassane, a vile pear for 

 the market. It bears abundantly, but has 

 no flavor or reputation. These trees are 

 this spring grafted with B. Capiaumont. 



The self same history, (of years wasted,) 

 appertains to Beurr^ de Ranee, BeurreDiel, 

 Hacons' Incomparable, Althorpe Crassane, 

 Knights' Monarch, — (I suffered 150 fine 

 trees of the thorny, spurious sort, first sent 

 out by (he Horticultural Society, to reach 

 the age of ten years before I would re-graft 

 them ;) Summer Franc Real, Bezi de Cais- 

 soy, Passe Colmar. None of these pears, 

 I found, would pay ; and so they are all 

 grafted with B. Capiaumont. In this country, 

 the million seem to buy pears freely in the 

 autuimi only; and, therefore, too few sorts 

 can scarcely be grown. To some of your 



