While it is not the intention to publish anything in this magazine that 

 is misleading or unreliable, yet it must be remembered that the 

 articles published herein recite the experience and opinions of their writers, 

 and this fact must always be noted in estimating their practical value. 



I H ; 1 1 1 N > M j m m 1 1 1 1 1 1 ; 1 1 1 1 1 r i ' 1 1 ' i u r i , r i : 1 1 r t ; j 1 1 r i u 1 1 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 1 M r 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 1 1 ] i N 1 1 1 m i N i M 1 1 h l j M : 1 1 [ 1 1 f r i ] 1 1 1 r 1 1 [ 1 1 1 r 1 1 ] 1 1 ] 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 [ 1 1 1 1 1 f m h i f u 1 1 i 1 1 ] [ 1 1 > j 1 1 1 1 d 1 1 1 1 1 j 1 1 1 1 m i r 1 1 1 1 1 m i r < [ 1 1 1 



Vol. 45 MARCH, 1917 No. 3 



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Origin and Development of Hardy, Blight-Resisting Pears. 



CHAS. G. PATTEN, BREEDER OF NEW FRUITS, CHARLES CITY, IA. 



In the spring of 1884, almost a third of a century since, 

 it was my good fortune to begin planting a close group of pear 

 trees at Charles City with the purpose of originating trees which 

 would endure the rigors of our northwestern winters. 



The investigation was started with two trees of the Long- 

 worth pear, which variety originated with Mr. Longworth, at 

 Dubuque, Iowa, and which has since proven to be the most hardy, 

 strictly American pear that has come to the knowledge of ex- 

 perimenters for a long period of years. Close to this tree I 

 set the Russian pear Bessemianka, which was supposed, at 

 that time, to be very hardy and good in quality. On the west 

 of the Longworth, I also set a small sweet pear, the early Berga- 

 mot. As soon as this and the Bessemianka began to fruit, they 

 developed blight and were cut out, leaving only so much of the 

 latter as supported a graft of the Lincoln, a large pear, fairly 

 hardy and nearly free from blight. 



The following summer found me in a physical break down, 

 and I spent the winter in California and there learned of the 

 excellent Winter Nelis pear. On my return the next spring, 

 a letter awaited me from Mr. O. A. Bardall, of Grundy Center, 

 Iowa, who had become interested in my writings, inviting me 

 to come and see a pear tree that he had which was then five 

 years old. 



The two previous winters were of marked severity and 

 had destroyed a large part of the apple orchards of the north- 

 west, Iowa included, but this pear tree at Grundy Center was 

 as sound as though no winter had passed over it. I learned 



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