The Canadian Horticulturist. 199 



CAUSE OF UNFRUITFULNESS OF SOME PEAR TREES. 



Attention was called last year to the fact that some varieties of both pear 

 and apple, when planted alone in large number, thus forming a solid block of 

 the one variety, were under such conditions unfruitful. See Canadian Horti- 

 culturist, Vol. XVI. page 236. Mr. M. B. Waite has been continuing his 

 experiments, and has published in Bulletin No. 5, of the Division of Vegetable 

 Pathology, U. S. Department of Agriculture, a full account of the results obtained. 

 From this we learn that the following varieties are self-sterile, viz. : — Anjou, 

 Bartlett, Boussock, Clairgeau, Clapp's Favorite, Columbia, De la Ch^ne, Doyenne 

 SieuUe, Easter Beurre, Gansel's Bergamot, Gray Doyenne, Howell, Jones, Law- 

 rence, Louise Bonne, Mount Vernon, Pound, Sheldon, Souvenir du Congress, 

 Superfin, Wilder (Colonel), Winter Nelis. 



And that the following are self-fertile, viz. : — Angouleme, Bosec, Brockworth, 

 Buffam, Diel, Doyenne d'Alenfon, Flemish Beauty, Heathcote, Kieffer, Le Conte, 

 Manning's Elizabeth, Seckel, Tyson, White Doyenne. 



We further learn that the pollen of self-sterile varieties may be quite capable 

 of fertilizing another variety ; for example, pollen of Anjou though incapable of 

 fertilizing Anjou flowers (not only those of its own tree, but also those of any 

 other Anjou tree), is quite capable of fertilizing the flowers of Bartlett, or of 

 any other variety of pear ; and so of all others of the self-sterile sorts. Also that 

 the seeds of self-fertile varieties when fecundated only by their own pollen are 

 usually abortive, and that the fruits differ in size and shape, and sometimes in 

 flavor and time of ripening from those produced by cross-fertilization. 



Mr. Waite therefore advises to avoid planting solid blocks of one variety, 

 and where such already exist and have proved unfruitful, to graft among them 

 sufficient trees with some other variety to supply the needed pollen. Also to 

 have a good supply of bees in the neighborhood to help cross-fertilization. 

 Toronto, Ont. D. W. Beadle. 



The Consumption of Fruit by my customers is double what it was 

 when they bought from the store. I hire a boy at 75c. a day to deliver my 

 berries daily. When I first started in peddling, one family would not buy any 

 berries. The gentleman always said, " We do not like berries." I could not 

 understand why, and resolved to test them. I stopped one afternoon and 

 handed him a box of berries, saying, " I wish you would have these served for 

 supper and give me your opinion of them. They are said to be superior by 

 some and I am anxious to get an opinion from one who is not fond of fruit." 

 The next trip the whole family was at the gate waiting for me. You would not 

 mistrust that the variety was Crescent if you had heard the praise. They did 

 not know before what a dead ripe, fresh berry really was. From that little 

 venture I sold them that season four bushels of berries for table use. — Farm and 

 Home. 



