PEAR GROWING. 



being gathered and packed for shipment. 

 With the Honor Bright it would be easy 

 to avoid mistakes, as the color shows 

 the exact stage of progress toward ripen- 



ing. I think if picked when in the white 

 stage they could be safely shipped across 

 the water. 



PEAR GROWING. 



SEE by the Feb. No. of Horticul- 

 turist, on page 80, Question 

 1043, from W. B. Stephens, on 

 pear growing. Perhaps my 20 

 years' experience would be acceptable, 

 as I have tested and have now growing 

 over 100 varieties, some of which have 

 not fruited yet 



I find Duchess d'Angouleme a good 

 pear, but not a good yielder. I have 

 them both in dwarf and standard. 

 Beurre Clairgeau bears splendidly, but 

 requires thinning on standard trees to 

 get the proper results in size and color. 

 The Beurre d'Anjou, I have both dwarf 

 and standard, the former bears fairly 

 well, fruit of good size and good quality, 

 but the standards, of which I have about 

 20 trees, some 20 years planted, have 

 not produced as many bushels as years 

 they have been planted, but we have 

 some very fine specimens and of even 

 size. They do not yield enough per 

 tree to compare with Louise which 

 always bears abundantly and sells 

 here at from $4.50 to $6 per bbl. ; 

 and if picked at the proper season 

 ships better than the Anjou. 



I have made more money out of the 

 Kieffer, however, than any other variety 

 I grow, but they must be thinned from 

 200 to 600 per cent, to get the best 

 results, as they are the most persistent 

 bearers we have so far tested, besides 

 fruiting every year, and if properly 

 thinned bear a fine, large, beautiful 

 fruit. If properly ripened the Kieffer 

 is of fair flavor and excels many other 

 sorts for canning. 



If Flemish Beauty can be grown suc- 



I 



cessfully at Owen Sound, I would 

 strongly recommend them as a fruit that 

 would ship well and please the custom- 

 ers, as well as being productive and 

 hardy and good quality of fruit, if it can 

 be grown free from the spot or scab. 



We have succeeded in growing clean 

 fruit only by persistently spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture. There are two or 

 three other varieties of late introduction, 

 which I think will prove excellent, viz., 

 Rutter, Comice and Idaho. So far as I 

 have tested them they are hardy, large 

 size, good color and excellent quality 

 when properly ripened, and I think 

 when better known will be highly appre- 

 ciated. 



The Dempsey is proving itself a good 

 yielder, large size and of first-rate qual- 

 ity, much superior, in my opinion, to 

 the Duchess d'Angouleme, which it 

 much resembles. 



With regard to the last clause of the 

 question, there is a Mountain Ash 

 grafted about 12 years ago within 80 

 rods of where I am writing. It has 

 often fruited, but the fruit is invariably 

 small, warty, sour and no good. The 

 scions used were Bartlett and Flemish 

 Beauty. 



The varieties I have found to be the 

 most profitable for the last 9 or lo years 

 are Keiffer, Bartlett, Louise, Lucrative 

 and Clairgeau ; any of which would ship 

 to England if properly picked and 

 packed. R. L. Huggard. 



Whitby. 



Note. — We are a little doubtful about 

 the Idado fulfilling expectations, from our 

 experience at Maplehurst. — Ed. 



43 



