OUR BARTLETT PEARS IN ENGLAND. 



307 



thoroughly established. He has great faith 

 in Canada, and is giving his whole energy 

 and thought to assist the farmers of Canada 

 in developing our unlimited resources. For 

 some years after coming to Canada he was 

 attached to the parliamentary library at Ot- 

 tawa. At the same time he continued his 

 studies of insects, and soon became one of 

 the live working members of the Ontario 

 Entomological Society. To Dr. Fletcher 

 and to Dr. Bethune the society owes a great 

 deal, for they have, year in and year out, 

 kept up the interest and maintained the con- 

 tinuity, of its existence. 



When Sir John Carling established the 

 system of Dominion farms in 1886, he se- 

 lected an ex-president and active member of 

 the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association as 

 director, and he also appointed the most ac- 

 tive member of the Ontano Entomological 

 Society, Air. James Fletcher, as Dominion 

 Entomologist. A few years ago Queen's 

 University, Kingston, conferred upon these 

 two gentlemen the degree of Doctor of 

 Laws. May they both live long to enjoy 

 their honors. 



Dr. Fletcher has been one of the active ^el- 



lows, and an efficient officer of the Royal So- 

 ciety of Canada, and has contributed several 

 valuable studies to the proceedings of that 

 body. He has not found time to collect his 

 material into book form, but his papers and 

 investigations may be found scattered 

 through half a dozen series of reports for 

 the past twenty years. While he is a first- 

 class investigator, we consider his strongest 

 point is his ability to interest an audience, 

 and to arouse their enthusiasm in agricul- 

 tural work. His instruction is clear, inspir- 

 ing, and wholesome. He quickly gains the 

 attention of his hearers, at the same time he 

 knows enough not to weary his audience. 

 His geniality beams out in his talk, and he 

 gets the confidence and sympathy of the peo- 

 ple to whom he is speaking. He is gener- 

 ous to others, not seeking to monopolize 

 time, attention, or credit — he is just the kind 

 of man that one likes to work with. Every 

 one is pleased to see Dr. Fletcher's name on 

 the program, or at the head of an article, and 

 the fruit growers of Canada will be exceed- 

 ingly pleased to see his portrait on these 

 pages. 



OUR BARTLETT PEARS IN ENGLAND. 



The pear imports are heavier now than 

 ever. ]\Iore than half the quantity received 

 is drawn from France, though California is 

 now becoming a keen competitor of the con- 

 tinental pear growers. Fair quantities are 

 drawn from Holland and Belgium, but the 

 French and Californian are best in quality. 

 As a pear-growing country Canada has no 

 equal. We have, during the last five-and- 

 twenty years, had much experience of im- 

 ported pears, and we have no hesitation in 

 saying that the finest William pears ev2r 

 marketed from outside sources came from 

 Canada. The French William has had 3 

 high reputation in Covent Garden market 



for over twenty years. The California Wil- 

 liam is fine. But those sent us from Canada 

 two years ago to report upon officially were 

 of mammoth proportion, with a clear yellow 

 skin, and a melting sugary and juicy flesh. 

 In quantity they were worth from 3s. to 6s. 

 a dozen fruits. Then again, from Austral- 

 asia we have have had some fine pears sent 

 into London. The colonial pear trade 

 should be made a large business, and when 

 the growers set themselves to satisfy the 

 market's need they will find our merchants 

 only too anxious to get their fruit. — S. Mor- 

 gan in Birmingham Post. 



