Watching him long and thoughtfully, the old priest sought for 

 the right word to speak, and at length suggested that he should plant 

 the seeds hidden in the faded flower, and let them bring forth rich 

 fruit for the good of the community, and thus do what was in his 

 power to atone for his "unblest affection." 



*"In thy withered pear lies dormant 

 Nature's power to bloom and bless 

 This unfruitful wilderness. 

 Here is healing for thy torment! 

 Many and many a voice of prayer 

 Long may bless thy withered pear. 



Thus, like souls redeemed from sin, 

 Did the mission pears begin 

 In the ancient Jesuit garden; 

 And the shoots, as they ascended, 

 Prayerfully were watched and tended 

 Till the wood could grow and harden, 

 Often, in their early years, 

 Watered by repentant tears." 



THE PETRE PEAR 



In Bartram's Garden, Philadelphia, Penn., a small, gnarled pear 

 tree perpetuates the memory of Lady Petre, of England, who, in 

 1760, sent it across seas to the famous botanist. It was planted close 

 by the quaint old house on the Schuylkill, that during his life-time was 

 a centre of hospitality, and where noted men were often entertained. 

 Owing to the generosity of Lord Peter, the Duke of Richmond and 

 Peter Collinson, who justly subscribed a fund for the purpose, Bartram 

 was able to continue the expeditions which he had begun in order to 

 collect and classify the plants of the New World, returning to the 

 donors the equivalent in roots and seeds. 



THE SECKEL PEAR 



The original Seckel pear tree grew on a strip of land called The 

 Neck, five miles south of Philadelphia, Penn., on the property of 

 Lawrence Seckel, a prominent wine merchant of the city. The place, 

 which was his country seat, was later owned by the well known citizen, 

 Stephen Girard. It was near Wilton, a famous watering-place prior 

 to the Revolution. 



In 1819, Dr. Hosack sent some of the small "spicy and honeyed" 

 fruit to the London Horticultural Society, which rated them as 

 "exceeding in flavor the richest of the autumn pears." The doctor 

 stated that this unique tree had first become known in Philadelphia 

 about seventy years before. 



Where the tree came from, no one knew, not even Mr. Seckel 

 himself. About the middle of the 18th Century the Swedes, Dutch 

 and Germans imported a great number of trees, shrubs and flowers 

 from the Old World, and it was supposed that the far-famed Seckel 

 pear had found its entrance into the country in this way. 



* From poem by J. L. Bates. 



98 



