THE MAGAZINE 



O F 



HORTICULTURE. 



APRIL, 1848. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Oil the Culture of the Pear 071 the Apple. By James 

 Weed, Bloomington, Iowa. 



Mr. Humrickhouse's article on this subject, (Vol. XII. p. 

 393,) seems likely to consign the apple, as a stock for pears, 

 to entire oblivion. Is this right 7 It is remarkable that the 

 value of the quince, as a stock for the pear, has not been more 

 justly appreciated until within the last few years. In your 

 Retrospective View of Horticulture for 1847, (Vol. XIII. p. 3,) 

 you say " it is well known that many sorts of pears Avill not 

 unite kindly with the quince, and the consequence is, that, in 

 a year or two, the tree languishes and dies. This^ by some, 

 is set down as proof that the quince will not answer.^' 



Of all the varieties of pears now in cultivation, it seems a 

 large proportion, one half, perhaps, will not grow at all on 

 the quince. Some are described as growing indifferently, and 

 being short-lived ; others are said to "succeed well," while a 

 few are remarkable for growing freely. Among varieties known 

 to grow freely, will not the quality of durability be found to 

 pertain to diiferent varieties in a degree worthy the attention 

 of cultivators ? Some five or six years ago, we saw it several 

 times stated in periodicals, that the age of the pear on the 

 quince was six or eight years ; now, it is extended to twenty- 

 five, and may we not yet discover varieties that will endure 

 for a period of fifty years ? 



We have been watching for information relative to the cul- 

 ture of the pear on the quince, and Mr. Rivers's article was 

 very welcome and instructive. Mr. R. mentions three vari- 

 eties which he uses for double working, one of which, Beurre 



VOL. XIV. — NO. IV. 13 



