7 8 THE PEARS OF NEW YORK 



that this habitat is in the far north for pears, and it might well be suspected 

 that this would be one of the hardiest of all pears, and this proves to be 

 the case. Horticultural varieties are reported by Chinese explorers, some 

 of which have been introduced by the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. These no doubt have some value in the most northern fruit 

 regions of America and if not for their fruits, they may prove useful in 

 hybridization. But it is as a possible stock resistant to blight that the 

 species has received most attention in this country. 



Reimer, of Oregon, found this species to be very resistant to fire- 

 blight and at first thought it might prove to be a valuable stock. Follow- 

 ing Reimer 's experiments much was said of it as a promising new stock, 

 and the United States Department of Agriculture gave it a thorough trial 

 from the results of which they discouraged its use. The tree proved to be 

 a slow grower; very subject to leaf -blight, therefore unable to hold its 

 leaves during the growing and budding season, difficult to use in bud- 

 ding as the tough bark did not " slip " easily, and but a small number of 

 the buds took. According to Galloway, 1 however, the Kuan li or Chinese 

 water pear, which he says belongs to the Ussuriensis group, is one of the 

 most promising pear stocks. Both for its fruits and as a stock, this species 

 is likely to receive much attention in the United States for some time to 

 come. The difficulty at present, as we have found at this Station, is to get 

 seeds or budding wood true to name of the forms of the species that seem 

 to be most desirable. 



6. PYRUS SERRULATA Rehder 

 I. P. serrulata Rehder Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Set. 50:234. 1915. 



Chinese Saw-leafed Pear. This species, according to Rehder, is closely 

 related to P. serotina but differs from it chiefly in its serrulate, not setosely 

 serrate, generally broader, leaves, in the smaller flowers with usually three 

 or four styles, and in the shorter sepals and smaller fruit. 



This pear was first found by E. H. Wilson in 1907 in western Hupeh. 

 The province of Hupeh is 800 or 900 miles west and south of Shanghai. 

 The pears in this location grow in thickets at an altitude of 4000 to 5000 

 feet. Reimer found the species at Ichang, in Hupeh, at elevations of 

 3000 to 3700 feet. Its occurrence at these altitudes indicates that it is a 

 hardy form. Whether the species is likely to be valuable for its fruits, or 

 for hybridization, does not appear, but Galloway, 1 reporting on it as tested 



'Galloway, B. T. Jour. Her. 11:29. 1920. 



