THE FRUITS 157 



Some good varieties of crab-apples are Transcendent, 

 Siberian, and Hyslop. 



The Pear. — The pear was probably first cultivated in 

 Asia, although there is reason to believe that many varieties 

 first came into use in Europe. It is said that the best soil for 

 pears is "a strong loam of moderate depth with a dry sub- 

 soil." * Pears are dwarfed, that is, made to grow small tops, 

 by being grafted on quince roots. But even when so grafted 

 the top has to be trimmed back considerably to keep it from 

 growing too large. To get fine fruit, pears should be thinned 

 so that the young pears hang from four to six inches from each 

 other. The flavor of pears is improved if they are picked 

 before fully ripe and placed in a cool, dry place on the floor 

 or on shelves and allowed to ripen slowly. Air currents should 

 not blow over them. Pears to be kept for winter use should be 

 put into barrels or boxes and kept in a cool place. The time 

 to pick is when the fruit will separate easily from the twig. 

 Some varieties of pears cannot fertilize their own blossoms 

 and must be planted with such varieties as are self-fertile. 



The Anjou, Bartlett, Clapp's Favorite, and Lawrence are 

 good varieties, but cannot fertilize themselves. They should 

 be planted with some of the following, also good varieties: 

 Flemish Beauty, Keiffer, Le Conte, Seckel, and Angouleme. 



The Quince. — This fruit is found growing wild both in 

 Europe and in Asia. In the United States the quince is 

 grown mostly east and south-east of the Great Lakes. It is 

 used mostly for jellies and preserves. It requires rich, moist 

 soil to give the best crops. It is usually allowed to grow up 

 as a bush, having a number of stems from the base. It can 

 also be pruned into a tree. The fruit is usually not picked 



* Downing. 



