THE PEAR 179 



tion and selection. Here, it appears to me, there 

 are great possibilities. I have crossed the pear 

 and the apple ; also the pear and the quince. The 

 seedlings from these unions have sometimes 

 seemed thrifty, but were always infertile. They 

 were highly interesting none the less. 



One of the most successful crosses was obtained 

 by using the pollen of the Bartlett pear upon the 

 Gravenstein apple. 



The seedlings from this cross were divergent 

 in appearance, and variable as to growth. One 

 of the seedlings grew fully as fast as the ordinary 

 apple seedling, but most of them had a sickly, 

 dwarfed appearance, and some died after having 

 made a foot of growth. Three or four of those 

 that lived were grafted on an apple tree. They 

 maintained moderate growth for several years, 

 but were never healthy or vigorous, and never 

 gave any intimation of blooming. 



The results of the crosses between the pear 

 and quince were closely similar. From these 

 hybrids also I failed to secure fruit. Some grew 

 with great vigor for years, while others almost 

 refused to grow at all. In general appearance, 

 and especially in foliage, the hybrids bear a closer 

 resemblance to the pear than to the quince. But 

 most of them appeared to be good composites of 

 these widely differing plants. 



