TEBRUARY. 91 



Stocks ; otherwise the trees will degenerate in vigor and pro- 

 duce. The quality of the fruit will every year improve as 

 the trees get better established, and are placed in situations 

 found to be most favorable, as is the case with all other vari- 

 eties of which the qualities approach to first-rate. With re- 

 gard to the period of maturity, we may here mention that in 

 four years we have had fruit ripe from the 20th of October 

 till the 25th of December. The mean period appears to be 

 the month of November. Without in the least suspecting 

 the sincerity of any one, we believe we shall be rendering a 

 service to amateurs by stating the results of actual experi- 

 ment. — De Jonghe^ Brussels, Nov. 13, [Two ripe speci- 

 mens accompanied this letter ; one from a pear stock, the 

 other from a quince. Both were melting, high-flavored, and 

 excellent ; and by no means inferior to the best varieties of 

 the season. — Ed. Gard. Chroti.] 



We would particularly call the attention of cultivators to 

 M. Jonghe's remarks in the last paragraph, in which he states 

 that from "5 to 20 years is the period from the first produc- 

 tion of a new fruit before a definite opinion can be given of 

 the real merits of the variety." This should never be for- 

 gotten by any one who is at all interested in new varieties, 

 and if his advice is followed it will put an end to the prac- 

 tice of grafting over such trees as soon as they have ripened 

 one crop. 



The Hampton or Hegerman Pear. — This new native 

 variety which was first exhibited at the Pomological Conven- 

 tion in Buffalo, in 1847, was exhibited again at the late meet- 

 ing of the Pomological Society in Boston ; when we saw it in 

 Buff'alo we thought it was the Buffum, and since then we 

 have not had a fair opportunity to try it. We then made a 

 drawing and description of it, but thought it best to give it 

 another trial before deciding upon its merits. The members 

 of the convention appeared to know but little about it and 

 passed it over till the next meeting. 



The Ohio State Pomological Society held its annual 

 meeting on the 5th and 6th of December last, at Columbus. 

 Mr. Ernst, the President, called the meeting to order, and after 



