5^ MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



a valuable addition to our list of pears, as all agree that it is of the first 

 quality, good size, and ripens the last of September to the first of October. 



A seedling pear, which was sent from New Haven by Mr. E. E. Clark, 

 appears to be a seedling of the Jargonelle, and promises to be of some 

 value. Other seedling pears have been tested, but none found to possess 

 any considerable merit. 



Among the older sorts that appeared well on the tables, were Supreme 

 de Quimper, Pinneo, Ott, Brandywine, Sterling, Tyson, Dearborn's Seed- 

 ling, Bartlett, and others among the early varieties. Among the fall pears, 

 Beurr^ Superfin, Beurr6 Sterkman or Hardy, Andrews, Buffum, Beurr6 

 Bosc, Beurr6 Dial, Beurr6 d'Anjou, Duchess d'Angouleme, Merriam, Swan's 

 Orange, Seckel, and other well-known sorts, appeared remarkably well. Of 

 the winter fruit, the Lawrence, Glout Morceau, and Winter Nelis were 

 very fine. 



A few specimens of the new pear, Durandeau, or De Tongres, were 

 exhibited and tested by your Committee. The annexed description we 

 take from Hovey's Magazine : " This is another noble and beautiful pear. 

 It was raised by M. Durandeau, at Tongres, in France, and was first put 

 into the market in 1851. It is called sometimes by the name of its culti- 

 vator, and sometimes by that of the town where it was raised. The tree is 

 moderately vigorous on the pear root, but is rather tender and weak on the 

 quince. It forms a handsome pyramid, and bears young and abundantly. 

 Fruit, very large, pyriform, much swollen out ; skin, delicate, covered with 

 a fine golden russet, tinged with red when fairly exposed to the sun ; flesh, 

 fine, buttery, very juicy, vinous, sprightly, and deliciously perfumed. It is 

 a pear of the highest quality, which, with its size and beauty, must make 

 it a general favorite. It ripens in October, and keeps some time." 



New pears should be received with some caution, and, whether foreign 

 or native sorts, should be well tested before they are recommended for 

 general cultivation. A man must be very bold who will introduce a new 

 pear for popular favor when there are so many varieties of such high merit. 

 It is perfectly absurd to add one after another to the long list of pears, 

 unless they are better in some respect than any other variety ripening at 

 the same season, either in size, beauty, — which has much to do with the 

 sale of the fruit, — productiveness, hardiness, quality, its long-keeping, or 

 in some other quality surpassing everything now on the list. Every new 

 fruit should undergo this test, and if it fails to come up to it, then refuse to 

 admit it into good society. This should apply to all fruits. 



Increased attention is being paid to the growing of pears for the market. 

 Many new orchards have been set out in the vicinity of Boston within a 

 year or two. A large portion of the trees so set will never yield much 

 fruit, for the trees will not receive that care and attention which they de- 

 mand, and must have, where success is attained. Few soils seem to be 

 perfectly well adapted to the growing of this fruit, while in some localities 

 it is next to impossible to raise either trees or fruit. The larger and fairer 

 specimens, but perhaps not the best in flavor, are raised on what was once 

 salt marsh, which has been filled up and prepared for trees. Dwarf pears 



