VARIETIES. 329 



morning, to have an excellent effect in ridding the trees of this 

 vigilant enemy. 



VARIETIES. The varieties of pear have so multiplied within 

 the last thirty years, that they may almost be considered end- 

 less- Of the new varieties, Belgium has produced the greatest 

 number of high quality. England and France many of excel- 

 lence ; and, lastly, quite a number of valuable sorts have ori. 

 ginated in this country, to which some additions are made 

 annually. The latter, as a matter of course, are found even 

 more generally adapted to our climate than any foreign sorts. 

 But we believe the climate of the middle states is so nearly like 

 that of Belgium, that the pear is grown here as a standard to 

 as great perfection as in any other country. 



More than 700 kinds of pears, collected from all parts of the 

 world, have been proved in the celebrated experimental garden 

 of the Horticultural Society of London. Only a small propor- 

 tion of these have been found of first rate quality, and a very 

 large number of them are of little or no value. The great 

 difficulty, even yet, seems to be, to decide which are the really 

 valuable sorts, worth universal cultivation. We shall not, per- 

 haps, arrive at this point, in this country, for several years 

 not until all the most deserving sorts have had repeated trials 

 and the difficulty is always increased by the fact of the differ- 

 ence of climate and soil. A variety may be of second quality 

 in New-England, and of the first merit in Pennsylvania or Ohio. 

 This, however, is true only to a very limited extent, as the fact 

 that most sorts of the first character receive nearly the same 

 praise in Belgium, England, and all parts of this country, clearly 

 proves. High flavour, handsome appearance, productiveness, 

 and uniformly good flavour in all seasons these are the cri- 

 terions of the first class of pears.* 



There is an idea prevalent, which has been greatly extended 

 by Kenrick, in his American Orchardist, that all thq finest old 

 varieties of pears are worthless and unfit for cultivation, by rea- 

 son of their degeneration. It is but justice to say that this no- 

 tion owes its origin to Mr. Knight, but Mr. Kenrick living near 

 the sea-coast, in a climate, naturally rather unfavourable to the 

 pear, has fortified it by what he has observed in his own neigh- 

 bourhood, forgetting that facts in the country at large; do not 

 bear testimony to the doctrine. We should be glad to show 



* The most successful cultivator of pears in this country, whose collection 

 comprises hundreds of varieties, lately assured us, that if he were asked to name 

 all the sorts that he considered of unvarying and unquestionable excellence in all re- 

 spects, he could not count more than 20 ! It may then be asked, why do all cul- 

 tivate so large a variety. We answer, because the quality of many is yet not fully 

 decided ; again, there is a great difference in taste, as to the merits of a given 

 sort ; there are also some sorts so productive, or handsome, &c., that they are 

 highly esteemed, though only second rate. In a work like the present, we are 

 also obliged to describe many sorts of second quality, in order to assist in identi- 

 fying them, as they are already in general cultivation. 



