56 Cultivation of the Pear. 



and I consider them of the first quality. The Echasserie, I 

 should also pronounce first quality, though it bore only a few 

 imperfect fruit. The true Virgouleuse bore a quantity of fruit, 

 but they all were cracked, knotty and utterly uneatable, which 

 is, I believe, the great objection to it, as the fruit is fine when 

 in perfection. The White Butter was knotty as usual with 

 me, and consequently just eatable. The best pear I ate dur- 

 ing the season was one of the size and shape of the summer 

 Thorn, but without any color on the cheek, and ripening 

 about one month later, the name of which I do not know, though 

 I am under the impression, from no good reason, that I received 

 it as the Doyenne, de la Motte, but I hope to be able to test 

 this point the next summer, as I hope that the tree I have 

 under that name will bear fruit if I can get rid of the bark 

 lice that infest it. Even my orange trees, which bore about 

 10,000 or 12,000 a year ago, have this season borne only 

 about 200 oranges. My oranges, by the by, were pronounced 

 the last year, by all who tasted them, as the best they had 

 ever tasted, except by one gentleman, who thought that those 

 he had eaten from the tree in Cuba were superior. 



The cultivation of fruit, especially of peaches and pears, is 

 extending rapidly hereabouts. Of the apples, plums, and 

 cherries, we are doubtful of success, though some of us are 

 trying them. — I mean to graft and bud my apples mainly upon 

 our native crab, which I find on the plantation, and the oth- 

 ers upon native or acclimated stocks. I think that when we 

 are fairly under way, the north will get its best peaches and 

 late pears from the south, and the south its best apples, plums, 

 and early pears from the north, at least so says my theory on 

 the subject ; Q. E. D. as you will probably say — I am sowing 

 the seed of pears to try. 



My small olive trees were loaded with fruit this year for 

 the first time ; but, just before the fruit was ripe, it Avas all 

 blown down by the gale of the lOth and 11th of October. I 

 have several hundred trees just coming into bearing. 



If you raise figs in your houses, why do you not try the 

 Celestial, one of the smallest, but a good bearer, and the best 

 fig known here and to the south, and also the Alicante, a 

 very large, very productive, ever-bearing, and fine blue 

 fig? These are our two best figs. Wishing you many 



