22 INTRODUCTION'. 



The French settlers who are traditionally placed at Kaskaskia 

 and Cahokia, 111., about 1683 or 1685, gave attention to horti- 

 culture, proofs of which are still seen in the venerable pear trees, 

 of enormous size, that survive on the sites of their settlements. 

 Though most of the original trees are gone, there are man}' of the 

 second generation scattered along the Mississippi and "VVabash 

 river towns. These old French pear trees were very hard}', and 

 never blighted. The houses of the settlers were generally placed 

 in gardens surrounded by apple, pear, peach, and cherry trees, and 

 they also gave attention to the cultivation of garden vegetables. 1 



A striking feature of the landscape on the banks of the Detroit 

 River, near the city of the same name, is the gigantic pear trees, 

 probably planted as soon as the first permanent settlements were 

 made by the French, about a century and a half ago. A bole 

 six feet in girth and a height of sixty feet are common ; and many 

 show a circumference of eight to nine feet, and rear their heads 

 seventy and sometimes eighty feet from the earth. They bear 

 uniform crops ; thirty to fifty bushels being often the annual prod- 

 uct of a single tree. The fruit is of medium size, ripening about 

 the end of August, crisp, juicy, and spicy, and though, as a table 

 fruit, surpassed by man}' sorts, it still holds a fair rank, and, for 

 stewing and preserving, is quite unrivalled. Individual trees differ 

 a little in the time of ripening and the size and flavor of the fruit ; 

 but the variety is well characterized. Nearly every one of the old 

 homesteads possessed a tree ; some, two or three : few exceeded 

 half a dozen. Such was the size and productiveness of these trees, 

 that a single one usually gave an ample supply for the wants of a 

 family. Tradition reports that these trees were obtained from 

 Montreal, to which place they were brought from Normandy or 

 Provence ; but the fruit has not been identified with any known 

 French variety. Trees of the same variety are found at other 

 places in the vicinity. One of those at Monroe is twelve feet in 

 circumference. Another legend among the French habitants of 

 Detroit is to the effect that an emigre from France brought over 

 three pear seeds in his vest pocket, which were planted on the 

 banks of the Detroit River, and became the parents, by means of 

 sprouts as well as seeds, of these venerable trees. One of the 

 oldest, which stood until a recent period, is known to have been 

 planted as early as 1705. 



1 Transactions of the Illinois Horticultural Society, Vol. X., New Series, p. 125; Country 

 Gentleman, Sept. 25, 1879. 



