CHANGES WROUGHT BY EXTERNAL CAUSES. 51 



But the influence of seasons alone produces sometimes 

 extraordinary results. In the year 1842, the Wurtemburg 

 pear was regarded in western New York as the finest 

 foreign pear among, several which had then just fruited ; 

 but the two succeeding seasons it was nearly worthless. 

 The Bezi de la Motte, about one year in seven, in some 

 localities, is a delicious melting pear, and at other times 

 dry and tasteless ; in other localities, it is uniformly good. 

 Some striking cases were mentioned by the late Robert 

 Manning of Salem. The Beurre Duval, which has a high 

 reputation in Europe, produced, the first year of bearing, 

 beautiful fruit ; but on ripening, they were found tasteless 

 and worthless. The next year the same tree produced 

 fewer pears, half the size, different in shade of color, and 

 delicious in flavor. In another case the Hericart yielded 

 fruit which proved melting and high-flavored. The next 

 year it not only varied in size shape, and color, but was so 

 tasteless as to be immediately rejected. Again, the Calabash 

 pear produced in two seasons, oblong fruit with projecting 

 ridges, the color being bright russett, and the flesh break- 

 ing, melting, and very good. The next year the fruit was 

 more abundant, of larger size, of a bright yellow color, 

 without ridges, and the flesh very insipid.* But these were 

 unusual cases. They serve to show, however, the extreme 

 caution to be used, both in describing fruit, and deciding 

 upon the merits of new kinds. They also show the pro- 

 priety of aiming to select such as are little affected by such 

 influences, as the Madeleine, Bartlett, and Seckel. 



It is this liability to change, and occasionally to become 

 valueless, that has induced 'the opinion that varieties are 

 worn out by old age; but this is disproved by the fact that 

 the same varieties flourish elsewhere with undiminished 

 excellence ; and that some of the new sorts, when removed 

 to ungenial localities also exhibit precisely the same symp- 

 toms of " running out" and decay.t 



* Hovey's Magazine, vol. 8, p. 87. 



t The English Gold Pippin, which originated centuries ago, was long since cited 

 as an example of an old and defunct variety; while even at the present day, in all 

 favorable soils, both in Europe and America, it flourishes as well as ever. The 

 Boyenne pear has been many years since, rejected in some parts of New England 

 as worthless, where it once proved fine. But as proof that this deterioration is to be 

 ascribed to some defect in the soil, and not to the age of the variety, it needs only to 

 be stated that in central and western New- York, it is cultivated extensively and 



