INTRODUCTION. XIX 



appeared to be proof against insects, while the growth 

 and habits of the trees seemed to defy an attack from 

 any source. My plan was to propagate these varieties 

 and graft the slower growing sorts on them, and in 

 this way get a more vigorous growth of wood, and 

 possibly a larger fruit of the sorts like the Seckel. 

 Until last year I had no reason to doubt that those 

 Japan pears were blight proof. But now I have good 

 reason to think differently. The fire blight struck 

 these trees last summer, and what is unusual, it de- 

 stroyed every branch and twig of several large trees, 

 not leaving me a living sprig of wood to propagate 

 from. This wholesale destruction of these kinds is 

 more curious, because we had only one more instance 

 in the orchard during the year, and that was a couple 

 of large branches on a "Swan's Orange" tree in a 

 distant part of the orchard. This experience settles 

 the question in my own mind that it is folly to assert 

 that the Chinese Sand Pear, or seedlings from it, are 

 blight-proof, for the instances stated above prove to 

 the contrary. 



