124 DWARF FRUIT TREES 



as compared with Oriental pears, peaches, apples, etc., 

 to be profitable should result in larger yields, but 

 does not usually do so in this latitude. On the other 

 hand, we may say in favor of the dwarf pear that the 

 quince root is a healthy, reliable root for the pear tree ; 

 that the trees attain their seasonal growth early, and 

 therefore are not as susceptible to pear blight as stand- 

 ard pears. Furthermore, they are more easily sprayed, 

 pruned, and otherwise handled than the high stand- 

 ard trees." 



My friend, Mr. J. W. Kerr, of the Eastern Shore of 

 Maryland, who owns one of the oldest and most pic- 

 turesque orchards of dwarf pears I ever saw, says that 

 Angouleme (Duchess) is the only variety that pays 

 for growing in that form. 



Thus the experience of many men in many parts 

 of America sums up as we began. The conclusion of 

 the whole matter seems to be about this : Dwarf fruit 

 trees have not yet played any prominent role in Ameri- 

 can commercial horticulture ; but they have been profit- 

 able in a few special cases, and the probability seems 

 strong almost to the point of certainty that, with the 

 development, refinement and specialization of our com- 

 mercial fruit growing, a wider field of usefulness will 

 be opened for dwarf trees. In the realm of amateur 1 

 fruit growing, an the other hand, a realm now daily 

 widening, dwarf fruit trees are of capital importance. 

 The owners and renters of small grounds, the culti- 

 vators of little gardens the great majority of Ameri- 

 can home-makers, in fact, will find in them an un- 

 failing source of pleasure, inspiration, and even of 

 profit. 



