FRUIT. 71 



Take your trees, if possible, direct from the nursery 

 where grown, not those re-rooted trees which are ofteii sold. 

 These last are generally an imposition on the inexperienced ; 

 trees that peddlers have left on their hands after the season 

 of peddling is past ; often withered from exposure to sun and 

 air ; set in nursery rows, where, with care, they manage to live, 

 and the next season, perhaps, are sold to the greeu ones as 

 re-rooted trees. Proper labels on them would read "warranted 

 to die after a short and struggling existence." Why ! It is a 

 great shock to transplant a tree the first time, under the most 

 favorable circumstances ; but the shock of transplanting the 

 second time, before the tree. has become firmly established, is 

 almost sure to send it to the bush-heap. 



In the selection of varieties, do not purchase by catalogue 

 with highly-wrought descriptions by nurserymen ; if you do, 

 you will be disappointed in some varieties, and after waiting 

 for years, hoping to get good specimens of the fruit, will be 

 obliged to do as we have done and are doing — regraft with 

 varieties that will produce perfect fruit. 



Of varieties for general cultivation in all soils, we should 

 recommend as first early, Doyenne d'Ete, ripening the last of 

 July and first of August. The tree is vigorous and hardy, 

 bears young and abundantly. The fruit is not liable to rot, 

 and has a flavor equally good with other varieties ripening at 

 the same time. Osband's Summer follows the last, in time of 

 ripening, and is, in our opinion, a most desirable fruit, succeed- 

 ing equally well as a dwarf. The fruit keeps remarkably well 

 for the season, and will ripen with beautiful color and good 

 flavor, even if picked' before fully grown, whether thrown 

 upon the ground under the trees or laid away in the fruit- 

 room. The tree makes a beautiful pyramid, but from our ex- 

 perience, is a little tardy in coming into bearing as a standard. 

 The Bartlett — ripening the last of August and first of Sep- 

 tember — is too well and generally known to need any descrip- 

 tion from us. Its large size and beautiful color recommend it, 

 even where its peculiar flavor is not admired. We conside 

 this one of the most tender varieties to transplant, and until 

 well established ; and have lost more trees of this kind than 

 all others combined. The Belle Lucrative follows the Bart- 

 lett ; is an early bearer, vigorous and productive ; succeeds 



