THE ORCHARD BEAUTIFUL. 381 



keep are worthless. In fixing but one kind a year, the first considera- 

 tion should be its quality, and the second its constancy in bearing, 

 as to which there is a great difference in apples. Hardiness and 

 vigour are essential, and our judgment as regards orchard planting 

 should never be influenced by the produce of trees grafted on the 

 paradise or other stocks which limit the natural growth of the 

 tree. 



Apples known for many years, like the Blenheim, Kentish 

 Filbasket, Wellington, French Crab, Sussex Forge, Warner's King, 

 Yorkshire Greening, Tom Putt, Reinette Grise, Bramley's a.r\dAlfrtston 

 should never be left out of our consideration in this respect, as, how- 

 ever they may be affected by situation or soil, their value has been 

 proved, and that is a great point, as in the case of new varieties 

 chosen for some one minor quality, such as colour, it is only after they 

 have been grown for years we begin to find out their bad qualities. 



Some of the most beautiful things in our garden or home land- 

 scapes are the orchards of the west of England, more often planted 

 with the Apple than with the Pear. The Pear 

 Pear Orchards for tree in this country should be much more grown as 

 beauty. an orchard tree, for its beauty even if not for its fruit, 



which yearly grows in value. Some Pears of our 

 own time, like Doyenne du Cornice and Beurre Dumout, are worth a 

 score of the old kinds. The Pear tree is finer in form and stature 

 than the Apple, and it is not rare to see trees in Worcestershire of the 

 size of forest trees. Such trees, with their varied and picturesque 

 form, are worth thinking of when planting for beauty. 



The use of the Quince as a dwarfing stock for many years past in 

 England has been against the Pear as an orchard tree. No Pear 

 grafted on this stock ever succeeds as a standard tree. In our fertile 



o 



valleys and the rich soil of gardens the Quince is for some kinds often 

 a good stock, but over a large area of poor sandy and chalky land it 

 is worthless ; and its use has done much harm to Pear cultivation. 

 In using the Pear, or natural stock, we may hope that it will' do well 

 on any land, be it heavy Wealden clay or on upland soils. It is true 

 we must wait for results ; the standard Pear is a forest tree in its 

 way, and must be allowed time to mature, but it is surely better to let 

 the years run by than to plant trees which may never succeed as 

 standards. For trees so planted to endure we should choose good 

 kinds that ripen in our country, and see, in every case, that they are 

 grafted on the wild Pear their natural stock since we cannot 

 easily get them on their own roots, though it would interest me 

 much to see them on their natural roots, and I have two Pears so 

 grown which look far healthier than any others. The most impor- 

 tant point is that of varieties. We should never plant any but 



