10 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



some of the best varieties would be unknown among small collec- 

 tions, of which they form so desirable a part. The Duchess of 

 Angouleme, one of the best, though uncertain and often worthless, 

 especially in the first years of fruiting, on the standard, is yet 

 one of the most reliable on the quince, often producing large and 

 beautiful specimens among its first fruit as a dwarf. The Urban- 

 iste is a pear of excellent qualit}^, but its value looks dim in the 

 distant future if we have to wait for it on the standard ; while as 

 a dwarf it is an ornament in the garden, growing naturally in 

 pyramidal form and commencing to fruit in five or six years from 

 transplanting, after which it is among the most reliable for its 

 yearly returns, and the fruit, being distributed evenly over the 

 tree, requires less thinning than many varieties. 



The Vicar of Winkfield, though not a pear of first quality, yet, 

 on account of its large size and time of ripening, desirable, and 

 found in almost everj'^ collection, makes a strong, vigorous growth 

 as a dwarf, and its low, compact form, trained as a pyramid, 

 makes it easily accessible for thinning the fruit, which must be 

 severely done to ensure the best results. The Louise Bonne of 

 Jersey, though it will fruit abundantly on either pear or quince 

 stock, yet generally gives the best specimens from dwarfs, if the 

 fruit buds are all removed until the tree has gained a strong 

 growth, and it is then allowed to bear only a moderate quantity, 

 as its tendency is invariably to overcrop. 



The list of varieties might be extended indefinitely, with their 

 variations as dwarfs or standards, but those mentioned are among 

 the most desirable, and are grown most successfully as dwarfs. 



Leaving the question of orchard culture to those of more 

 experience, it may be claimed for the dwarf pear, among amateurs 

 and the large number who have small collections, and who are 

 giving every year more attention to the cultivation of this fruit, 

 that to all starting new places and desiring fruit as soon as possi- 

 ble, it is a necessity, and in order that success may be assured, let 

 the preparation of the soil be thorough, as the cause of failure will 

 be more generally found in the want of preparation for, rather 

 than in the subsequent treatment of these trees. If the land is 

 springy, or its location renders it liable to contain stagnant water, 

 let it be thoroughly underdrained and the soil well worked over 

 and enriched to the depth of two feet. If, on the contrary, the 

 soil be naturally shallow and dry, spread over the whole surface a 



