DWARF TEAR TREES. 



last meeting, reported in favor of ttie appointment of an editor of 

 tlie society's publications. The report was accepted and Robert 

 Manning was appointed editor. 



Adjourned to the first Saturday in February. 



MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. 



Subject, Dwarf Pear Trees, introduced by the following 

 essay, by E. W. Wood : — 



There is not, perhaps, in the whole range of horticulture any 

 one subject upon which the public entertain opinions more diverse 

 than upon the one selected by the committee for to-day's discus- 

 sion, and this difference of opinion undoubtedly grows out of the 

 fact that, although under a combination of cii'cumstances that 

 would produce the best possible results with standard pear trees, 

 a corresponding success might be expected from dwarfs, yet under 

 other and less favorable circumstances the standard will grow and 

 produce fruit where the dwarf will invariably fail. From this 

 comes the general complaint, and some, having suffered repeated 

 failure and disappointment, go so far as to declare the whole plan 

 of raising and selling dwarf pear trees an imposition upon the 

 public by the dealers, who recommend and sell them with the full 

 knowledge that they will soon 'die and have to be replaced with 

 standard trees. 



There is among tradesmen no class that receives more liberal 

 censure than seedsmen and nurserymen, and that this censure is 

 often in a degree merited in a business so complicated, requiring 

 perfect system and great care to ensure entire accuracy, an ex- 

 perience of some thirty years convinces me is true ; but that by 

 far the larger portion of the wholesale denunciation which we hear 

 belongs to the grower rather than the seller, is equally true. 



The beginner in fruit growing visits the fall exhibitions, and, 

 after carefully examining the long tables of pears, notes in his 

 memorandum book the names of such as please his fanc}^ and, 

 without any inquiry or investigation as to the location, variety, 

 and preparation of soil, or care of the trees that have produced the 

 fine specimens he has seen, he goes the next spring to the nursery, 

 an^ by referring to his memoranda he secures the varieties he 

 wants, and usually about equally divided between dwarfs and 



