318 THE PEAK. 



is found on pear trees from May to October ; and probably two or 

 more broods are produced every year. These little insects live by 

 suction, and obtain their food by puncturing the bark of the young 

 shoots, mostly in the vicinity of the buds. They defile the shoots with 

 the fluid which they discharge in large quantities, and which soon 

 forms a blackish crust on the bark. The best remedy that occurs to 

 me is, a wash of strong soap-suds and sulphur, applied with a brush 

 to the branches in the Spring, before the buds expand. A solution 

 of whale-oil soap, thrown upon the trees, will kill the insects, but will 

 have to be repeated at intervals through the Summer." 



Selection of varieties known to be permanently successful on the 

 Quince. As we have before remarked, while there are a great many 

 varieties that at first take, and grow well on the quince stock, there 

 are but few comparatively that are permanently successful. It there- 

 fore becomes the planter to select with care, and plant with a view 

 to permanence, only those that are known to succeed. Of the error 

 of planting indiscriminately, we have had practical experience, as in 

 planting the grounds of our residence we looked to the testing of va- 

 rieties, and therefore ordered and planted one tree only of a sort. On 

 a double border so planted, containing over two hundred sorts, we in 

 three years discarded one half, and feel confident that not more than 

 one half of the remainder will answer to continue permanently. As 

 yet, few of our American native Pears can be depended on when 

 grown on the quince, and as all introduced are of the quality described 

 when grown on pear roots, we advise most planters so to procure 

 them. " Cultivated on the pear stock, the trees in general grow vi- 

 gorously in a light, deep, alluvial soil, provided always that the sub- 

 soil is free from stagnant water. The form and quality of the fruits 

 depend in a great measure on the conditions of the soil and subsoil, 

 careful cultivation, proper management of the trees, and vigor of the 

 stocks." 



Gathering of the Fruit^ and Uses. " Gather pears of the summer 

 sorts rather before they are ripe, as, when thoroughly so, they eat 

 mealy if kept above a day or two ; even when gathered as they ought 

 to be, in a week or less they begin to go at the core. They should 

 not, however, be gathered when they require much force to pull them 

 off. Autumn pears must also not be full ripe at the time of gathering, 

 though they will keep longer than the Summer. Winter pears, on the 

 contrary, should hang as long on the trees as they may, so as to es- 

 cape frost, which would make them flat in flavor, and not keep well. 

 Generally they may hang to the middle of October on full standards, 

 a week longer on dwarfs, but not after they are ripe. The art of 

 gathering is, to give them a Jlift, so as to press away the stalk, and if 

 ripe, they readily part from the tree. Let them be quite dry when 



