498 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



shot between the spread-out fingers ; the astrono- 

 mer can see a star in the sky, Tvhen to others the 

 blue expanse is unbroken ; the shepherd can dis- 

 tinguish the face of every sheep in his fleck : the 

 mo^aic worker can detect distinctions of color where 

 others see none ; and a multitude of additional ex- 

 amples might be given of what education does for 

 the eye. 



A PLEA FOR DWAEF PEARS. 



Messrs. Editors : — In a recent number of the 

 Homestead there is a communication entitled "Crit- 

 ical and Suggestive Remarks on the Cultivation of 

 the Pear," The suggestions respecting the prepa- 

 ration of the soil, by deep trenching and draining, 

 are certainly very good, and ought to have their in- 

 fluence with every cultivator ; but the leading 

 thought that the pear can only be cultivated suc- 

 cessfully, or made to repay when grown upon the 

 pear stock, made as it is without any sufficient da- 

 ta, ought not to remain unanswered, for it is cer- 

 tainly in direct opposition to the testimony of our 

 most experienced and successful Pomologists, who 

 almost uniformly agree in giving preference to the 

 pear on the quince. The finest fruits grown in 

 this country, commanding the highest prices in our 

 markets, are from such trees. That they abun- 

 dantly repay all the labor, care and cost, cannot be 

 doubted, especially by those who have had the 

 pleasure of seeing the beautiful specimens of trees 

 m the vicinity of Boston, from fifteen to thirty 

 years of age, of the most perfect form and laden 

 with an abundance of fruit. It is true that in this 

 vicinity we have had but little experience in this 

 mode of culture. 



Some ten or twelve years since, the attention of 

 a few gentlemen was called to the cultivation of 

 the finer varieties of pears, and with this mode of 

 growing pairs they were entirely ignorant, nor is it 

 surprising that some mistakes were made in plant- 

 ing and in the system of cultivation ; within this 

 period there has been great advance made in this 

 science. A large variety of the choicest kinds has 

 been introduced and successfully cultivated, and 

 some of us have learned that' pears can be grown 

 even on the quince so as to repay the culture ; still 

 the question is often asked, if pears can be success- 

 fully grown on the quince, and what advantage 

 there is in this mode of culture ? The first and 

 great advantage is early and abundant fruitfulness. 

 We begin to reap the fruit of our care almost im- 

 mediately ; indeed the tendency to produce fruit is 

 so great that this is one of the objections to this 

 manner of growing them, as inexperienced cultiva- 

 tors leave such quantities of fruit upon their trees, 

 that they must necessarily be dwarfed; for when 

 a tree but two or three years from the bud, is per- 

 mitted to bear from three to four dozen pears, 

 ■we cannot but see that in its exertion to carry out 

 the ripening process it exhausts its strength ; its 

 growth is dwarfed and it often receives injury from 

 which it will require years to recover. Another 

 important inquiry is. Are trees upon the quince 

 short-lived ? In reply we would say that in this 

 country we have had comparatively a short experi- 

 ence. There are fine trees grown in this way, thir- 

 ty years old, which are in every respect as promis- 

 ing for long fife as trees of the same age on their 

 own roots ; we also learn that some of the finest 

 specimens of trees in France, more than 100 years 



old, were originally grafted on the quince. In our 

 limited experience we have lost a much smaller 

 percentage from fire blight or from any other cause 

 and we are satisfied that in this way we can plant 

 pears for ourselves as well as for our heirs. Anoth- 

 er important inquiry is, are such trees necessarily 

 dwarfed ? Certainly not. Our experience leads 

 us to the conclusion that, when properly planted 

 and cultivated, they not only begin to bear imme- 

 diately and almost from the first repay the culture, 

 but they also keep up with, if they do not excel, in 

 vigor and growth, those on their own stocks. We 

 have such trees which last summer made a growth of 

 from three to five feet. Some six years since we 

 planted quite a number of trees on pear from the 

 bud of Buerre Diel, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Marie 

 Louise, Glout Morceau, &-c., and also an equal num- 

 ber of the same varieties on the quince ; those on 

 the quince are to-day, as a whole, finer trees, equal- 

 ly large, and from the second year have paid their 

 way, while those on the pear have as yet yielded 

 no fruit. 



What are some of the essential requisites in or- 

 der to succeed in this mode of culture ? First, se- 

 lect only such varieties as are known to succeed on 

 the quince ; secure if possible a good rich soil ; if 

 the subsoil is clayey or retentive of water it will 

 be of vital importance that it be thoroughly drained. 

 The pear will not succeed with its roots immersed 

 in water. The trees should be deeply planted three 

 or four inches below the union between the pear 

 and the quince. This will cause the quince stock 

 to throw out an immense number of roots, and 

 eventually the pear from many kinds will make 

 roots of its own. Care should also be taken in 

 planting not to cramp the roots. Multitudes of trees 

 are lost by negligent planting. After being well 

 planted, have it properly cultivated, not permitting 

 it to be choked by weeds and grass ; in many soils 

 it will be of great benefit to have the tree mulched 

 by coarse manure or such other substances as will 

 keep the earth around the trees moist. By attend- 

 ing to the above requisites, you may depend upon 

 the growth, fruitfulness and longevity of your trees. 

 — Farm Journal. 



Remarks. — It affords us pleasure to enter this 

 "Plea for Dwarf Pears" in our journal. Those 

 who doubt its correctness should visit the grounds 

 of Col. Wilder, the Messrs. Hovey, and many other 

 cultivators about Boston. 



Whitney's Self- Sealing Can. — We have be- 

 fore us one of these cans, and from some experi- 

 ments in the use of cans for preserving fruits, be- 

 lieve these to be the best in the market. The open- 

 ing, into the can is large, and when the lid is applied 

 all that is necessary to prevent tne admission of air, 

 is to surround it with a little melted rosin. This may 

 be removed in two minutes when the fruit is wanted, 

 and the can emptied, cleaned, and put away for fu- 

 ture use ; and if carefully preserved, may last many 

 years. There are three sizes, with varying prices ; 

 the smallest size, holding about one quart, is $2 a 

 dozen. For sale by Nourse & Co., 13 Commercial 

 Street, Boston. 



