28 



The Blight in Pear Trees. 



Vol. IX. 



ment of generosity on the part of M. Mul- 

 ler, could not always maintain itself at the 

 same elevation. The ground in which the 

 white tulips were placed was neither dug, 

 nor manured, nor sifted, like that destined 

 for those of yellow grounds. The second 

 year, M. Muller took it into his head that 

 they encumbered the ground; the third year 

 they were placed lirider a gutter ; and M. 

 Muller, after having exhibited his yellow 

 tulips in all their brilliancy, used to say to 

 his visitors, " there are some of the finest of 

 the white tulips ; they have been given me 

 by my friend Walter, and I prize them infi- 

 nitely;" and when, ten minutes after, he 

 added, " I cannot comprehend that any one 

 can cultivate white tulips," every one was 

 naturally of his opinion. — Gardener and 

 Practical Florist. 



From Ihe Western Farmer and Gardener. 

 The Blight in Pear Trees. 



To those ulio are interested in the growth of Pear 

 trees, every idea thrown out for their preservation, is 

 valuable. Tlie following letter from the Western 

 Farmer and Gardener, published at Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 is from a practical man, though his own experiments 

 do not appear to have been extensive. The editor has 

 been invariably unsuccessful with his pear trees, of 

 every kind, and in every soil on which they were 

 tried. They woul 1 flourish finely for live or six years 

 — bear once or twice, then begin to die at the end of 

 tlif limbs — dwindle and perish. But let farmers perse 

 vvra. Pears uniformly bring a good price in market. 

 —Ed. 



We have made the blight in pear trees 

 a subject of inquiry for twenty-five years — 

 have read every article on the subject we 

 came across; and, as we travelled exten- 

 sively in that time, have asked every prac- 

 tical farmer whom we thought likely to 

 iiave any light upon the subject. 



We are inclined to the opinion, that this 

 blight is a kind of vegetable apoplexy or 

 paralysis, caused by an over charge of fluids. 

 You will generally see its ravages the worst 

 of wet, growing seasons, under the influence 

 of hot, scorching suns. Some of the ficts 

 which have led to this opinion are the fol- 

 lowing. All the pear trees which we have 

 planted in a rich soil, where they have had 

 a rapid growth, have flourished until they 

 have approached the bearing state; about 

 that time they were attacked with the 

 blight, and after lingering a few years they 

 have become entirely extinct, to the amount 

 of some fifteen or twenty. About twenty- 

 two or three years since, we brought a num- 

 ber of pear scions from Fairfield county, 

 some grafted and some natural ; we planted 



them all but two on a rich soil — white-oak 

 flat, but they have all disappeared as above. 

 Witli a view to there being more certainty 

 for fruit, by having trees at different eleva- 

 tions, we planted two of the lot on a high 

 .southern exposure — soil thin and hard. They 

 have had a slow growth, but are very healthy 

 in appearance, though they have not borne 

 much yet. About twenty years since, we 

 procured a lot of scions from a natural stock, 

 of good repute in Perry county. We put 

 two of them in our front yard, on the brow 

 of a hard, shelly bank or point, at an eleva- 

 tion of ten or twelve feet from the water 

 course — southern exposure. They have had 

 a slow growth, but are now some twenty- 

 five feet in height — have been bearing for 

 several years, and are remarkably healthy — 

 not the least sign of blight as yet. While 

 those from the same maternal stock which 

 we planted in a rich soil, where they grew 

 as much in four years as the others did in 

 ten, have long since been entirely annihi- 

 lated with that fatal disease. 



We have an additional case yet, which, 

 although it involves another principle, tends 

 to the same result. About fifteen years 

 since, we planted in our garden, in ^ rich 

 a situation as nature and manure combined 

 could produce, one " Philadelphia Butter 

 Pear," which we had two or three years 

 previous engrafted on a natural stock. This 

 tree is of remarkably slow growth, and thus 

 secures from nature the same advantage 

 that others do from thin, hard soil. It began 

 to bear as soon as the top was as big as a 

 bushel, which, we believe, is some ten or 

 more years feince ; and we do not recollect 

 that it has failed to bear more or less every 

 year since. It is now about fifteen feet in 

 height, and has on this year what will make 

 some two or three barrels of pears, if it 

 meets with no mishap. There has never 

 been the least sign of blight, until about a 

 week since we discovered a limb on the top, 

 of about twenty inches in length, struck 

 with that disease, w})ich we mimediately 

 removed, but since have discovered no fur- 

 ther progress. An apple tree by its side, 

 was at the same time considerably aflfected 

 with the blight, the dead limbs being quite 

 numerous on the latter. 



The result of our experience, then, is, 

 that fifteen trees or more, planted on rich 

 soil, have every one disappeared with the 

 blight many years since, with the exception 

 of the Butter pear above, which had a slower 

 growth on rich land than the others had on 

 poor. And the four trees we planted on 

 thin, hard soil, consisting of two varieties of 

 natural fruit, have all lived, and so far done 

 well, though their kind perished with the 



