174 



THE NURSERY AND THE ORCHARD. 



a Northern nursery, and the original tree is still alive, 

 and bears large crops annually. The LeConte is a hy- 



Fig. 112. 



brid, the result of a cross between the Chinese Sand Pear 

 and some cultivated variety. The tree is of rapid growth, 

 very prolific, bears young, and is comparatively free from 

 blight. The fruit is large, of good quality, an excellent 

 shipper, and sells at high prices. It is gathered when 

 the color first begins to change, and, if intended for ship- 

 ment, each specimen is wrapped in paper, and packed in 

 crates containing about one bushel each. The propaga- 

 tion is principally from cuttings. In furrows the width 

 of a spade, about fifteen inches deep, well enriched, cut- 

 tings of the last year's growth, ten or twelve inches long, 



