206 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



trated sweets of a well ripened Beurr6 d' Anjou we can 

 readily see what cultivation has done for the fruit we are 

 discussing. Pears are frequently mentioned in the 

 writings of the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Syrians and 

 Egyptians, and came from the east through Italy.and were 

 from here scattered over Western Europe, and from thence 

 to the Western Hemisphere. The Pears used by these 

 early people were, from all accounts, not of the exquisite 

 flavor of our modern varieties, and the flavor did not 

 improve greatly until the latter part of the sixteenth 

 century, and it is only during the last one hundred and 

 twenty-five years that we have added such luxuries as 

 the Bartlett, the Seckel and the Beurre d' Anjou. The 

 finding of the Seckel in this country as an accidental 

 variety shows that we have all the requisites here for the 

 pear to thrive and develope its most exquisite qualities 

 The Pear Tree, as a standard, lives to a great age, reaches 

 often, a very large size ; commences to bear at a com- 

 paratively early age and yields a great abundance of 

 fruit. There is a fermented drink made from pears called 

 Perry to distinguish it from the Cider made from apples, 

 but in the local option counties of the Eastern Shore it 

 is called "Pear Cider "and in many cases proves itself 

 a very entangling alliance. 



The Pear tree starting from the seed is developed 

 as follows : We plant the seed, heat, moisture, and air, 

 cause germination, and, if we bury it too deep, so as to 



