THE PEAR. 106 



phosphates in its composition. These must be supplied by free 

 dressings of bone-dust and slaked ashes. Whole bones from the 

 slaughter-house will answer where the dust can not be obtained. 

 Iron filings and sweepings from the blacksmith's shop are very 

 good to be worked in around and about the pear-trees. 



"Working the pear on quince has become quite popular among 

 nurserymen of late years. With some varieties this mode answers 

 well, but with others does not succeed at all. Thomas, in his 

 Fruit Culturist, gives the following list of those which succeed 

 J)e8t on the quince : 



Louise Bonne de Jersey, Buerre d'Amalia, Stevens' Genesee, 



Buerre Diel, Yicar of Winkfleld, Fortune, 



Duchess d'Angouleme, Long Green of Autumn, Glout Morceau, 



Easter Buerre, Early Eousselet, Chaumontelle. 



He also gives a list of about thirty, which usually succeed equally 

 well on the pear and quince stock. 



Cultivators should be guarded against relying too much upon 

 this mode of culture. For orchard culture, pear stocks are gener- 

 ally to be preferred. Those on quince roots are not apt to be so 

 long-lived — they require more care and skill in pruning, and they 

 also require a far higher culture. Yet there is this advantage with 

 them — they generally come much more early into bearing, many 

 varieties bearing quite freely at two and three years from the nur- 

 eery. 



The . following on that point, from one of the latest as well as 

 the most reliable authorities, is worthy of special attention at this 

 time : 



" While a very 'arge number of varieties will take, and grow for 

 a year or two finely, there are comparatively few that succeed for 

 a series of years in continued vigor and productiveness, when 

 grown on any stock but that of the pear ; and while the cultiva- 

 tion is now very extensive on the quince root, we can not but fear 

 that in eight tenths it M'ill prove unprofitable to the grower ; and 

 ID the remaining two tenths require equally as much care in sup- 

 plying nutrition and pruning as a system of root-pruning when 

 grown on pear roots. * * * * Orcharding with the pear on 

 the quince, in the manner of most orcharding in this country, will 

 never repay the first cost of the trees ; but if trees are selected of 



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