FRUIT committee's REPORT. 31 



simply to add a new name to it is undesirable. A new pear cannot be con- 

 sidered by growers as a valuable acquisition, unless, in some particular, either 

 of the fruit or tree, it is superior to varieties of the same season now pos- 

 sessed, and unless fully equal to these in quality should certainly be con- 

 demned as worthless. 



It would be vain to attempt to point out any particular course to be pursued 

 in the sowing of seeds that would most probably be attended with happy 

 results. Dr. Van Mons, on his sowing, acted upon the principle of raising suc- 

 cessive generations of seedlings ; Major Esperin trusted to the sowing of 

 seeds of promiscuous varieties indiscriminately ; and both were eminently suc- 

 cessful. It will be usually from eight to fifteen years before the seedlings 

 will produce fruit, in some instances perhaps longer. A large portion of the 

 young plants will be of no value, being of feeble growth and stunted habit. 

 So far as individual experience justifies a conclusion, out of any quantity of 

 seed sown, but about twenty per cent, of it will produce strong, healthy, vigor- 

 ous plants. Until it bears, no certain indication is afibrded by the tree as to 

 the quality of the future fruit ; though some general impression respecting it 

 may be produced by the general appearance of the tree, impressions that will 

 very likely prove fallacious. As an inducement to the raising of new varie- 

 ties of pears from seed, it has by some been said that such would be better 

 adapted to our soil and climate. This opinion, it is believed, has not been 

 sustained by facts; that the same diversity of constitution, some being 

 strong, some feeble, is found in these seedlings, as exists among varieties of 

 European origin ; at all events many of the best of these last named varieties 

 are sufficiently robust for all practical purposes and still constitute most of the 

 best kinds in cultivation. 



More recently that attention that previously seemed almost entirely en- 

 grossed by the pear, has in part been turned towards the grape, and numerous 

 attempts at their improvement, by raising new varieties from seed, have been 

 made, resulting in some instances in eminent success. With native grapes, 

 the state of things was very different from that which existed with respect 

 to the pear. When attempts at this improvement commenced, instead of being 

 numerous, as with the pear, the number of existing varieties of grapes was 

 very limited, neither had any of these attained to that degree of perfection 

 in quality that distinguished the best varieties of pears, thereby affording a 

 greater room for improvement, while without much advance towards improve- 

 ment an increase of varieties was not undesirable. Evidence of the atten- 

 tion that has been bestowed upon this subject, and the improvement that has 

 been made in the quality of our native grapes, has been submitted to the 

 Committee in some of the new varieties that have been presented them. 



Among the new varieties of grapes exhibited the past season were one or 

 two of foreign varieties, only adapted to grape house cultivation ; but the 

 greater part were of those suited to out door culture. Among the former 

 may be mentioned a seedling variety from Mr. M. H. Simpson, rather as an 



