42 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



character; does not seem to be worthy of a place among the good pears. It 

 was our privilege to visit the garden of Dr. Siiurtleff and examine the thirty- 

 five or forty seedling pears that he had in bearing at that time, which was 

 about the l.ith of September, and we confess we were both pleased and sur- 

 prised to find so many large, fine looking pears raised from seed. There was 

 hardly a very poor one among them all, and some promise well, as we have 

 already observed. Any man should deem himself fortunate to be able to 

 produce one new pear, out of a thousand seedlings, that shall be found worthy 

 to take a place among the really good and desirable varieties. Dr. Shurtleff 

 has certainly labored diligently and understandingly in this matter, and de- 

 serves the highest success. Time will decide the merits of his seedlings, but 

 if some of them do not realize the expectations of their originator then we 

 shall be disappointed. We shall watch them with a good degree of interest. 



Mr. VVliieldon placed on the tables, at the Annual Exhibition, his seedling 

 pear called the " VVheildon." This pear has never been brought to the notice 

 of the Committee in the regular manner, hence we have had no opportunity to 

 test it properly. During the hurry and bustle of the Exhibition, we cannot 

 form a correct estimate of the qualities of a pear from a single specimen, or 

 even two, shared among the Committee in the exhibition room. We annex a 

 description as found in the last Patent Office Report, with slight alterations : 

 " Size medium to large; form, obtuse, obovate, pyriform, but variable in shape ; 

 color dull greenish yellow, with stripes, specks, and marblings of russet; ir- 

 regular, uneven surface ; stem long, largest at the end that joins the tree ; 

 cavity acute, furrowed ; calyx large, with long segments, half closed ; basin 

 furrowed ; flesh yellowish white, a little coarse-grained, and gritty around the 

 core, tender, breaking, sweet, rather jnicy, aromatic ; core and capsules small ; 

 season lust of September and October. Tree spreading, upright, healthy 

 grower, productive." 



A seedling shown by J. W. Foster, was tested : fair size, shape of Merriam ; 

 coarse, gritty, fair quality, not promising. Walker &l Co. exhibited their 

 new pear Mount Vernon again. It never appeared better, it being of large 

 size and handsome appearance, attracting considerable attention ; somewhat 

 russety, with a red cheek ; stout stem, with a very strong cinnamon flavor ; 

 a good pear, but we fear it will not keep well As it has only been grown 

 in one location, we cannot predict what it would do under different cir- 

 cumstances, but think it will be grown to some extent on account of its dis- 

 tinct and peculiar flavor. It is not a pear of the very, highest character as 

 regards quality. Another seedling was shown' at the Annual Exhibition called 

 the Ellis pear, the specimens being brought from New Bedford by W. P. 

 Jenny, to whom we acknowledge our obligations. An outline and description 

 of it is given in the Magazine of Horticulture for October, page 371, a part of 

 which we annex : " Size large, about four inches long, and two and three- 

 quarters in diameter ; form elongated or obtuse, pyriform, contracted near the 

 middle, swollen on one side, rounding off" to the crown, which is small and 



