MARCH. 121 



giving away grafts. If, when the period of bearing is at 

 hand, the following characteristics of the tree are observed, 

 viz., a straight, upright, substantial stem, not too tall, branches 

 and shoots somewhat erect, forming, however, tolerably wide 

 angles, a portion of them being furnished with spines and 

 blunt spurs, some of which also appear on the stem and 

 upper parts of the tree, there is a probability of the seedling 

 proving good. If the fruit set well in spring, notwithstand- 

 ing the frosts and vicissitudes of weather which occur at that 

 season, and if from three to eight flowers of which the truss 

 may be composed, shall set as many fruits, there is a 

 probability of its being both hardy and productive. The 

 stalk should have a firm attachment to the spur, so that the 

 fruit may not be readily blown off by the wind. The fruits 

 should be of fine form and good size. Those formed on the 

 stem will always be larger than those on small branches or 

 slender elongated spurs, and will likewise prove of better 

 quality. The fruits from the successive and final gatherings 

 should be carefully marked, in order to ascertain the difler- 

 ence when they come to be tasted, and to discover their 

 mean time of ripening. A single production of fruit, and 

 only one tasting, are not sufficient for the proper determina- 

 tion of the quality of a variety and its mean period of 

 ripening. Several successive crops in different kinds of soil 

 are necessary in order to appreciate the fertility, qualitj'', and 

 the period of ripening of a new variety. 



When in the first year of bearing, vigor, hardiness, and a 

 -"ertain degree of productiveness are observed in a seedling, 

 and when the fruit fulfils the requisite conditions as regards 

 size and flavor, (these will be spoken of further on,) it is 

 advisable to graft the variety on the pear stock for dwarfs 

 and standards, and on the quince for quenouilles. 



In order to preserve in the seedling all the qualities above 

 enumerated, it is necessary to take vigorous cuttings (as we 

 have proved in former communications) from the upper part 

 of the seedling tree, and from the shoots nearest the places 

 where fruits were borne. 



A graft worked on a strong pear stock at the height of six 



VOL. XXII. NO. III. 16 



