The Canadian Horticulturist. 355 



THE BOSC PEAR. 



WANT to say " Amen " to the hearty recommendation The Rural has 

 given to the Beurre Bosc pear. Downing gave it "unqualified praise" 

 many years ago, and all he said of it then has been literally true ever 

 since. The American Pomological Society has continued to shower 

 "stars" upon it in 25 States and provinces, and yet The Rural's 

 question, " Is this delightful pear known to all of our readers who 

 raise pears?" is a pertinent one. My own observation answers, "No." There 

 are hundreds of orchards in New York State alone where the variety cannot be 

 found, and many of the growers do not seem to even know of its existence. 



The Bosc (as it is now properly called) is a Belgian pear, having originated 

 with Van Motis in 1807. It is most distinct in character, being wholly unlike 

 any other of the pear family. In shape and size it is without a rival. Its hand- 

 some pyriform always seems like an ideal pear to me, and it is uniformly large, 

 smooth and regular. Compared with Downing's outline, my fruit is always 

 broader at the base. An obovate, elongated pyriform would perhaps describe 

 the shape better than nearly " pyriform," which is at best an ambiguous term in 

 the absence of any typical pear form. I think on the whole Downing's outline 

 is slightly inaccurate in the respect indicated as applied to the Bosc as generally 

 grown in America. The quality is indeed delicious and excellent as described. 

 The cinnamon-russet exterior is without knots, and covers the firm, rich, melting, 

 perfumed flesh inside. The fruit keeps well and is devoid of any strong 

 peculiarity in flavor requiring an education of the palate to appreciate. The 

 tree is healthy and productive, thought not a very early bearer with me. The 

 wood is strong and handsome, and the habit of the tree excellent. It does, 

 however, grow in clusters to some extent on my trees, often two or three 

 together, as I find now on some grafts I have, and then the three long specimens 

 are beautiful indeed. Another valuable feature of the Bosc is it does not scab, 

 crack or mildew. This season it is growing in my garden grafted on Flemish 

 Beauty stock with the cracked and scabby " Beautys," hanging around it, but 

 the Bosc are all without a blemish. Why yes, everybody ought to plant the 

 Bosc. It has not the flavoring and deceptive cheek of the Clairgeau, but it has 

 positive merit and is one of the best of all pears. — H. H., in R. N. Y. 



"Apple Trees do not require the constant nursing and coddling that 

 orange trees must have to secure good crops. We have to grub the soil two or 

 three times during the summer to keep down weeds ; we have to sprinkle the 

 foliage to kill insects, and we have to scrape and wash the trunk and twigs for 

 the same object. We manure once or twice a year, and then we have frosts to 

 contend with, and our fruit goes a long way to find a market." And this is the 

 story many orange growers tell. Apple culture in New England promises quite 

 as well to those who will learn the requisites to success as orange growing in 

 Florida or elsewhere.— New England Farmer. 



