410 THE PEAR. 



buttery, and juicy, when allowed to mature in a room kept at 

 the temperature of 60 or 70 degrees. 



PROPAGATION. The finer sorts of pears are continued or in- 

 creased, by grafting and budding, and the stocks, on which to 

 work, are either seedlings or suckers. Sucker stocks have usu- 

 ally such indifferent roots, they are so liable to produce suckers, 

 continually, themselves, and are so much less healthy than seed- 

 lings, that they are now seldom used by good cultivators; 

 though, if quite young and thrifty, they will often make good 

 stocks. 



Seedlings, however, are by far the best stocks for the pear, 

 in alfcases ; and seedlings from strong growing, healthy pears, 

 of common quality such as grow about most farmers' gardens, 

 are preferable, for stocks, to those raised from the best varie- 

 ties being more hardy and vigorous. 



As it is usually found more difficult to raise a good supply of 

 seedling pear stocks in this country, than of any other fruit tree, 

 we will here remark that it is absolutely necessary, to ensure 

 success, that two points be observed. The first, is to clean and 

 sow the seed as soon as may be, after the fruit is well matured ; 

 the second, to sow it only in deep rich soil. It should be pre- 

 viously trenched if not naturally deep at least twenty inches 

 or two feet deep, and enriched with manure or compost mixed 

 with ashes. This will give an abundant supply of nutriment to 

 the young seedlings, the first year without which, they become 

 starved and parched, after a few inches' growth, by our hot and 

 dry summer, when they frequently fall a prey to the aphis and 

 other insects at the root and top. A mellow, rich soil, whose 

 depth ensures a supply of moisture, will give strong seedlings, 

 which are always, at two years' growth, fit to go into the nur- 

 sery rows for budding. While a dry, thin soil will seldom 

 produce good stocks, even in half a dozen years. 



The seeds should be sown precisely like those of the apple, 

 in broad drills, and the treatment of the stocks, when planted 

 in the rows for budding, is quite similar. Budding is almost 

 universally preferred by us, for propagating the pear, and this 

 tree takes so readily, that very few failures can happen to an 

 experienced hand. About the first of August, in this latitude, 

 is the proper season for performing this operation. 



We may add here, that one year old pear seedlings, are often 

 winter-killed, when the autumn has not been such as to ripen 

 the wood thoroughly. A few branches of evergreens, or some 

 slight covering laid along the rows, will prevent this. Or, they 

 may be laid in by the heels, in a sheltered place. 



The thorn makes very good stocks for the pear, except, that 

 if grafted above ground, the tree is often apt to be broken off at 

 the point of union, by high winds. This is obviated by grafting 

 a little below the surface. Grafting on the thorn is a very use- 



