650 THE PEAR. 



After the blight, the other diseases which affect the pear-tree are 

 of little moment. They are chiefly the same as those to which the 

 apple is liable, the same insects occasionally affecting both trees, and we 

 therefore refer our readers to the section on the apple-tree. 



There is, however, a slug-worm, which occasionally does great damage 

 on the leaves of the pear-tree, which it sometimes entirely destroys. This 

 slug is the Selandria cerasi of Harris. It appears on the upper side of 

 the leaves of the pear-tree, from the middle of June to the middle of 

 July. It is nearly half an inch long when fully grown, olive-colored, 

 tapering from the head to the tail, not much unlike in shape a minia- 

 ture tadpole. The best destructive for this insect is ashes, plaster, dry 

 dust, or quicklime, sifted or sprinkled over the leaves, early in the 

 morning.* 



VARIETIES. 



The varieties of pear have so multiplied within the last thirty 

 years that they may almost be considered endless. Of the new vari- 

 eties, Belgium has produced the greatest number of high quality; 

 England and France many of excellence ; and, lastly, quite a number 

 of valuable sorts have originated in this country, to which some addi- 

 tions are made annually. The latter, as a matter of course, are found 

 even more generally adapted to our climate than any foreign sorts. 

 But we believe the climate of the Middle States is so nearly like that of 

 Belgium, that the pear is grown here as a standard to as great perfec- 

 tion as in. any other country. 



More than one thousand kinds of pears, collected from all parts of 

 the world, have been fruited here, but only a small proportion of these 

 have been found of first-rate quality, and a very large number of them 

 are of little or no value. The great difficulty seems to be, to decide 

 which are the really valuable sorts, worth universal cultivation. We 

 shall not, perhaps, arrive at this point, in this country, for several years, 

 not until all the most deserving sorts have had repeated trials, and the 

 difficulty is always increased by the fact of the difference of climate and 

 soil, and the continuous increase of new varieties. A variety may 

 prove of superior merit in one locality and quite indifferent in another, 

 owing to the influence of soil and climate. This, however, is true only 

 to a very limited extent, as the fact that most sorts of the first character 

 receive nearly the same praise in Belgium, England, and all parts of 

 this country, clearly proves. High flavor, handsome appearance, pro- 

 ductiveness, and uniformly good flavor in all seasons these are the cri- 

 terions of the first class of pears.f 



* Many theories and speculative opinions have been promulgated during the 

 past twenty or more years since these remarks on blight were written, but, so far 

 as we can learn, nothing conclusive is yet known. There are many persons 

 holding the views here expressed, while others support a theory of atmospheric 

 fungoid blight with equally good reasoning. 



f The most successful cultivator of pears in this country, whose collection 

 comprises hundreds of varieties, lately assured us that if he were asked to 

 name all the sorts that he considered of unvarying and unquestionable excellence 

 in all respects, he could not count more than twenty ! It may, then, be asked, 

 Why do all cultivate so large a variety ? We answer, because the quality of many 

 is yet not fully decided ; again, there is a great difference in taste, as to the 



