460 General Notices. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Cultivation of the Easter Bcurre Pear. — This most delicious and valua- 

 ble late pear, is so rarely seen in perfection, that we take pleasure in laying 

 before our readers the experience of Mr. Rivers, as given in the Gardener's 

 Chronicle. We trust it may be the ineans of rendering this most excellent 

 variety more extensively cultivated, and in greater perfection than hereto- 

 fore : — 



Having long cultivated this pear, I am induced to offer the result of my 

 experience. About 10 years ago, I grafted 250 standard trees of seven 

 years' growth with this sort ; they were. fine plants of various sorts, planted 

 in rows for the purpose of being regrafted with some desirable variety. I 

 may here remark, that they were planted in soils very different in quality — 

 from a light sand to a deep rich loam ; the former im a hill, the latter in a 

 valley. The trees, after being grafted, made fine growth, and rapidly 

 formed fruit-buds, blooming abundantly the second season after being 

 grafted. The following two seasons the trees when in blossom were pic- 

 tures of beauty ; but, alas, I soon found that they were more ornamental 

 than useful. This variety puts forth its blossoms so early, and wlien the 

 trees are so entirely destitute of leaves, that, imlike many other varieties of 

 pear, they receive no protection from the young leaves; consequently, a 

 slight spring frost is apt to injure them. For three consecutive seasons, 

 my trees blossomed most abundantly and beautifully, and brought forth — 

 disappointment. In 1843, a most favorable season for pears, I had a par- 

 tial crop ; but, although the trees were healthy, I found many fruit mis- 

 shapen, and inclined to spot; they were placed in my fruit-cellar, with 

 other pears, and scarcely a fruit ripened well enough to be eatable. 



As I have given the dark side of the question, let us now turn to the 

 other. In France, this pear is esteemed as by far the best late pear they 

 have; it is cultivated to an enormous extent in every department ; but mark, 

 it is universally budded or grafted on the quince stock, on which it grows 

 freely, bears abundantly, and, what in our climate is of the utmost impor- 

 tance, ripens its fruit in all seasons. For the sake of contrast, I send you 

 the only specimens I have left, from a tree grafted on the quince. These, 

 I think, you will find juicy and high-flavored, but a little grilty at the core ; 

 this I attribute to the tree growing in a sandy soil, and its roots not being 

 protected by a covering of litter, or dung, during the dry, hot weather of 

 the last season. In France, it is cultivated on the quince stock, in every 

 description of soil and situation, with invariable success. I should recom- 

 mend, therefore, all those who wish to cultivate this pear as espalier, half- 

 standard, or as a pyramidal tree, to select plants budded or grafted on the 

 quince stock. For walls, with eastern or western aspects, I should also 



