Progress of Horticulture for 1852. 5 



spring time and harvest, though the former may be some- 

 times too short, and the latter too scanty, the years of plenty 

 are scattered along our path, and we have but to go on, re- 

 gardless of a year's disappointment, with the same care, 

 attention and labor, to reap the rich results which are in 

 store for every zealous lover of good fruits and beautiful 

 trees. 



Horticulture. 



The attention of cultivators for some years, has been so 

 excessively devoted to the introduction of new fruits, more 

 particularly pears, that the art of cultivation has been greatly 

 neglected. Hence we have seen that many varieties, received 

 with a high reputation, have so disappointed expectation, that 

 they have been engrafted with older and well known sorts. 

 Scarce half a dozen years have elapsed since the general cry 

 was that the Glout Morceau was almost a worthless pear for 

 general cultivation, dropping its fruit, and an uncertain crop. 

 Now we find that it is not only a fine fruit, but in fact fully 

 equal to, if not superior, to the Beurre d'Aremberg, which has 

 had all the praise that it deserves. So too, with the Easter 

 Beurre, Marie Louise, and many others. Many persons have 

 cut ofi" large and fine trees, from the mere rumor that they 

 would fail to give satisfaction. Small, knurly and tasteless 

 specimens were produced on young trees, and from such fruit 

 the character of the variety was made out. But mark the 

 change. With a better knowledge of the art of cultivation, 

 these poor pears have been brought up to the size and per- 

 fection which had preceded their introduction, and now are 

 becoming the most popular sorts. Individuals who pinned 

 their faith upon the hearsay evidence of those who had not 

 yet cultivated these fruits as they should be, cut off valuable 

 trees, and are now glad to plant out young ones to supply 

 their place. Such will always be the result of haste. Two 

 things, therefore, are necessary before we condemn a fruit : 

 one, that they should be well cultivated, and the other, that 

 they should be ripened properly. The exhibitions of the 

 past year have exemplified this ; such fine specimens have 



