218 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GAUDENER. 



1871 



4. Those trees worked on the quince are some- 

 what less liable to blight than when worked on the 

 pear stock. This is because the quince has to some 

 extent, the same effect as root pruning in checking 

 unusual and exuberant growth of young wood. 

 This unusual growth being the most prolific pre- 

 disposing cause of blight, for the next season. 

 Trees thus worked upon the quince come into bear- 

 ing early, and although the trees may make roots 

 from the pear while quite young, yet the amount of 

 fruit produced makes such demands on the root for 

 sap that the unusual growth of wood which would 

 otherwise be made is greatly reduced, and conse- 

 quently danger from blight greatly lessened. 



5. Whenever a tree is so transplanted as to sink 

 the junction of the pear with the quince, from two 

 to four inches be ow the surface of the ground, the 

 pear will, in most cases, without any other manipu- 

 lation, take root, and thus gradually convert a 

 dwarf into a standard tree. By thus using the 

 quince as a stock, we secure an early supply of fruit 

 and in the case of some varieties an improvement 

 of size, beauty and flavor, and at the same time are 

 gradually increasing the size of the tree with the 

 enlargement of the crop of fruit, while the life of 

 the tree is prolonged to quite old age. 



The foregoing remarks are intended to apply to 

 those soils that are more congenial to the growth of 

 the quince than to the pear. 



Our own soil is composed of loam, gravel and 

 shale, with a sub-soil of strong, heavy clay. We 

 have about sixty-five trees in bearing, about four- 

 teen years of age, most of them having borne for 

 several years. Our site is an inclined plane, incli- 

 ning at an angle of about 30 degrees, affording am- 

 ple surface drainage. In the soil above described 

 the quince grows finely. The pear root, especially 

 when deeply sunk does not succeed near so well as 

 the quince. When our trees were set in their pres- 

 ent position, there were three of them on the pear 

 root, the balance on the quince. Those on the 

 quince, generally, have greatly outgrown those on 

 the pear root ; so that for soils of the above descrip- 

 tion, we feel quite safe in recommending the quince 

 as the better stock for those kinds which unite read- 

 ily and successfully with the quince. Among the 

 varieties which may be relied upon for such soils, 

 when so worked are the following : Beurre d'An- 

 jou, Beurre Diel, Duchess d'Angouleme, Easter 

 Beurre, Glout Morceau, Louise Bon e'Jersey, Vicar 

 of Winkfield, Urbaniste, White Doyenne, Stevens' 

 Genessee, and Tyson. 



Many of our trees were originally planted as 

 dwarfs, have, without any assistance of ours, thrown 

 out roots from the pear, and have consequently 

 become standards — we use the word standard in its 

 common acceptation. Those trees whose pear roots 

 are growing near the surface are now making fine 



growth and promise to become quite large. We 

 know that many of them have rooted from the 

 pear, because they throw up pear suckers from the 

 surface. Hence the preference to be givin either to 

 the pear or the quince as a stock for the pear, must 

 be determined mainly, by the composition ol the 

 soil in which we wish to plant. 



We would remark that the best informed among 

 us have much to learn upon the subject of success- 

 ful pear culture, not only in the adaptation of stocks, 

 soils, and climates, but also in regard to the various 

 diseases which attack both tree and Iruit, with their 



preventives and cures, 



» » * 



Iiessons of 1869 and '70. 



By Dr. James Weed, Muscatine. 



Editor Pomolooist and Gardener: — The 

 prominent characteristics of the two seasons 

 present striking contrasts. The former was excess- 

 ively wet with early and very severe autumnal 

 frosts; the latter witnessed the most severe and 

 protracted drouth that has occurred in this locality 

 since the settlement of the country. In 1869 apples 

 and cherries were especially abundant ; in 1870 

 both were nearly a complete failure. Apples in '69 

 were much damaged by early frosts. October 19th 

 mercury at 30 degs. On the 20th it fell to 22 degs. 

 At near 10 o'clock, A. M. the foreman on my broth- 

 er's farm brought me an apple solidly frozen, and 

 wished me to advise him whether he should con- 

 tinue picking. I went to the orchard and found 

 all frozen solid, and my own men engaged in hand 

 picking had gathered several barrels of Eaules' 

 Janett, a variety said to endure freezing better than 

 most others. These I ordered taken to the well, 

 the barrels to be filled with cold water, and the 

 picking was discontinued, as from appearances they 

 were probably injured, if not spoiled. Business 

 calling me to town I left in much the same humor 

 I can imagine the milkmaid was in, in view of the 

 dull prospect of a new silk dress with the spilled 

 milk at her feet. 



On my return at noon, however, I found the ap- 

 ples on the trees under a warm sun had resumed 

 their natural plumpness and elasticity, and were all 

 as perfect as ever except the diminutive and unripe 

 ones, which were wrinkled and soft throughout. 

 My workmen said, "what shall be done with those 

 in the barrels ? They have frozen the water to one 

 solid mass." They were left until the ice melted, 

 but were hardly as plump as those left on the trees. 

 On the 23d at 6 o'clock, a. m. temperature was 30 

 degs. — at 9 p. m., 23 degs. — at 6 a. m. on the 24th, 

 18 degrees. Apples were again frozen and present- 

 ed, so far as could be judged by the senses, the 

 same condition as on the morning of the 20th. 

 Some were gathered and put into cold water, but 

 when the frost came out they were in common 



