No. 199.] 199 



were worthless all over the United Stales ; nnil he believed the com- 

 mittee only intended, in their report, that such had better be extermi- 

 nated. Still he wished to proceed very carefully, and if any gentle- 

 man objected to the rejection of any fruit, he would let it stand. As 

 to these four pears, there were over a hundred others infinitely supe- 

 rior to them, and if they could be put out of sight it would be the 

 better for us. 



Mr. Hancock, of New-Jersey remarked that the Astm Tow>n always 

 cracked badly with him. He had never been able to raise a good crop. 



Mr. HovEY moved that all the fruits recommended to be placed 

 upon the rejected list should so be done without debate, unless objec- 

 tions were made. 



Mr. Hayes hoped that the committee would give some reasons for 

 the rejection of the fruits. 



Mr. Downing replied, that if we should calculate ninety per cent 

 of the millions of fruit trees in this country, to be really not valuable 

 for general cultivation, and if we could supply their places witk 

 others unquestionably good, certainly that would be a very desirable 

 result. He was very far from supposing (hat the present list could be 

 adopted exactly as it stood, but if a congress like thisj composed of 

 gentlemen from all parts of the country, from Bangor to Illinois a^d 

 Iowa, could agree upon any thirty varieties, for example, which it 

 was not worth while to cuUivate, in that ease a great step would as- 

 suredly hare been tc^oiCw. 



Mr. French said that he likewise was absent last year when the 

 vote spoken of was taken, but he must still continue to think it bet- 

 ter to agree only on a list of such fruits as were worthy of cultivation. 

 He acknowledg-ed these four pears under consideration to be good for 

 nothing, but coming down to the Buffum pear, (which, perhaps, he 

 had marked a step too high before, and which might not be regarded 

 as more than fourth-rate,) that was a hardy tree and good bearer. 

 True, there were fifty other varieties whose fruit was far better, but 

 it did appear to him better for the congress to confine itself to a re- 

 commendation of what its members thought best, thaA to undertake 

 to prescribe any variety. 



Mr. Walker rejoined, that the committee had no wish whatever to 

 strike off a single pear, if it were not desired by the congress. Mem- 

 bers, and the people generally, wanted to know what varieties were 



