No. 199.] 211 



Mr. Frenxh knew thai (he Buffuni did not rule as high as many 

 ether varieties, hut still it w^s worth cultivating. 



Mr. Downing reminded gentlemen that the Convention of last 

 year had determinded (o cast out all such classifications iisftrst rate^ 

 second raie^ Sfc.j and to adopt the designations of" gccd^^ '■' very gccd^^ 

 ^^besf,^^ as more definite and useful. 



Mr, Fren'ch said that then he should call the Buffum n gccd pear, 



Mr. Downing observed in continuation, that this was a list for 

 general cultivation, not one recommended to amateurs alone. If a par- 

 ticular fruit were only good^ even if that were uni'.ed with other 

 desirable qualities, productiveness, hardiness, &c., he should be very 

 willing to recommend it for general cultivation. 



Dr. MoNSON thought this a very desirable pear to have when others 

 were scarce. It was a good bearer, and the tree was a beautiful one. 

 Why not have such a variety on the list 1 



Mr. HovEY said the Buffum was a very good pear, though not of 

 the best description. But sii]ipose that a poTson coulii have but two 

 trees ^ though there were many better varieties which he would like 

 to cultivate, would he not, on the whole, prefer a tree from which he 

 could obtain four or six bushels of good pears for market, to one from 

 which he could get only one and a half or two bushels 1 And having 

 but two trees, would he not desire that one of them, at least, should' 

 be a large bearer 1 Of what use to a grower of fruit for the market 

 would be a variety of greater excellence in itself, but of vastly greater 

 inferiority in point of bearing? And even gentlemen who could 

 afford to suit their fancy, did not want poor looking specimens in 

 their grounds, and must therefore set some value upon the Buffum in 

 consequence of the beauty of the tree. 



Mr. BuiST said that if this pear should pa?s muster as being first- 

 rate for its bearing qualities, still he could not recommend it as such 

 to his friends. 



Mr. Miller, of Carlisle, Pa., said that some thought the rating of 

 a vaiiety depended upon the foliage, others upon the beauty of the 

 tree, and others again upon the quality of the fruit. But surely the 

 list was large enough to combine all these requisites. 



Mr. Hanccck commented upon the statement that the Buffum was 

 a good fruit for th? market. But was he to go to the market to be 

 imposed upon 1 If the fruit w^'^s good, he cared nothing for the shape 



