106 APPENDIX. 



The apparent decline in these districts is owing to the lightness 

 of the soil, which in this climate, under our hot sun (as 

 we have already remarked), lays the foundation of more tliar 

 half the diseases of fruit-trees — because, after a few years, the 

 necessary sustenance is exhausted by the roots of a bearing tree, 

 and every one knows how rarely it is re-supplied in this country. 

 We can from our own observation on the effects of soil, take a 

 map and mark out the sandy district on the whole sea-board, 

 where certain sorts of pears no longer bear good fruit; wdiile 

 within a few miles, on strong deep loams, the fruit is fair and 

 beautiful — the trees healthy and luxuriant. 



Nothing is more convincing, on this point, than to compare 

 the vigour and productiveness of the old pears, at the present 

 moment, in the new soils of Rochester and Syracuse, abounding, 

 not merely with vegetable matter, but with the necessary /w- 

 organic food, with the same sorts grown along the sea-board, in 

 light soils, w^iere the latter elements are no longer present in 

 sufficient abundance. In the former localities, it -is as common 

 to see trees of the old variety bearing from ten to twenty bush- 

 els of unblemished fruit annually, as it is in the latter to see 

 them bearing only crops of blighted pears. 



Recent experiments have proved that it is not sufficient to 

 bring healthy trees of the old varieties from the interior to the 

 sea-board to insure, in the latter localities, fair and excellent 

 crops. But, on the other hand, the complete renovation of 

 blighted trees in light and exhausted soils, by the plentiful use 

 of wood-ashes, bone-dust, lime, and blacksmith cinders, along 

 with common manure, shows us distinctly that it is not the age 

 of these varieties of fruit which causes their apparent decline, 

 but a want of that food absolutely necessary to the production 

 of healthy fruit. 



But there is another interesting point in this investigation. 

 Do the newly-originated sorts really maintain in the unfavour- 

 able districts the appearance of perfect health ? Are the new 

 pears uniformly healthy where the old ones are always feeble ? 



Undoubtedly this question must be answered in the negative. 

 Some of the latest Flemish pears already exhibit symptoms of 

 decay or bad health in these districts. Even Mr. Kenrick, with 

 all his enthusiasm for the new sorts, is obliged to make the fol- 

 lowing admission respecting the Beurre Diel pear, the most vigo- 

 rous and hardy here of all : " I regret to add, that ne-ar Boston 



fruit. Towards midsummer its leaves are disfigured with dark or black 

 spots, and except a few at the ends, fall from the branches. The fruit is 

 covered with black specks, often ceases growing when at half its size, and 

 in the worst cases the skin becomes hard, cracks, and the fruit is entirely 

 worthless. This rusty and diseased state of the skin, is caused by the at- 

 tack of a minute species of fungi [Uredo, Fuccinia, etc.) which fasten 

 upon, or are generated in vegetable surfaces in a languid state of health. 



