PROCEEDINGS OF THE HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. C33 



the worthlcjsH varietieB of fruit to be diHcarded, and the Inscious progres- 

 sive fi(:<:i\\iu'^H rif this country and of Europe will take their placeH. One 

 of the rno.st prominent ohjectH of this Bociety in to diHHerninate knowledge, 

 HO that tlie amateur and the orcliardiMt may plant »ur;h varieties of fruit as 

 will carry on the good work in which we are interested. 



I propose to-night to Hpeak of the pear and its improved European seed- 

 lingH. The following varieties, I think, possess sufficient merit to recom- 

 mend their introduction into general cultivation: 



The Doyenne de (Jf/mmice. — Fruit large, yellow. Season October and 

 November. This is one of the most promising new pears, and will, I think, 

 become popular when it is better known. 



The Ilenkd. — Hather large, yf;llow, slightly russeted, buttery, melting 

 and fine. One of the best of Van Mons' seedlings. Season, October. 



The De longres. — A very laige and beautiful pear of excelleutquality. 

 It has been fruited in this country about four years, and is a promising 

 variety. Ripening in September and Octol>er. 



The De Nonnen. — A good sized pear. I have fruited this variety for 

 several years. It proves to be a pear of the first quality, coming early into 

 bearing. Season September and Octf>ber. 



Duchefn de Jierry d) Ele. — .\ medium sized pear, very handsome and of 

 first quality. Kipening the last of August. 



The Jieurre Hardy. — A large pear of first quality. This pear may be 

 safely introduced into general cultivation. Season last of September. 



Fonda,nle de Ch/xmeuHe. — A very beautiful and excellent new Belgian 

 variety, as large as the Bartlett. Kipening in October. 



ManninrfH Etizaleth. — A medium sized pear, ripening in August. This 

 variety should be introduced into the smallest collection. It is one of oor 

 best summer pears. 



Doyenne de Ilicer d^Aleneon. — A goo4 sized pear of excellent quality 

 keeping until April. 



Beurre St. Nicholas, Heurre Kennun, Madam Eliza o:ad WiJ.I//raoz are 

 varieties promising to be of the first order. 



The pear tree is a native of Asia. It is found growing wild with the 

 apple, but it is hardier and a much longer lived tree. There are trees on 

 record of great size and age. Several in England are known to be over 

 400 years old. They are natural seedlings, or wildlings, which produce 

 what is called the perry pear. The fruit is worthless except for making 

 perry, a pear cider. From one of these trees more than fifteen hogsheads 

 of perry was made in one year. We have some remarkable pear trees in 

 this country. There is one in Illinois the girth of its trunk one foot from 

 the ground, is ten feet, and it is enormously productive ; it yielded in one 

 season 184 bushels of pears. . We have a most remarkable pear tree not 

 more than a hundred yards from this building, the seed of which was 

 planted more than 250 years ago, by Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of the 

 Dutch colony. It is quite vigorous and bearing annually a crop of pleasant 

 Summer pears, quite attractive in appearance. When we look back to 

 the days of Duhamel, Miller, Forsyth and others, who cultivated the Bon- 

 chraton, Martin Sec, Messire Jean, Blankets, and pears of that sort, and 

 compare them with the Beurre Superfijie, Beurre Hardy, Doyenne de Com- 



