156 THE CANADIAN HOIITICULTURIST. 



THE CHINESE SAND PEAE NOT BLIGHT PEOOF. 



We copy from one of our exchanges the following, which is credited 

 to P. T. Quinn in " American Garden." There is one element wanting 

 in this experiment to settle the question of the liability of the Chinese 

 Sand Pear to blight, and that is this : Mr. Quinn seems to say tliat 

 lie grafted on healthy pear trees the Japan Pear, seedling of the Cliinese 

 Sand Pear. Now may it not be that the Japan Pear thus grafted on 

 the common pear becomes by this union subject to blight, when if 

 grown on its own stock it would be exempt ? However the trees that 

 are being offered for sale as blight proof because they are hybrids 

 between the Chinese Sand and the common pear, are doubtless worked 

 upon the common pear, and all claim to imnmnity from blight seems 

 to be proven to be unfounded by the experience of Mr. Quinn. Have 

 any of our readers planted any of these hybrid sand pear trees ? If 

 so, have they blighted ? True, the fact that they have not yet blighted 

 does not prove that they will not blight, and considerable time will 

 be needed to ascertain, by introducing them into different sections of 

 the country, and on all varieties of soil, whether they will be any less 

 subject to it than our common pear trees. If they should prove to be 

 less subject it will be some gain, provided the fruit is well flavored. 



Some ten or twelve years afjo I planted and grafted on healthy trees the 

 Japan pears, seedlings of the Chinese Sand. These sorts have all the traits 

 of their parent, in vigor of growth, rank foliage, which for brilliancy of color 

 in the fall equals the red flowing maple, and besides being prolific bearers. 

 The fruit seemed proof against insects, while the growth and habits of the 

 trees seenied to defy attack from any source. My plan was to propagate 

 these varieties and graft the slower growing sorts on them, and in this way 

 get a more vigorous growth of wood, and possibly laiger fruit, of sorts like 

 the Seckel. 



Until last year I had no reason to doubt that those Japan pears were 

 blight proof But now I have good reason to think differently. The fire 

 blight struck these trees early last summer, and wliat is unusual it destroyed 

 every branch and twig of several large trees, not leaving me a single sprig 

 of wood to propagate from. This wholesale destruction of these kinds is 

 wore curious because we had only one more instance in the orchard during 

 the year, and that v/as a couple of large branches of a Swan's Orange tree 

 in a distant part of the orchard. This experience settles the question in 

 my own mind that it is folly to assert that the Chinese Sand, or seedlings 

 from it, are blight proof, for the instance which I have stated above prove 

 to bo tlie couti'arv. 



