30 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 256. 



without such proof — namely, that the two plants belong 

 really to one genus. 



The whole system of classification is admittedly arbi- 

 trary, and the division of plants into genera is necessarily 

 often only a temporary arrangement, to be reconsidered 

 when more is known. In England we keep the genera 

 Aloe, Gasteria and Haworthia distinct, but many Conti- 

 nental botanists unite them under Aloe. We have a plant 

 at Kew, Aloe Lynchii, which is the product of a Gasteria 

 crossed with an Aloe. In England this is a bigeneric hy- 

 brid, elsewhere it is not. As a rule, however, the boot is 

 on the other leg. Continental schools being the "splitters," 

 English the "lumpers." 



I know of seedlings which are the result of crossing 

 Amaryllis Belladonna with Vallota purpurea. Should these 

 prove genuine hybrids, we must, to be consistent, unite the 

 Belladonna Lily with the Vallota, and these again with 

 Cyrtanthus. To those who believe in bigeneric hybrids, 

 this is a "rather large order," and yet any one who knows 

 the genus Cyrtanthus must agree that it comprises plants 

 that are remarkably like both the Vallota and Amaryllis. 

 It would simplify matters if botanists would look upon the 

 intercrossing of two plants as conclusive proof of their 

 generic relationship. Of course, the converse of the above 

 argument does not hold good — namely, that plants which 

 refuse to intercross are therefore, ipso facto, generically dis- 

 tinct. We have tried again and again to cross certain 

 plants of undoubtedly the same genus, such as Begonia, 

 Crinum, Nymphaea, Rhododendron, etc., but have never 

 succeeded. Failure in such cases is, no doubt, due to some 

 slight difference, constitutional or other, and certainly not 

 to any such structural differences as those upon which all 

 good genera are based. 



London. 



W. Watson. 



Cultural Department. 



Late-keeping Pears. 



IN the matter of keeping, pears have their own ways, not 

 only as to the length of time they may be kept after gather- 

 ing without decay, but also as to the time of gathering them 

 with a view to keeping. I know of no apple that is not better 

 ripened on the tree. With pears the rule is almost, if not quite 

 absolutely, the reverse, although there are a number of sum- 

 mer and fall pears that do not rot at the core before their ma- 

 turity for eating. Persons not informed of the peculiarities of 

 pears in this particular are apt at once to condemn a sort which 

 does not ripen well on the tree, retainmg its soundness and 

 flavor. I remember quite well when Clapp's Favorite was first 

 brought prominently into notice, and a great many trees were 

 sold about Boston at high prices ; also the uproar there was 

 among the purchasers when it was found that the fruit rotted 

 on the trees before becoming eatable. The same thing has 

 happened here in northern Vermont in regard to the ironclad 

 Russian Pear, Bessemianka. As to the latter, I do not know 

 that this trouble can be headed off; but as Clapp's Favorite, 

 in fine order, has been for quite a number of years abundant 

 in the fruit-stores of Boston and elsewhere, I suppose that 

 most growers have found out how to handle it. 



There is a standing rule that as soon as a pear will part 

 readily from the tree, when lifted to a right angle with its nat- 

 ural position, or a little farther, it should be gathered ; and, if 

 it is not then eatable, it should be ripened in the house. But 

 there are not a few pears which will wither and become use- 

 less, without ripening, if this rule is followed as most would 

 follow it, by putting the fruit in a drawer, basket or box, in a 

 room of varying temperature. The fruit must be kept cool, 

 dark and protected from currents of air, to mature it accept- 

 ably. 



I speak of this class of pears first — what may be called the 

 autumn pears — because they are the class wtiich usually gives 

 inexperienced growers the most trouble. Yet there are a good 

 number of autumn pears which may be handled much like 

 apples, and these are the common favorites. In going over 

 the whole list of our foreign and native pears, running in num- 

 ber far into the hundreds, there is great difificulty of selection. 

 Marshall P. Wilder, the greatest of our pear experts, is quoted 

 as saying that if he were asked to name all the sorts which he 

 considered of unvarying and unquestionable excellence in all 

 respects, he could not count more than twenty. But, of course. 



Mr. Wilder was limited by the conditions of his environment. 

 Twenty may be enough for any single locality, but the hst 

 would hardly be identical in any two localities fifty miles apart. 



Mr. Downing, in his big book and its supplements, gave us 

 a list of 213 winter pears, including all the varieties marked as 

 November and December varieties, of which there are thirty- 

 eight. From this long list he places in his select list for table, 

 market and cooking, Clairgeau, Diel, Gris d'Hiver Nouveau, 

 Dana's Hovey, Josephine de Malines, Lawrence, Leon Le 

 Clerc, Lycurgus, McLaughlin, Pound, Prince's St. Germain, 

 Spanish Bon Cretien, Vicar of Winkfield, Winter Bon Cretien 

 and Winter Nelis. 



John J. Thomas, in his American Fruit Culturist, speaks 

 of Clairgeau as often very good and rich, but frequently 

 poor. Of Lawrence he says that it ripens easily, and is of 

 uniform excellence, while Lycurgus is rich, a little coarse, 

 but very high-flavored. McLaughlin, he says, is juicy, 

 melting, sweet, rich and perfumed. Of Diel, the flesh is 

 rather coarse, but rich, sugary, buttery and juicy. Gris 

 d'Hiver is buttery, melting, very juicy, rich, sub-acid; Dana's 

 Hovey is rather small — flesh buttery, melting, and of excellent 

 quality. Josephine de Malines is characterized as sweet, melt- 

 ing, buttery, and of good flavor ; Lawrence, an early good 

 bearer, medium size, buttery, with a rich aromatic flavor ; 

 Leon le Clerc, rather large, flesh crisp, firm, moderate quality ; 

 Lycurgus, small, russet, rich, very high-flavored ; Pound Pear, 

 very large, a good culinary pear; Prince's St. Germain, juicy, 

 melting, fine flavor. Spanish Bon Cretien is a large yellow 

 and red cooking pear. The Flemish pear of the same name is 

 of medium size ; also a cooking pear, which stews nicely, and 

 is of good flavor. The Winter Nelis is of medium size, but 

 of very choice quality. It keeps until midwinter, being in good 

 condition for eating for a month or more. Downing says that 

 it holds the same position among winter pears that the Seckel 

 does among the autumnal varieties. 



Of course, there is a very wide range of choice among the 

 remainder of this long list of pears maturing through the win- 

 ter. It would be difficult to obtain most of the kinds as trees 

 ready for planting, even from our most extensive nurseries, 

 though the older and larger concerns can supply from their 

 orchards cions of many more sorts than those I have named. 

 Every variety has its favorite locality, where it seems to be at 

 home, and to thrive in the greatest perfection. Even in such 

 places, however, none of them will show its full value, except 

 under the most careful cultivation and training. Pears will 

 not, as a rule, " rough it " as well as apples. They need a deep, 

 rich, strong soil. Nevertheless, they can be grown success- 

 fully, at least many varieties can be, on lighter soils, if they are 

 otherwise well cared for. Vast quantities of very fine pears 

 are grown all through eastern Massachusetts. Indeed, they 

 have seemed to thrive there better than in the Connecticut and 

 Hudson valleys. But I take it that the true reason for this is 

 to be found in the fact that the growers of pears about Boston 

 know that it is useless to trust their Pear-trees to luck. I have 

 been much surprised, for instance, to see many very fine Pears 

 growing in the Merrimack valley about Lowell, and from 

 thence both'up and down the river, and this in soils where one 

 would think, in the common way of speaking, that White 

 Beans would not grow, though my experience is that no crop 

 requires a better treatment to make it pay than those same 

 White Beans. I make these remarks to encourage those who 

 may hesitate to plant Pears, and particularly the winter Pears, 

 in what may be thought to be unfavorable localities. Planting 

 for market is one thing, planting for home use is quite 

 another. Mr. Wilder lavished very large sums in fitting the 

 soil of his Pear-orchards for the trees. But to keep the ground 

 about three or four, or half a dozen, trees in prime condition 

 is within the means of every householder, since the ordinary 

 wastes of the domestic menage will suffice. It is best, how- 

 ever, to inquire of the older denizens what varieties they have 

 had the best success in growing. „ ,, ,, , . 



Newport, vt. T. H. Hosktns. 



.Work of the Season. 



ONE necessary portion of the work of the season, under 

 glass, is the propagation of stock for outdoor planfing, and 

 also for the cut-flower supply of the following winter. Among 

 the plants of the latter class requiring attention now are Car- 

 nations, of which a good supply is indispensable, for these 

 beautiful flowers are deservedly universal favorites. The 

 propagation of Carnations does not present any particular dif- 

 ficulties, providing a few general points are observed, the 

 chief of which is to have good clean sand, well packed down 

 before the cuttings are inserted therein. The selection of 

 stocky side-shoots for cuttings, and a temperature of about 



