COMMERCIAL PEAK ORCHARDS. 129 



Among trees well worthy of mention as very promising may be 

 named the Idaho pear ; originating near Lewiston, Idaho, in a country 

 whose climate is as changeable as ours. The tree has very healthy 

 foliage, probably hardy. The frait is large and of good quality. 

 Those who can afford to experiment should by all means try it. 



Among the varieties that are very promising with us may be noted 

 the Early Harvest. This variety was found near Manchester, on 

 the Ohio river, where trees had attained great size and age, by a 

 Scotch gentleman named Thomas Bigger, and propagated by him ; 

 evidently a choice seedling from French colonial times. The tree is 

 of fairly strong growth and healthy foliage, and seldom shows any 

 tendency to blight. The fruit is of fair size and ripens very early in 

 the summer, with some tendency to rot at the core unless picked before 

 fully ripe ; has a fine color and appearance and ought to make a suc- 

 cessful commercial pear. It, however, is not very high in quality and 

 will evidently take its place among the market pears rather than among 

 the dessert pears. We regard this as the healthiest tree that we have 

 in our orchard, having noticed it for a number of years, and very 

 rarely shows any tendency to blight. We have several hundred of 

 them planted and believe that we shall find them commercially profit- 

 able and make money from them. 



Another pear which we regard as very promising, and has so far 

 proved to be very healthy, is a variety obtained from a Quaker lady 

 in Ohio called the Warner pear. This variety is from a seedling and 

 that from a seedling. It is of fair quality and quite healthy ; the fruit 

 is of fair size, symmetrical in shape, light yellow in color when ripe, 

 a perfect core and few seeds. In quality it is above the average of fall 

 pears but not quite equal to the best ; it is buttery and melting, mild 

 in flavor; it keeps well and is a good shipper. It ripens from the last 

 of August to the middle of September. 



Another variety which we have found very healthy is the Long- 

 worth, which we received from F. S. Phoenix, of Bloomington. It is 

 a free and fair grower, of good foliage, but the quality of the fruit we 

 are yet unable to speak of. 



We have experimented with a good many varieties of Russian pears. 

 A general report of their behavior by name and number will be 

 found at the bottom of this article. Only a few of this list have been 

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