PEAR CULTURE. 135 



vent blight. I have had less blight than any pear grower in my 

 state (Ohio). The trees are not as handsome as they would be if the 

 horses and cattle were entirely excluded and if the trees were neatly 

 trimmed, but all things considered I think it is the right way. If I 

 had cultivated the ground and trimmed up for beauty I would have 

 lost most of my trees. So I have observed in other grounds in my 

 county. I am not able to say what per cent I have lost by blight, 

 but certainly not more than ten per cent of any one variety. Flem- 

 ish Beauty was the worst ; Seckel and Clargeau the least. I am 

 inclined to the belief that if the trunk of pear trees were shaded 

 from the hot sun it would greatly prevent the blight. I was once in 

 a great convention of fruit growers when the subject of pear blight 

 was being discussed. It was known that Mr. Ellwanger, of the firm 

 of Ellwanger & Barry, was in the house and we all knew that they 

 were the greatest pear growers in this country. We were all waiting 

 to hear Mr. E. At last we called him out, expecting something val- 

 uable, but to our great amusement, if not our gratification, he said the 

 way they did at Mt. Hope was when one tree died they planted two 

 in place of it and we always have plenty. This is all he said and 

 took his seat. This is really the right way to raise pears. Plant, 

 plant, plant. 



Varieties — As to varieties, they are legion. Amateur culturists 

 have been for many years bringing out new sorts. Seedlings and 

 hybrids without number still claim our attention. Many of these 

 are figured in horticultural journals and praised by those that have 

 them for sale, but they nearly all drop out of notice in a few years. 

 There is also a large number of what is commonlv called local fruit, 

 that is, those only known in certain localities. Of this class there is 

 not one in a hundred that is fit for cultivation. Indeed I have never 

 met with any that was fit to eat. After all that has been said and 

 published about new and improved sorts there is only about half a 

 dozen that are profitable for orchard culture. Experimenters have 

 established some facts that may be of use to us. The seedlings of 

 our best sorts are not the most promising for new varieties. For in- 

 stance no seedling from a Bartlett or from a Seckel has ever equalled 

 the parent. Van Marz first discovered this, and successive trials con- 

 firms it. 



If any one would try his lottery luck he should take the seeds of 



