SELECTIONS OF PEARS. 



55 



Cbapter VllK— Selections of Pears, 



To speak of so popular a fruit as (he Pear as neglected would perhaps be 

 going too far, yet I cannot admit that it receives half or quarter the 

 attention that it deserves. In view of the bold way in which Pears loom up 

 at the great fruit sliows it might be supposed that tliey are nearly as 

 universal a fruit as the Apple. Nothing of the kind. Market growers 

 ignore them almost to a man, and the average amateur often passes thern 

 by. The only place in which Pears have the position that their merits 



FIG. 37.-THE PROMISING NEW APPLE CHARLES ROSS. 



deserve is in the private garden of the country gentleman. There collections 

 are frequently— perhaps I might go so far as to say generally — met with, 

 the selection is good, and the culture often excellent. 



To iudge by the rarity of Pears in small gardens, and by the price a 

 buyer frequently has to pay for fruit in the shops, it might be supposed that 

 trees cost something over a guinea each, require elaborate heated structures, 

 and call for the attention of a fiighlj trained specialist. Of course they are 

 in reality as cheap and as easily grown as Apples. What often happens is 

 that a person gets possession of a "tender variety like Marie Louise, grows it 

 in the open where a searching north-easter plays sportively around it for 

 several weeks in late spring, and finds it die from mildew. He then raises 

 a harrowing wail, and tells his friends that Pears will not thrive in the 

 locality. 



By choosing the right type of tree, managing it on simple lines, and 

 making a wise selection of sorts, it is possible to have a supply of delicious 

 fruit lasting for several months, two years after planting. And, remember, 



