110 THE FLORIST AND 



For the Florist and Horticultural Journal. 



Eosedale Nurseries, April 8, 1853. 



Dear Sir — I have thought that a few hints to your readers on the 

 subject of the culture of pears might be opportune at this season, when 

 many of them no doubt have planted from one to hundreds. Nur- 

 serymen (including your humble servant) say that it has been a sea- 

 son of unprecedented demand for dwarf Pears. The French nur- 

 serymen also feel its effects, and rejoice that their grounds have been 

 all cleared of good, bad and indifferent for America, where every- 

 thing foreign takes admirably. 



Dwarf Pears. — -This term has lead to the impression that all trees 

 are dwarfs that are grafted on the quince stock ; we do not incline 

 to this term from the fact that we cultivated dwarf Pears before we 

 knew of the effects of the pear on the quince, and also from the fact 

 that we now have very fine standard trees with stems 6 and 7 feet 

 clear that are on the Quince stock. You will therefore allow me to 

 say in a few words without regard to the preconceived ideas of others 

 what effects the quince stock has on the constitution of the pear, 

 and what congeniality there is between their constitutions. The 

 Pear, Apple, Quince, Hawthorn and Mountain Ash, all belong to the 

 same class and order, and will grow if grafted on each other; they 

 do not all however assimilate well with each other, for we find that 

 there are some apples that will not grow on the pear, and vice-versa; 

 there are also pears, and not a few, that will not grow on the 

 quince ; others that grow well, but their fruits are inferior ; whilst 

 again many are greatly improved on the quince. To enter into a 

 detail of these facts is not at present our intention though we may 

 have a word on the subject on some future occasion. We now say 

 that the Pear, to be successful on the quince stock, must be very 

 highly cultivated with enriching manures of almost any description 

 incorporated with the surface soil, and frequently stirred during the 

 growing season, repeating the enriching material and thorough cul- 

 ture every season. They can be planted from 10 to 15 feet apart, 

 and will with such treatment give a very abundant crop, even a 

 bushel from a tree only a few years planted. This is not, however, 

 the only attention they require — they must have a summer pruning 

 and a winter pruning, which you shall have in another chapter. 



