FRUITS EN WEST VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY, AND TENNESSEE. 63 



properly ripened off the tree it becomes a fair dessert pear. Very little of the 

 gritty character of the flesh remains when it is well handled, and it is juicy 

 and desirable for canning and other culinary uses. It is a fall variety in 

 northern Alabama, Tennessee, and southern and western Kentucky, but in cold 

 storage is a winter variety in other parts of the area. In some sections the 

 Kieffer has proved unproductive unless planted with some other variety for 

 cross-pollination. The Garber has been commonly used for this purpose in 

 this area, but is not always as satisfactory as LeConte. To insure cross- 

 pollination one of these sorts should always be used. 

 Seckel. 



The Seckel variety is one of the most blight resistant of the dessert pears. 

 For this reason it is highly prized in the northern part of this area, where the 

 other favorite dessert pears of the North have proved too susceptible to blight. 

 The tree is an early bearer and productive. The fruit is always small, very 

 juicy, and of the best dessert quality. In West Virginia and northern Ken- 

 tucky it matures in September. 

 Three W. 



About 20 years ago W. W. Wallace, of Roane County, Tenn., planted seeds 

 of pears which were purchased at a local store during the winter. From these 

 seeds he originated the Three W variety, which has remained uninjured in 



Fig. 30. — A young pear orchard of the Three W variety at a low elevation in the East 

 Tennessee Valley and Ridge region. Photographed in 1913. 



an orchard containing Kieffer pear trees that were killed to the ground by 

 blight. Mr. Wallace has planted this variety commercially. If the trees 

 prove productive and continue to show the same degree of blight resistance 

 as heretofore, the variety would have considerable promise for southern con- 

 ditions and should be widely tested in the South. The tree is upright and 

 similar in shape to that of the Kieffer. The foliage is somewhat susceptible 

 to leaf-spot. The fruit is medium in size, somewhat smaller than that of 

 Kieffer. It resembles the Kieffer in shape and color and is considered some- 

 what better in dessert quality. Its season is about the same as that of the 

 Kieffer. Figure 30 shows parts of an orchard of this variety. 



VARIETIES OF LESSER IMPORTANCE. 



Among other varieties of pears occasionally found in this area are the Bell, 

 which resembles the Kieffer superficially; Bartlett, which is too subject to 

 blight; Cincincis and Dewey, which are both too poor in dessert quality; 

 Golden Russet, which is too small, poor in dessert quality, and subject to blight : 

 Koonce and LeConte, which are too subject to blight and hence not produc- 

 tive. None of these varieties seems to possess sunicient merit to warrant plant- 

 ing them. 



