152 



FLORIDA FEUITS. 



At present the Le Conte is the one Chinese sand pear most 

 generally known, because it was the first to be introduced, and 

 from it the otherv arieties have originated — some from the seed ; 

 some just as the Le Conte itself originated, from an accidental 

 hybridizing with the Bartlett pear — and of course some years 

 necessarily elapsed before these new sorts could be fruited, or be 

 sufficiently proven, to be placed upon the market as distinct 

 varieties. Meantime the Le Conte was winning its way to the 

 front rank and becoming widely known. There are now other 

 pears, however, originating* from it, as the mother tree, that are 

 destined to surpass it in public favor as soon as their great 

 merits are generally known. Among these the Kieffer Hybrid, 

 as we shall presently see, stands pre-eminent. 



The history of these several varieties of the Chinese sand 

 pears is as follows : 



THE LE COXTE. 



Over forty years ago. Major John Le Conte purchased a lot 

 of fruit trees from a Xew York nurseryman, and among them 

 was one labelled " Chinese Sand Pear." He was told that this 

 tree was of no value, as the fruit would not mature in this 

 country. The ^lajor, however, carried it to Liberty county, 

 Georgia, where it " waxed exceeding strong," grew into a tali, 

 beautiful tree, and soon began to bear a large, fine fruit, excel- 

 lent for cooking, for preserving, and for dessert. 



Major Le Conte had presented this tree to Mrs. Harden, 

 and after its true nature had been thus revealed, a friend of the 

 latter. Major Varnadoe, secured a cutting, and started the 

 second "Le Conte " pear tree in Georgia, but just then came our 

 terrible civil war, and the tree was neglected. Peace restored, 

 the Major turned back to his old project again, of propagating 

 this grand tree on a large scale, and when he moved to Thomas 

 county, Georgia, in 1869, he carried with him a great quantity 

 of these cuttings, and from the young trees that resulted from 

 these was inaugurated what has already proved to be in Georgia, 

 and will soon prove to be in Florida, a veritable " bonanza." 



The oldest growers of the Chinese sand pear race have yet to 

 meet with a single case of blight, or other disease, or defective fruit. 



