U2 



GROUP VII. — SCOTLAND. 



Observations. — Examples small in comparison with those 

 grown in the south, and deficient in colour. The early varieties, 

 such as Williams's Bon Chretien, Hessel, Achan, and Beurre 

 d'Amanlis, were very good ; also Beurre Ranee, Marie Louise, 

 Thompson's, and Knight's Monarch 



Exhibitor s Pumark.s. — The gardenii here are sheltered on the 

 west and north, but exposed to the south and south-east. Soil, 

 deep, light loam, heavily manured; subsoil, open gravel. The 

 collection of Pears sent to the Congress are fair specimens of 

 the best of our crop this season, but they are not up to the 

 average either in size or colour. The greater part of our Pear 

 trees are on the Free or Pear stock, and grown either on walls 

 or as orchard trees, most of the latter being standards. On 

 our light, warm soil and sheltered situation, many sorts come 

 to maturity on standards that will not succeed generally as such 

 so far north. All of the kinds named in the selections are 

 worth growing in localities similar to this. The list is too long, 

 however, and might be reduced one-third with advantage, say 

 to 20 varieties at most, which number of first-rate sorts for 

 the locality would suit all ordinary purposes. 



As a rule, the Quince stock is not so successful as the Free 

 stock here ; it generally does pretty well for a few years, and 

 then invariably goes barren, and some sorts never do well on it at 

 all. Our trees seldom get over-luxuriant, and suffer less from gross 

 growth than from starvation or want of moisture and manure. 

 In ordinary seasons, and on well-manured ground, trees on the 

 Pear or Free stock seldom fail to bear a crop, even to a great age ; 

 while no amount of manure seems to have any effect in promot- 

 ing fertility in a tree on the Quince stock after it begins to show 

 signs of distress. Our fruit trees are all regularly and 

 moderately pruned, and, I need hardly add, as regularly 

 manured, all of them growing in cultivated ground used for 

 growing vegetables, which is heavily manured. Orchard Pears 

 in this district are generally early kinds, grown to supply the 

 local markets, and they are too often of very indifferent quality, 

 as well as mere scraps in size. Hessel is the best of them, 

 taking all points into consideration. There is now a general 

 disposition to cultivate superior kinds, and in the course of time 

 the most of the better varieties I have named, or others equally 

 good, will take the place of prolific, hut worthless, old sorts. 

 Btewing Pears are not much grown, but the varieties named bear 



