ORCHARD AND GARDEN. 
VOL. XI. 
OCTOBER, 1889. 
NO. 10 
The Wilder Pear. 
A specimen of this pear, of which we here 
present an illustration, was sent to us the 
past summer. It reached us in good condi- 
tion and we must pronounce it a remarka- 
bly good, early pear. It is of fine quality, 
being melting and luscious :the finest in qual- 
ity of the very early pears. Though but quite 
small it is as large as 
any of its season ex- 
cept the Lawson, and 
ripens inWestern New 
York about August 
1st. It is pyriform in 
shape, and of a light 
yellow color with deep 
red cheek, quite at- 
tractive. It is claimed 
that it does not rot at 
the core — a very de- 
sirable merit, especial- 
ly in an early pear — 
and the sample sent 
us, when fully ripe, 
was perfectly sound 
and showed no signs 
of rotting. The intro- 
ducer also states that 
the tree is a vigorous 
grower, hardy and 
productive. The Wil- 
der is a chance seed- 
ling found in Western 
New York and the ori- 
ginal tree was partial- 
ly grafted with cions 
of Buffum in 1870 
when it was young. 
About one-third of the 
natural branches of 
the tree were left, and 
these are now bearing 
profusely. We trust 
the tree will bear out 
the character given it 
as satisfactorily as 
does the fruit. 
Prof. Van Deman, U. S. Pomologist, thus 
describes it: “Size, small to medium; 
shape, pyriform, bell-shaped, irregular, a 
little angular; surface, smooth, pale-yellow 
ground with deep shading of brownish-car- 
mine; dots, very numerous and small; basin, 
shallow, regular; eye, nearly closed; sepals 
long and reflexed; apex, rather abrupt with 
a slight cavity; stem, short; core, closed, 
very small: seeds, very small, narrow, point- 
ed, dark; flesh, very pale, whitish-yellow, 
finegrained, tender; flavor, sub-acid, spright- 
ly, much like Bartlett; quality very good; 
season, August. inWestern New York.” 
Orchard Notings, 
Tlie Shiawassee Beauty. 
No apple equals the Fameuse in populari- 
ty, where it is successfully grown. Well 
grown, well colored and fair fruit not un- 
frequently brings four dollars a barrel 
in the Montreal market. Unquestionably 
the Fameuse is the apple of Canada, and its 
acceptability is hardly less in New England. 
But, unfortunately, the Fameuse is subject 
to spotting, in unfavorable seasons, to such 
a degree as to render a large percentage of 
the crop unmerchantable, thus inflicting a 
heavy loss upon the grower. 
The Wilder Pear. 
There are a great number of seedlings of 
Fameuse, some so closely resembling the 
original that they are sold under its name. 
One of these, the Cabane de Chien (Dog- 
house), is a little larger and fairer, and is 
often used for topping the barrels of Fa- 
meuse; yet it is distinctly inferior in quali- 
ty. But there is a seedling which, while 
not so close a reproduction of the parent, is 
quite its equal, and does not spot. This is 
the Shiawassee Beauty of Michigan. It has 
always seemed strange to me that Charles 
Downing found difficulty in believing this 
apple distinct from its parent. It is larger, 
more flattened, and not quite of the same 
tints. Though it has the white flesh which 
gave the Fameuse its synonym of Snow Ap- 
ple, with the same tenderness and delicacy, 
it is distinctly more acid. I find it also a 
better keeper. But its great merit is that it 
does not spot. This has always been its re- 
pute and I find it so where the Fameuse 
spots worse than about Montreal. Yet at 
the last winter meeting of the Montreal 
Horticultural Society I was told, by one or 
two growers, that they had tried the Shia- 
wassee, and found it to spot more than Fa- 
meuse. I am sure they cannot have it true, 
for wherever else- 
where it has been 
grown it has been 
found quite fair. 
Tlie Titus Apple. 
Decidedly, the Rus- 
sians have a glorious- 
ly beautiful series of 
fall apples. The Old- 
en burgh was our first 
example (al though 
Budd and Gibb tell us 
they are not sure 
that they saw it any- 
where in Russia,) and 
a number of the more 
recent importations 
are distinctly of the 
same type and family. 
I have one under the 
name of Berkoff, (but 
I think not the true 
apple of that name, 
which I defy any one 
to select from among 
the Oldenburghs by 
sight; yet it is of a 
much superior quality 
for eating. The Titus 
and the Zolotoreff are 
of the same type, yet 
perfectly distinguish- 
able. There seems to 
be several Tituses (Ti- 
tookas) . I have Titus 
of Voronesh and Titus 
of Riga, (and there is a 
White Titus,) but as 
yet I have fruit only 
from the first. It runs larger than Olden- 
burgh, at least on young trees, is quite 
as perfect inform, but slightly more conic; 
and though a written description would 
hardly define them, they are quite recognis- 
able as distinct by the eye. We are told 
that these apples are extremely popular in 
Russia, and they well may be, for besides 
size, productiveness, hardiness and beauty, 
they are of decidedly better quality than 
Oldenburgh for eating, while not inferior 
for cooking. In season this Titus immediate- 
ly succeeds Oldenburgh. It is a light ap- 
ple for its size, being in this respect quite 
