SOUTHEHN CULTIVATOR. 
311 
almost the only fatal disease inherent to the Pear Tree, 
is not worse here than in any other part of the Union, 
whilst the ravages of intense cold winters are never wit- 
nessed here. 
That the Pear Tree seems to feel more at home this side 
of Mason & Dixon’s line, is proved to me by three facts 
which I have closely observed during the last three years. 
The first remark is, that weak and outworn varieties, 
only fitted for Ei^paliers, in their native climate, and but 
ill adapted to the severe winters of the North, are in fine 
condition here in Georgia. 
The other fact is, that some European varieties, al- 
though very new or of recent origin, will not do in the 
North, while they recover all their native strength and 
beauty here. 
The third remark applies to the size and quality of the 
fruit, which, in most all cases, is superior in the South to 
what I ever witnessed it to be in other parts. My seed- 
lings show their propensities or characters sooner; their 
maturity is promoted in less time; their foliage is often 
double the size of what I found it to be in the North; 
especially many of the inedited but most promising seed 
lings of Van Mons and Dr. Brinckle. 
In regard to the Southern limits to be assigned to the 
Pear, I have not heard of a climate where it did not grow. 
I had occasion to unpack and to plant Pear Trees sent to 
our worthy Pomologist, Dr. Brinckle, in Philadelphia, as 
varieties from Brazil, Peru and Mexico ; they were es- 
teemed there as fine fruits, but they only proved to be 
inferior varieties of the old catalogues when growing 
here. This is another conclusive fact in regard to the 
adaptedness of the Pear to the very lowest latitude, as 
the same result took place in that instance, to wit : the 
improvement of an inferior sort to a fruit of good quality. 
To quote a few facts, I will state that the Bartlett is de- 
cidedly better here than in New York or Pennsylvania; 
that the White Doyenne is more hardy, more certain, and 
rather too rich ; the Flemish Beauty, the Pratt, the Buf- 
fum, the Van Assche, are larger and better here than in 
the North. So with nearly all the Pears I had occasion to 
test in Georgia and South Carolina, with the exception of 
the old Winter Pears. 
Varieties of doubtful quality in the North, as the Par- 
ftim d’Aout, Fondante de Septembre, Bellissime D’Ete, 
Belle de Bruxelles, which I found to be uncertain or of 
second quality in Bofton, New York and New Jersey, are 
almost of first quality in my grounds in Georgia. So 
much for the influence of a Southern temperature upon 
the Pear. And, as for the so much dreaded action of the 
Southern sun upon the bark, let me remark that I found 
it not to be so prejudicial as it is commonly thought to 
be. 1 have planted all sorts of trees, and some with 
highly denuded bodies; I have not lound any of them to 
suffer from that cause, The only pernicious effects in 
such cases is owing to the rash process of suddenly re- 
moving the protecting limbs from a fruit tree, when the 
body has not been exposed and inured, from its early 
youth, to the southwestern rays of the sun. 
That the Pear Tree will and must succeed upon the 
quince stock, 1 have most satisfactory and convincing 
proofs— provided the quince stock be not exposed to the 
air and sun. As a tree or a bush, the quince tree is not 
80 weak — it is then complete in its organism ; but check- 
ed and deprived of its organic structure, it becomes 
feeble and liable to diseases. When the quince stock, 
below the bud, is destroyed by worms, it is owing to one 
of the following causes : 
1. Unfitness of the budded variety to grow well upon 
the quince stock. (We have many of these.) 
2. Exposure of stock, or too deep planting. 
3. Excess of moisture or want of proper food in the 
soil. 
4. The vicinity or presence of old decayed wood, 
roots or sticks, carelessly dug in with the tree when 
planted. 
In all these cases it is sickness, either inherent or acci- 
dental. Once fairly started, there is no more danger for 
the dwarfed tree. 
And now we must examine the much controversed sub- 
ject : Can the Pear be grown with profit 1 
This is rather a complicated question, and I do not 
know how to answer it as briefly as I wish to do. As far 
as my personal conviction is concerned, I have no hesi- 
tation in replying in the affirmative, provided we stick to 
the following rules : 
1. The selection of proper soil. All soils are not suited 
to the Pear Tree. 
2. A locality sufficiently free from excessive moisture, 
and rather rolling than too level and flat. 
3. The judicious and careful selection of hardy, hand- 
some, productive and good varieties, selling not only as 
good, but also as fair and inviting fruit. 
4. The selection of stock. Some Pears, if not all, 
growing upon the quince, are better upon that stock than 
upon the free or wild Pear stock. No Pears are, nor 
were ever, good upon the Hawthorne, Amelanchier, 
Mountain Ash, &c. We have tried that twenty years 
ago, and never succeeded in producing any good fruit, 
although we made trees grow finely for the first two or 
three years. 
5. The proper attention and care bestowed upon the 
tree, which must be more than that given to the Apple, 
Peach or Plam. Next to the Grape, the Pear requires the 
greatest attention and skill. Everybody has not the pa- 
tience to raise handsome fruit and to Jorm trees which, in 
a season of abundance, will have their fruit so equally set 
and distributed all over the tree as not to split and break 
the limbs, as is so often the case. 
Let us remark that the greatest care is only needed when 
the tree is very young. After it is once well shaped and 
begins to bear, it sends out less rank wood and takes 
better form and habits. 
It would take more words than I can compress in an 
essay, to lay down the rules of judicious pruning, without 
which there is no future for the Pear Tree, at least in most 
cases, and among the most refined sorts. We must con- 
fine ourselves to a few remarks upon the profits and the 
choice of varieties suited to the market. In the vicinity 
of Boston, for instance, most handsome profits are real- 
ized from Pear crops. Although, judging from the quan- 
tity of Pears grown around that city, we should deem the 
market to be overstocked, still Pears sell in Boston from 
50 cents to over S4 a doz-=*n. Some cities, as Philadelphia, 
have only a few inferior Pears in the market, and would 
pay any price if they could get these in some quantity. 
Two years ago the editor of the Horticulturist wrote me: 
“Much is written about Pears, but we can not buy any in 
our Philadelphia market — please let me have some, for 
love, for begging, or lor money!” In fact the Pear is 
considered such an aristocratic fruit, (if 1 may use that 
term,) that those who grow them keep them for their own 
family, friends and visitors, as one of the finest luxuries. 
I have seen as much as SO paid for a dozen of handseme 
Pears in Boston, (in December.) No party is fashionable 
among amateurs without at least one fine dish of Pears. 
Messrs. Hovey, Austin, and many others, sell Pears in 
large quantities with very handsome returns. From New 
Jersey, Western and North-western New York, large 
quantities are sent to New York city. Col. Jno. Hebron, 
in Mississippi, makes his Pear Trees pay, and over. And 
when we consider that Pears, to be good, must be picked 
a tew days bifjre ripe, it seems just the article for trans- 
portation to distant markets. I have no doubt I can pick 
fine full grown Buriletts, pack them in barrels, send them 
