28 
SOUTHERN CULTIYATOR. 
plant was inti'oduceefroin Buenos Ayies; varieties of the 
greatest divevsity of colors have sprung from the origi))nl 
scarlet flower ; and now it is considered indispensable in 
any garde: n 
Viola fragrant violet ; perennial. 
Xeranthemnni Auunum, a purple eternal annual. 
Zinnia Elcgans, in many varieties, of which the scar- 
let is one of the finest. 
The Gillyflowers and Ten Weeks Stock have been des- 
cribed in the December number of the Southern Cultivator. 
Wallfooioers, double. in different shades, are biennial, and 
will not, therefore, bloom before the second year. 
IvOBRRT Nelson. 
Avgnzta, Ga., Dec., 1850. 
tme' pear— its cueture in the south. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — Our ideas about hap- 
piness and contentment in this world are as different, as 
opposite, as human minds and orgmiizations are. But 
there are some subjects about which most ail of us have 
some convictions, and which indeed constitute the basis 
ofh’aman happiness. 
Among those are health and the comforts of life. 
Health is sometimes independent of our will and exertions ; 
but the comforts of life can almost always be realized to a 
greater or less extent, when we make those consist in 
things really useful, easily attainable and promoting 
health and cheerfulness- of disposiiion. Our diet or daily- 
food, of course, is among these, and is certainly worthy of 
great consideration. 
Every one of ns cannot select a locality of his choice, 
but scarcely any locality, fitted for the abode of men is to 
be found, where industry and skill cannot make the soil 
produce crops, fruits and fiowers, adapted to the climate, 
and which add so much to the comforts of civilized life. 
It is natural, therefore, that the inhabitants of such a cli- 
mate a.s yours, where few natural tVuits grow spontaneous- 
ly, (1) should endeavor to increase those luxuries suited to 
the locality-. As fur fromthe oranges of Cuba as you are 
from the choice productions of the East, (the eastern and 
northwestern Apples and Cherries,) it must be your ob- 
ject to iuiprnve every fruit which your soil can produce. 
What may be considered barely as a luxury in a colder 
climate, becoixie.s a necessUy for you. The constant use 
of good fruit is one of the means best calculated to coun- 
teract obstructions and biliious diseases, the result of a diet 
founded on careless habit ; hut not well adapted to such 
warm laiitudt-s. 
The SouMi is already comparatively rich in native varie- 
ties of Ap[)!es and Peaches; but the Pear has been much 
neglected, although well adapted to your climate. 
Let the Apple remain where it was in the fir.st days of 
Creation, perhaps -at the top of the li-^t of the useful fruits; 
but let the Pear not be overlooked. Itis a luscious, healtliy 
fruit, a constant liearer, and. under good management, a 
hardy?- and thriving tree. All depends upon a selection of 
such varieties ;is are suited to ^ onr climate, anii ihe stock 
■which is be>t suited to the different soils and locrdicies. 
Mach has been saiii about the [ireference to be given to 
the Pe<ir or to the Quince stock; both are good, but 
require ditierent treatment. All that is wanted is 
tile proper knowledge of xheir different habits and re- 
quisites. A good soil, rather dry than wet, and never shal- 
low ; proper attention paid to remove ill weeds, and to 
restore the ennsiiiucnts of the soil, if exhausted ; a regular 
prui'ing to remove useless or crowded bratiches and slioots, 
is all that is required. 
varieties which never do well on the quince,* or old Pear 
root-grafted varieties offeeole iiabits and indilTerent quali- 
ties'. ■ It is more than time that we suppress and reject all 
those wortiiless varieties from the old catalogues, in the in- 
fancy of Paar culture. New, hardy, fine varietie.s, either 
native or foreign, jiave been tested and are now generally 
superseding the old stock of Laquinthiye and l3uhamel. 
Therefore 1 would advise my Southern friends to give 
these new varieties a fair trial. Some, undoubtedly, will 
prove admirably suited to their clinmte. It is a known 
fact that generally^ the Pears are better in the middle States 
than they are in the East or in the A^orth ; and from all I 
have seen the Pear tree will not suffer by far so much 
under a temperature iiO'^ aoove, as by 8 or 10^ below 
zero. 
The only?' objection against the Pear in the South is, 
that late or v^inter varieties do not prove to be late, but 
ripen in October and November, and of course that you 
have most all our latest ripening varieties, about the 
same time. But you are also earlier— I have received 
ripe Pears from Georgia when in Jersey and Pennsylvania 
there was no such thing as the appearance of a ripening 
Pear. 
However, this does not seem to be a serious objection, 
since we must consider a fruit best when most "useful, and 
that is undoubtedly during the heat of the summer. — 
Through pait of the month of June, till November at least, 
you can and must have a succession of good Pears. And 
i believe I am not far from the truth when I think that 
winter Pears, comparatively valueless here as table 
Pears, will prove actue.l desideratums for the South. 
Such are;— Leon Leclerc (de Laval); Poire Prevok; 
Beurre Bretonneau, Passetardive, Souverainede Printems 
and others. Among the last new foreign varieties we 
have many winter fruits. As far as tested the trees of 
some of those varieties have proved hardy and sound 
through a winter 8° below zero, and a summer of 100° in 
the shade. A fair trial indeed for the first year of their 
introduction. 
And this is a good promise of their future success. For, 
when a variety is not suited to the climate it is first shown 
by the weakness, cracking and blistering of the tree, and 
no cultivation, care or manuring can infuse health and 
vigor in a plant not destined by nature to grow in extremes 
of heat, drouth or cold. 
If I was not afraid of my remarks extending so far, I 
would like to impress every amateur or planter with the 
necessity of paying due attention to the planting of the 
tree and the selection of the variety. A tree destined to 
yield crops anti to remain in the same place for halt a 
century or more is well worth one hour of labor and at- 
tention. One hour’s labor willlning the soil to the proper 
depth, the tree to its equilibrium between branches and 
roots, and have it placed in the. nest condiiion, (with the 
extension of all its sound roofs,) wlitre it lias to grow, 
aud remunerate the skillful planter, 
ii'iie next thing I would recommen:! is protection.— 
If the, tree suckers and lingers the first season, it is often 
lost and alway-s injured to a great extent. It will never 
do as well as a tree starting fairly after its removal and its 
un.ivoidaiiie mutilations. The first season after planting 
is a season of great trial. After that a tree will take better 
care of itself, with the aid of a good irUclligeut pruning- 
knife 
But the all important thing is tlie selection ot thriftyr 
growers. I\L ns sana in corpore sano can applied to 
fruit trees also — a good healthy fruit Ujion a sound vigor- 
ous tree. Such a tree will stand the climate, neglect and 
ill treatment and still yield sound and good fruit, when a 
Many persons have been disgusted with the cultivation ■ , ^ 
ofth« P.^sr because tlipv IvM nn- the if.-ifiv nrohfi- aud ! AVcdor.ot qiiiTcirndcrstandthisAmLoiyoWiging corrcspoiuanit 
Oi in., r.ai , oecau^e t.-ey nacl no. the tii.ihy, pionli.. a.ia ^ probablv, expl.aia liis meauuig iu future commumcati-ius 
hardy varieties, or because they receive Quince budded [ -wiKcb, we avehappy to say, behas yromUedus.— Eis. 
