68 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
standard, and not a heavy bearer on quince, but is a most 
delicious pear — ripe here in August. 
Doyemie White. — Some 30 to 40 years ago, this was 
the most popular pear grown east of the Alleghany Moun- 
tains; well known as the Butter Pear in Pennsylvania, 
and the Virgalieu in New York. Of late years, upon the 
Atlantic sea-board, it has cracked so badly, and the fruit 
is so indilferent, as to cause it to be rejected, as unwcrthy 
of cultivation,, and regarded as a variety that had “run 
nut.” This theory, that there is a limit to the healthy dura- 
tion of all varieties of Iruit, (and even other plants, as the 
potato, the cotton plant, &c.,) after which they become so 
mortally diseased as to be unworthy of culture, has found 
many advocates. Unfortunately for these thorists, the 
White Doyenne, in the virgin soils of the West, has re- 
gained all its pristine health and beauty and excellence. 
In this locality, it bears most abundantly on either quince 
nr standard, and the fruit is without a defect; inferior, 
however, with me to its cousin germain the Julienne. 
Ripe in August and first part of September. 
Beurre Gaubault. — This is one of the new varieties so 
extolled in Europe— introduced here by Mr. Affleck. 
With me, upon the quince, it surpasses even the Seckel in 
•delicacy of flavor — every specimen of the fruit perfect, and 
vnot one rotted — may be ripened in the cellar from the mid- 
dle to the latter part of July — fruit medium sized, and re- 
tains its green color when ripe. I think this pear a great 
-acquisition. 
Fondante d' Autumn. — Bears well on both quince and 
standard here, and no pear surpasses it in its season for 
high aromatic flavor — ripens in the latter part of August 
and to the middle o( September. 
Vert Longue. — Upon standard, a desirable fruit, as it 
'bears heavy crops, and not a specimen rots — very long, 
pyriform in shape, and retains its blueish green color when 
.ripe, which occurs here the latter part of July. 
Seckel. — I have tested this fruit both on quince and 
standard, and although it sustains its high reputation for 
flavor, it has the defect of rotting considerably. With me, 
the Ott, a seedling from the Seckel, is a more desirable 
fruit — ripens in August. 
There are a number more of summer varieties I have 
ripened, worthy the amateur’s attention in this climate, 
such as the Louise Bonne de Jersey, Von Mons Leon le 
Clerc, Flemish Beauty, Leech, Kingscssirig, Doyenne, Dix, 
Brandy tome, Marie Louise; and among new sorts of | 
European origin, Beurre d' Anjou, Doyenne GauhauU, 
Vicompte de Spoelberch and Triowph de Jodoiyne. For 
varieties ripening in the fall, I can recommend Winter 
.Nclis, Chaumontel, Passe Colmar and St. Germain. 
A selection of a few of the foregoing kinds will keep a 
■large family abundantly supplied with this delicious fruit 
from the middle of May to the end of November. Why 
the pear has been so generally neglected in the South, I 
cannot imagine; as regards climate, we are much more 
highly favored than the Northern or even the Middle States, 
as we never experience such intensity of cold as some- 
times destroys entir-e orchai'ds at the North. All that de- 
ciduous fruit trees require, is a winter just cold enough to 
give the trees a period of rest to recruit for another sum- 
mer’s fruit-bearing ; and next, a period of heat long enough 
to mature the fruit ; and all thi,s we have in perfection. As 
regards soil, no land is richer in phosphates than the vir 
.gin mould of the upland river counties of this State, while 
the great underlaying loamy formation, of the same region 
(filled in most localities with decomposed shells and the 
bones of extinct orders of the mammalia) is no less rich in 
the carbonate of lime. 
In regard to the blight, I have never lost any grown-up 
trees, but the limbs and vigorous grafts are sometimes 
blighted. This blight is caused (as I think, with Mr. 
Ernst, of Cincinnati,) by the powerful rays of a burning 
sun followed by sudden showers of rain in summer. It 
has been a striking coincidence that the very time this 
blight has happened to limbs of trees, that animals and 
negroes have been struck down with ccrup de soliel in the 
fields. The frozen sap blight so destructive at the North 
as to deter orchardists there from planting the pear exten- 
sively, I have never seen in this region of the South. As 
a preventive of sun blight, it is all important with us that 
the trees should branch out low down, so as efifectually to 
shade the trunk and the roots. 
Before closing with the pear, I would remark that root 
prunning, with the view of inducing early bearing, should 
not be practised in this climate. I admit it will cause the 
tree to set fruit buds in profusion, but not a fruit will hold 
on, and the tree be retarded two years at least in bearing 
again. I also desire to call the attention of amateurs to 
the importance of originating new varieties adapted to our 
climate, from the seed. The system so long pursued by 
Van Mons, of sowing the seeds of hardy kinds, and con- 
tinuing to sow until by the third or fourth generation he 
procured fine fruit, has now been supplanted by the speedi- 
er method of cross-breeding. By grafting one-half of a 
standard tree with a large sized pear, as the D’Angouleme 
and the other half with a smaller pear, but of higher fla- 
vor, as the Beurre Gaubault, fruit from the seed of these 
pears (the pollen having intermixed) would be found to 
have the desirable qualities of both parents. In this way, 
too, the South may procure pears which will keep during 
winter, as already a variety has originated in Georgia 
which is said to keep through winter until April. 
APPLES. 
This fruit has been grown generally with more success 
in the South than the pear. The early and summer varie- 
ties do better than the kinds known as winter apples at 
the North, for the reason that these last are more apt to 
rot or fall from the tree before maturity. The early sorts 
ripening here in June or early in July axQ, Early Harvest, 
Red Astn-achan, Benoni, Early Strawberry, Drap d’ Or, 
Summer Rose, Early Chandler, Red Margaret, and Red 
June. The Early Harvest is the highest flavored of all 
with me but a rather shy bearer. 
Among summer varieties, ripening here in July and 
August, I can recommend, Bullock's Pippin, Cooper Ap- 
ple, Fall Pippin, Maiden's Blush, Rambo, Gravenstein, 
and Yellow NewUnon Pippin. These are all valuable 
sorts ; but out of a large number I have ripened in this 
latitude, 1 find no apple to compare, either in size or flavor, 
with an apple of the pippin family which was introduced 
into this county by the early Spanish colonies. It is the 
national apple of Spain, where it has been cultivated from 
the highest antiquity and known there as the Camuesar. 
This variety has become thoroughly acclimated, and bears 
in ray grounds abundant crops of healihy fruit every year, 
fruit very large, some specimens of monstrous size — 
roundish-oblong in shape— skin smooth, oily to the touch, 
yellowish green to clear pale yellow, with sometimes a 
blush of brownish red next the sun; flesh yellowish, crisp, 
tender, and with a sugary and highly aromatic juice. Mr. 
Affleck has propagated this variety under the name of 
“ Elgin Pippin." A skillful orchardist in the South, by 
planting iOO or more, acres with this fruit for the supply 
of Southern and Western markets, would make a most 
capital investment. It bears transportation well, as I have 
sent it to New York in August with complete success. Is 
in eating, if ripened in the house, the last ot July and all 
of August. 
1 think it highly probable that Southern Seedling Ap- 
ples will soon displace all foreign sorts in the South. 
Among the new varieties which have originated in 
Georgia, the Shockley, Bacolinus, Buff, King, Calla.saga, 
Wonder, Thnrnurnd, Berry, Summerour and Neverfad 
app’es, a ea 1 high-y recommendel As my trees of these 
varieties have not yet fruited, I cannot speak of their 
