A  Promising  New  Pear. 
On  December  14,  a  box  containing-  three  pears  was 
received  from  Ellwanger  &  Barry,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
The  three,  one  of  which  is  illustrated  at  Fig.  13,  half 
section,  and  at  Fig.  14,  entire,  weighed  exactly  two 
pounds,  or  over  10  ounces  each.  The  shape,  as  may  be 
t»een,  is  between  that  of  the  Anjou  and  Clairgeau,  with 
a  neck  rather  more  marked  than  that  of  either.  The 
skin  is  much  the  color  of  the  Anjou,  inclined  more  to  a 
golden,  and  less  to  a  greenish  yellow.  The  dots  are 
crimson  and  so  numerous  and  large  on  the  sunny  side 
as  to  give  it  a  crimson  shade. 
The  stalk  varies  from  slender  to  short  and  fleshy, 
from  a  half  to  an  inch  in  length,  obliquely  set  in  a 
small,  irregular  basin.  The  flesh  is  buttery,  melting, 
juicy,  but  less  sprightly  and  rather  firmer  and  more 
granular  than  that  of  Anjou,  though  less  so  than  that 
of  Clairgeau. 
Ten  days  after  the  above  notes  were  made,  we  re¬ 
ceived  the  following  . 
characteristically  con- 
servative  letter  from 
'the  originators,  in  re- 
ply  to  our  questions  : 
“The  seedling  pear  >■'*/. 
which  we  sent  you  re-  Kfc" 
sembles  Anjou  in  K;-  •  ftmm Hp*’ •  • 
shape,  size,  appearance 
and  flavor,  and  has,  to  l 
some  extent,  the  high  *  .'£'3SlaL  L-. 
color  of  Clairgeau;  in  £ 
fact,  it  appears  to  be  a 
cross  between  these  K'  .  /  ,-bEa 
two  varieties.  T  h  e  p  %  *  t  *  JH**' 
texture  of  the  flesh  is  k  . » 
not  quite  so  fine  as  Mr  :  •flj’fe 
that  of  the  Anjou,  and  •“fH g 
the  quality  perhaps  is  *r/- 
not  quite  equal  to  that  •  t%’-  3^ 
variety,  but  the  flesh  §r-  '  rvm 
being  more  firm,  the  l  *  /"',M 
fruit  is  less  liable  to  in-  g  C  'V 
jury  from  rough  hand-  tjr  .  • 
ling.  The  tree  is  a  ¥ 
vigorous  grower.  The 
seedling  seems  to  pos-  \ 
sess  admirable  quali-  V 
ties  as  a  market  fruit.  AC  ,  ' 
and  we  think  there  is  ,  / 
a  place  for  it.  Among  " 
recently  introduced 
sorts  we  have  not  a  New  Pear.  Half  Section. 
found  any  which  is  so 
promising.  We  have  not  yet  decided  on  a  name. 
December  24,  1891.  ellwanger  a  barry.” 
Hardiness  Depends. 
Is  there  a  hardy  blackberry  ?  Nothing  is  hardy  if 
planted  in  the  wrong  soil  with  a  wrong  exposure  and 
treated  with  wrong  culture,  not  even  a  .Post  Oak. 
Some  things,  like  Mahonia  and  pear  trees,  are  more 
likely  to  be  damaged  by  the  winter’s  sun  than  by 
frost.  Very  rich  soils  will  soon  spoil  the  finest  sorts  of 
cherries.  As  for  blackberries,  the  Snyder  and  Agawam 
are  hardy  in  mellow  soil  when  left  to  fill  up  the  ground 
and  shift  for  themselves.  Don’t  cultivate  blackberries 
too  much.  Cut  back  the  canes ;  and  look  out  about 
manure.  Let  the  leaves  that  fall  stay  where  they  rest. 
Blackberries  are  wild  children  ;  you  cannot  tame  them. 
Neither  a  Snyder  nor  an  Agawam  cane  has  ever  been 
killed  back  in  my  place  ;  and  both  kinds  bear  superbly. 
Erie  is  not  always  sure,  and  Kittatinny  illustrates  the 
sorts  that  are  half  hardy,  but  I  believe  I  could  make 
Snyder  die  in  any  winter.  Unsuitable  location,  soil, 
exposure  or  treatment  is  injurious  or  destructive  to  any 
plant,  however  hardy,  and  thousands  attribute  to  the 
plants  faults  due  to  unskillful  handling,  e.  p.  powell. 
Raspberry  and  Blackberry  Pinching 
WHEN  TO  USE  FINGERS  AS  PRUNING  KNIVES. 
When  and  What  to  Pinch. 
THE  QUESTIONS  : 
1.  Do  you  practice  pinching  the  ends  of  the  young  canes  of  the  red 
raspberry  In  summer?  If  not,  why  not  ? 
2.  At  what  height  do  you  prefer  to  pinch  the  young  canes  of  the  black 
raspberry  ?  At  what  height  those  of  the  blackberry  ?  Why  do  you 
prefer  these  heights  ? 
3.  Do  you  practice  pinching  the  laterals  that  develop  from  the  young 
cane  after  It  has  been  pinched?  If  so,  at  what  length  ?  If  not,  why  not? 
4.  Do  you  cut  back  these  branches  any  In  the  fall  or  spring?  If  so, 
what  Is  your  object  in  so  doing  ? 
5.  Do  you  practice  cutting  back  the  branches  of  the  blackberry  In 
the  fall  or  spring  ?  If  so,  why  ? 
J.  H.  Hale’s  New  England  Practice. 
1.  Yes.  I  always  pinch  them  back  as  fast  as  they 
attain  the  proper  height — usually  18  inches  to  two  feet. 
2.  The  black-cap  raspberry  when  from  12  to  15  inches, 
the  proper  height  depending  somewhat  upon  the 
weakening  process,  and  if  blackberries  or  raspberries 
are  pruned  in  the  fall  or  early  winter,  l  have  always 
found  them  more  likely  to  be  injured  by  the  cold 
of  winter  than  plants  left  untrimmed  till  early  spring, 
when  I  cut  out  all  crowding  branches  and  shorten  in 
those  that  are  left  to  within  eight  or  ten  inches  of  the 
main  cane.  The  reasons  for  thus  shortening  the 
laterals  are  two :  I  grow  all  raspberries  and  black¬ 
berries  without  the  aid  of  stakes  or  trellises  and  if  not 
headed  low,  it’s  not  easy  to  work  among  them  when 
loaded  with  fruit.  Again,  with  thorough  culture  and 
liberal  manuring,  the  plants  will  set  more  fruit  than 
can  be  brought  to  a  high  state  of  perfection,  if  all  the 
laterals  are  allowed  to  remain  at  full  length. 
5.  Blackberries  are  treated  in  the  same  manner  as 
raspberries,  and  for  like  reasons,  but  especially  to 
prevent  overbearing.  Most  varieties  are  inclined  to 
set  two  to  three  times  as  much  fruit  as  they  can  per¬ 
fect,  and  I  have  noted  a  great  improvement  in  the  size 
and  quality  of  the  fruit 
where  part  of  the 
bloom  was  cut  off 
without  shortening  the 
'AsA  canes  or  laterals. 
HK,K 
us! 
variety  and  the  soil  where  it  is  growing  ;  the  black¬ 
berry  at  two  to  2%  feet,  according  to  the  variety.  T 
prefer  the  low  heading  of  the  black-caps  because  as 
soon  as  pinched  back,  they  throw  out  a  great  number 
of  lateral  canes,  and  if  allowed  to  grow  much  higher, 
too  much  bearing  wood  is  produced.  Again,  the  new, 
rapid-growing  canes  of  the  black-cap  are  very  tender, 
and  if  not  kept  down  they  are  liable  to  become  top- 
heavy  and  get  broken  off,  if  heavy  winds  come  during 
the  growing  season.  I  pinch  blackberries  at  a  greater 
height,  because  the  wood  is  not  so  tender,  and  they  do 
not,  as  a  rule,  branch  so  near  the  ground  as  the  black¬ 
caps. 
3.  After  considerable  experience  in  the  matter,  I  do 
not  think  it  advisable,  in  New  England  at  least,  to 
pinch  back  any  of  the  lateral  canes  that  develop  after 
the  main  cane  has  been  checked  in  its  growth  ;  for  if 
these  laterals  are  headed  in  they  in  turn  develop 
laterals,  which  hardly  have  time  to  mature  before  the 
heavy  frosts  of  autumn,  and  there  is  likely  to  be  con¬ 
siderable  winter-killing. 
4.  I  do  not  like  to  cut  back  the  laterals  or  do  any 
trimming  in  the  fall,  preferring  to  leave  all  but  the 
summer  pinching  till  early  spring.  The  pruning  of 
any  tree  or  plant  appears  to  me  to  be  somewhat  of  a 
4  j  \l *  1  11  *.* 
A  New  Pear.  Fig.  14.  its  own  against  the 
winds.  If  pinched  much 
higher,  it  would  be  top-heavy  and  therefore  break 
down  before  the  first  strong  wind.  Blackberries  I  do 
not  pinch  at  all  for  the  same  reasons  on  account  of 
which  I  don’t  pinch  red  raspberries. 
3.  No ;  because  there  is  already  an  abundance  of 
buds  for  fruiting — all  the  plants  can  carry  to  perfection. 
F’oor  fruit  doesn’t  sell  itself  in  open  market. 
4  and  5.  Yes;  because,  first,  I  get  better  fruit,  and, 
second,  it  would  be  impossible  to  cultivate  the  plants 
or  gather  the  fruit  without  destroying  the  plantation 
if  I  failed  to  do  so.  6.  s.  butler. 
Pinching  Makes  too  Many  Young  Shoots. 
1.  I  have  not  for  a  number  of  years  practiced  pinch¬ 
ing  the  young  red  raspberry  canes  here,  in  Lucas 
County,  Ohio,  because  by  so  doing  too  many  young 
shoots  and  leaves  were  produced  among  the  ripening 
fruit  of  the  same  season,  thus  rendering  the  berries 
liable  to  be  soft  and  making  it  difficult  to  pick  them. 
I  have  also  found  that  I  can  secure  enough  bearing 
wood  without  pinching  back,  by  allowing  about  one 
cane  to  grow  every  10  to  12  inches  in  the  row,  and 
leaving  them  about  three  feet  in  length  when  pruning 
just  as  the  buds  are  starting. 
2.  We  pinch  the  young  shoots  of  black  raspberries 
