80 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 4. 
I 
ourselves, whether we he in the faith,” and “prove our own- 
selves.” Readers ! remember ; I beseech you to remember 
this. 
THE QUrNCE STOCK FOR THE GROWTH 
OF PEAR-TREES 
I i,ove to come in contact with any man whose main 
object in promulgating information is the elucidation of the 
truth ; and as R. E., boldly asserted that that was his 
object, and I knew “ that all men’s views of the self-same 
subject, and its stern reality,” depended on their own pecu¬ 
liar turn of mind, and the experience they had had in refer¬ 
ence to it, I felt assured, that if I put forth my views and 
opinions on the above subject, I should be met with that 
courtesy by him it is desirable and necessai’ 3 ' should be 
exercised for the extension of useful knowledge. Under 
such circumstances, I availed myself of an early opportunity, 
after Christmas, whilst the rest of folks surrounding me 
were spending their time in frivolity and nonsense (i. c., ac- 1 
cording to my way of thinking), to write the article on the 
subject of “ Growing Pear-trees on Quince stocks,” which ap¬ 
peared in the January number of the Cottage Gardener, and 
which Mr. R. Errington chastises me so gently for in your 
last number, that I am inclined to think him too polite to 
“hit me hard”; but he nevertheless seems somewhat an¬ 
noyed at finding he has not had the same opportunities of 
experiencing and developing the same practice as I have . 
there advanced. 
Mr. Errington is quite correct in staling, “ that it will not. 
do to beg one-lialf the question and that it is all very well | 
to say, “ where the soil is suitable, Ac.” He is more than 
right; he is in real earnest, when he rallies the writer ot an 
“ original article” so far as to provoke him to substantiate 
the principles he has advanced; because, were parties to be 
allowed to write what they pleased, and not to be cross-ques¬ 
tioned, any penny-a-liner might write a plausible article 
on a subject he had collected a few facts in reference to, and 
palm it off on the public, through the liberality ot the Editor 
or proprietor of some widely-circulated Journal, and produce 
an immense deal of harm by it. This, however, was not my 
case; for I well knew what I was writing about when I stood 
up, or rather sat down, in behalf of my friend “ Quince 
Stock.” 
If I had recommended the Quince stock to be planted 
in an unsuitable soil, I should have done wrong, positively 
wrong. If I had not specified what kind of soil was suitable, 
I should not have done right, but I did so; and Mr. I,, 
seems particularly pleased to find we are met in opinion on 
some of the most important points in reference to this 
knotty question. It is as useless to place a plant in an un¬ 
suitable soil, under the impression it will thrive in it, as it is 
to offer an animal unsuitable food and expect it to do well 
on it. 
It is quite correct that a Pear-tree grafted on a free stock 
will grow in almost any kind of soil, as this stock throws out 
long, strong roots, which go great distances in search ot the 
moisture and nourishment necessary for the support of the 
tree ; and that such tree will stand and thrive as an orna¬ 
ment, where a Quince stock tree would dwindle and look 
miserably poor : here this system of growing the Pear-tree 
has particular merit peculiarly its own. But would it pro¬ 
duce a proportionate or an equivalent amount of fruit, taking 
size or age into consideration, to the Quince-tree, if it were 
planted in a suitable (i.c., a moist, rich) soil for either? 
No; most certainly not! Here, then, I must pronounce the 
Quince-stock system to be the best; for where the free will 
grow and only grow, the Quince will grow and produce 
abundance of fruit. This I, of course, advance as a general 
l'ule, applicable to the generality of varieties of Pears; but 
that exceptions may be selected, I am as ready, and as able 
to prove as any man; and that “ Marie Louise'' is one of the 
I exceptional varieties, and that the Easter Beurrlt: is another, 
! I am well aware; and also that those varieties do not gene¬ 
rally do so well on Quince stocks as they do on free. But, 
again; I can produce exceptions to this rule, and show trees 
r of these varieties doing well on Quince stocks. 
Mr Errington seems to fancy, that because I have called 
particular attention to the fact, “ That a Pear-tree which 
has budded on a Quince stock is not worth planting, | 
and unless it and the stock are well healed together, 
that the only chance of succeeding with it is to plant it a 
little below the bud Ac.,” and considers it is almost tanta¬ 
mount to my expressing a doubt as to the value of the 
system. Nay, my friends, not so, indeed! It is tantamount | 
to informing the readers of The Cottage Ghadener, that | 
what is worth doing, is worth doing well; and that imperfect 
workmanship in the fixing and tying a bud may be partially 
counterbalanced by the mode adopted in the planting. It is 1 
only proving, to a mathematical demonstration, the philo¬ 
sophical working of nature in the science of horticulture. 
Not expressing a doubt; not it, indeed. 
I trust some better-informed individual than myself will 
answer Mr. Errington’s enquiry, as to “ How many situa- j 
tions in the different counties of England (and particularly 
in the northern and eastern counties), the Quince has been 
thriving on unprepared soil?” What does he mean by 
unprepared soil? because it is a usual practice to make 
gardens without preparing the soil; and it is also desirable 
to select warm and sheltered situations for such purposes; 
but as to the climate, if they are sent by thousands annually 
to the United States of North America, and are there found 
to do well, I cannot fancy that the cold of England, Ireland, 
or Scotland, is to have very sad influences on them. This 
is, of course, ideal. I have sent trees to North America, 
and have never heard complaints therefrom respecting 
them ; and in looking over the printed catalogue of Messrs. 
Ellwanger and Barry, of Rochester, New f \ork State, for 
1848, have been a little surprized to find that the descrip¬ 
tions given by them of the Pears were similar to our own ; 
and that in their general remarks they spoke more favour¬ 
able of many of the varieties than we may venture to do ; 
and they furthermore specify, that the great advantages of 
cultivating the Pear on Quince stocks, for garden culture, as 
dwarf pyramids, are becoming so apparent as to create a 
very general partiallity for trees of this sort. During the 
last five years we have given a large share of attention to 
this particular branch, and have now about ten thousand 
young trees of this kind in various stages of growth. 
I trust the question as to the coldness of tile climate will 
be somewhat elucidated by this explanation. It has been, 
and is still, my opinion, that cold winters are, generally 
speaking, decidedly in favour of deciduous trees, whether ; 
of fruit-bearing or an ornamental character. 
Now, as to the soil. I confess I have never planted a Pear- ; 
tree on a Quince stock that has not thriven to my satisfac- I 
tion ; but I have seen hundreds planted that have done no 
good, either from their being placed in soil unadapted to 
them, to mismanagement, or neglect. I have planted in 
different kinds of soil (be it remembered, that my practice 
is limited to the Island of Jersey, where the soil is generally 
of a good retentive character), and have found the trees to 
do well in them. I have avoided situations which were too 
elevated, and the bottom composed of rock or gravel; and i 
I have no doubt that the latter is the cause of Mr. 
Errington’s failure in the case to which he particularly ; 
alludes; and I hope he will pardon me for stating, that had 
I had the planting of the trees, I should have selected 
“free stocks” for the sandy soil, with gravelly bottom, in 
preference to Quince. Such soils are subject to extremes i 
: from their own perviousness and the draining properties of 
the gravelly bottom ; but, whilst I admit this, in his par- | 
ticular case, and in answer to his complaint of their 
I “ having proved a total failure,” I am very unwilling to ] 
admit, as a general rule, that it is the “ better plan.” 
I have little doubt but that the advice is judicious, says 
Mr. Errington, in reference to using sea-sand, lime, and 
salt, as manures to the Quince; but he still seems to 
hanker, like a man looking over the brink of a precipice, 
doubtful as to whether it would be judicious to jump or not, 
ere he will change his opinion. He must be more tho¬ 
roughly convinced. He must have proof positive. I love 
this caution? It is most desirable in an individual who 
is catering for the public good ; and when the man who so 
acts announces a well-weighed conviction of some positive 
fact, it is doubly valuable, and is received with much greater 
confidence by his hearers and readers. Than sea-sand, 
there is nothing better as a manure; and I have no doubt, 
that if he had a few tons of it, and a ton or two of “ vraic ” 
