THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
137 
has resisted the blight for a period of forty-five years 
in South Iowa. The Fluke, found growing in Davenport, 
Iowa, when planted on the rich, alluvial soils of Central 
and Northern Iowa, has proven to be not only more hardy 
than any of the old varieties, but almost free from blight 
and of a good dessert quality. The Longworth, also 
originating at Dubuque, Iowa, has grown here at Charles 
City and farther north at Osage on the forty-third parallel 
to be ten inches in diameter and to be nearly the same size 
up to the forty-fourth parallel in South Central Minnesota. 
In each case, it is growing on rich prairie soil, where it is 
practically, though not wholly, free from blight of the 
smaller limbs. In this connection, it is proper to state that 
its fruit is not of such quality as to recommend it where 
the choice varieties can be grown, but its great hardiness 
makes it valuable in the breeding problem for the north. 
From 
Prof. J. C. 
'Whitten of 
the Uni- 
versity of 
Missouri, I 
learn that 
the Keiffer 
is more 
largely 
planted in 
his state than all other varieties combined and this, so far 
as I have been able to learn, is true of all parts of this Valley 
south of Iowa, the Garber being used as a pollenizer of that 
variety. 
The Keiffer, though blighting somewhat, has great re¬ 
cuperative force, probably drawn from its hybrid character 
with the Chinese sand pear, and therefore soonest recovers 
from both summer and winter injury, but lacking here 
considerable of the hardiness of the Longworth and Fluke, 
and not as hardy in Northern Iowa as the Flemish 
Beauty. 
Well, I hear some one exclaim, that it is a poor showing 
for either profitable or high class pear culture in the Missis¬ 
sippi Valley. True, but permit me to state that there is one 
man in Southern Iowa who grew, two years ago, nearly 
Fifteen Hundred bushels of pears, and almost wholly of the 
better varieties as mentioned in this article, and there are 
■> thousands of acres in southern Iowa and elsewhere in this 
Valley where, even under present conditions, with intelli- 
,» gent selection, culture and care, pear growing may be made 
ill not only profitable, but highly satisfactory in the quality of 
- its fruit. 
It i But that does not touch the root of the matter as applied 
(iiil to this Valley. As before suggested, the pear, through 
^ repeated generations of seedlings in a mild and equable 
jif climate, has developed hereditary characters which almost 
Iji wholly unadapt it in our more rigorous interior climate. So 
that with us the problem becomes one of adaptation, through 
j the process of selection from the seedlings of our most nearly 
adapted varieties, in all parts of this territory, bringing to 
iji), bear also our highest skill in in-breeding, and creating the 
I most promising combinations by cross-pollination. 
Fortunately we have advanced so far in our knowledge of 
varieties and in methods of procedure in this work that the 
path which leads to success,' though long, is not obscure. 
Nature has been so lavish in the infinity of her variations in 
plant life, that there is no shadow of an excuse for doubt. 
No one can tell what of blight resistance and hardiness, 
or both, lies hidden in a thousand seeds of the Seckel, the 
Howell, the Fluke, or other good pears herein enumerated. 
No one can tell what might be produced by the cross¬ 
breeding of these and the Anjou, the Sheldon, the Durand, 
the Winter Nelis, and other nearly non-blighters upon 
Burkett, the Fluke, and Longworth. But we know enough 
of the latent power of heredity so that we can forecast 
results with a reasonable degree of certainty. 
SUGGESTIONS FOR PEAR BREEDING 
The in¬ 
fluence of 
some high 
quality 
pear which 
played a 
part in the 
origination 
of the 
Keiffer, if 
its in-bred 
seeds were planted in great abundance, would give most 
hopeful assurance of grand results in the development 
of pears suited to the southern part of the Mississippi 
Valley. 
In considering this subject, we shall do well to bear in 
mind the fact that luxuriance of gro'wth tends to blight. 
We have, therefore, a double reason for breeding from such 
slow growing sorts as Seckel, Fluke, Dix, Rutter and Winter 
Nelis; as the character of slow, firm growth will be stamped 
on some of their many seedlings; and through later investi¬ 
gations with the microscope we may be able to predict of a 
seedling when three or four years old whether the size and 
firmness of the cells will hinder or perhaps prevent the work 
of the bacteria. 
The states must get behind this work. The life and cir¬ 
cumstances of the individual are too short and uncertain to 
compass the production of varieties which shall satisfy our 
uncertain cultivated tastes and the demands of our climate. 
Planters and nurserymen will gladly co-operate, but the 
State Experiment Stations, backed by the States, must lead 
in the work, not alone of developing a commercial industry, 
but also of giving to their citizens, at the earliest possible 
date, one of the most delicious fruits ever known to a 
highly civilized people. 
We are in receipt of a beautifully colored print of the great 
exhibition of forced shrubs and plants which will be held from 
April 5th to the i6th on the occasion of the ^oth anniversary of 
the Pomological Society of Boskoop, Holland. The members of 
this Society now apply themselves almost exclusively to the culti¬ 
vation of all sorts of conifers, evergreens and shrubs and perennials 
for forcing. The exhibition will be hiehly interesting for the great 
collaboration of the principal firms of Boskoop and its environs 
guarantee a complete survey of all kinds of shrubs and perennials 
for forcing, which are in cultivation in this well known nursery 
district. 
Silas Wilson Patten Greening X Roman Stem Seedling from Patten Greening 
SEEDLINGS AND CROSSES OF CHAS. G. PATTEN 
'.1 
