ing, and although some forty years old has never shown any sign of blight, and, I am told, never failed to yield a crop of fruit.

No variety of the European type can compare with the LeConte in growth or productiveness. A peculiarity of this pear is, that, like its congener, the China Sand, it can be grown from cuttings. But while the latter may, during winter, grow quite readily in Lower Georgia, nearly all attempts of propagating by this method have failed in Middle and Upper Georgia. Where trees can only be propagated with certainty when grafted upon pear stocks, worked upon quince gives bad results; the buds grow rapidly the first year, but gradually die off afterward. Its apparent resistance against blight is, doubtless,attributable to a peculiar thick epidermis which prevents fungii from obtaining a foothold. Admitting that pear blight is caused by the attacks of a fungus, which destroys the tissue of the bark, it becomes evident that so long as a tree is grown from a graft below the surface, its immunity from blight will be equal to that of a tree grown from a cutting, as the stock is not exposed to the atmosphere and thus protected from the fungus. However, when top-grafted the liability to blight is increased, the graft must suffer should the body of the tree become affected. The theory of blight being generated from lack of affinity between graft and stock and carried through the circulation receives, in this instance, a practical refutation, as the wonderful vigor infused in pear stocks, when grafted with the LeConte, is conclusive evidence of the affinity, and if effected by blight it is only when topgrafted, because fungus growth makes its appearance only upon that portion of the tissue of the pears of European type, which is exposed to the atmosphere. As a market fruit the LeConte has proven valuable. Although without being of superior quality, it is sufficiently good to be desirable. But its good market points consist in its even size and smooth skin, combined with its great fertility. We may, in the near future, obtain better varieties of this type, as several are already quite prominent, such as Keiffer's, Garber's and other hybrid varieties; but even should we make no further advance in point of quality, the advent of the Leconte has made pear culture possible and profitable where it was a failure before.

DISCUSSION ON SOUTHERN FRUITS.

The President-Several topics suggested in Mr. Berckmans' admirable paper will certainly elicit valuable discussion, and he will doubtless be willing to answer any questions that you may desire to ask him.

Mr. Smith, of Wisconsin-Why is it that certain varieties of peaches ripened in certain sections of the country earlier than in regions lower down?

Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia-That is one of those climatic freaks that we can not account for. The nearness to the sea is thought to

have a great influence upon varieties. I was told that about Mobile it is almost impossible for them to grow figs, except the Celesti, whereas at Norfolk, which is five hundred miles further north, I have seen half a dozen varieties uninjured for years.

Mr. Baldwin, of Michigan-Do you find the LeConte pear as good upon its own root as when grafted?

Mr. Berckmans-I find it better upon another root. I think it is better suited to the light lands of the Southern States than any other pear they can grow. It has matured in Connecticut and New York. They find it there not so desirable as some other varieties. In the Southern States you can grow it where you can grow no other pear.

Mr. Smith, of Wisconsin-It has been represented to me that the pear would not be valuable except upon its own root.

Mr. Berckmans-Certain ideas obtain with certain men. We can not take stock in all these things.

Mr.. Baldwin, of Michigan-I came down to attend this meeting a little in advance, wanting to make a trip into Florida. On my return I stopped at what was supposed to be the headquarters of the LeConte pear. I got some very valuable information by going to the parties who grow them largely near Thomasville, Ga. One fact they impressed upon my mind, that they never graft it upon another stock.

Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia-That does not agree with my experience.

Mr. Baldwin, of Michigan-In going through one of the orchards the owner showed me a row that were grown on their own roots, and several grown on other stocks. They were about five years old, and those grown on their own roots were fully twice as large. I ascertained that they began planting their trees twelve or fourteen feet apart, then eighteen or twenty. They have now found that they must not plant them nearer than thirty feet. They have about three thousand trees in orchards from two to eleven years old. The average yield of the ten years old trees was about fifteen bushels to the tree. The first shipments sold in New York at $5.00 a bushel.

Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia-At our last meeting we classified the LeConte not very high in quality. Afterwards Mr. Albert Manning told me that in 1876 the LeConte sold in Boston for $16.00 a barrel.

A

Mr. Baldwin, of Michigan-Several barrels that sold as low as $2.00 a barrel were sent to the evaporator, in North Georgia, and they made eight pounds to the bushel. The owner was offered 30 cents, but he declined. They were afterwards sold in New York at 40 cents a pound. They make as fine fruit as I ever saw gentleman I know is president of a company that is now planting one hundred acres of trees of this variety. There are some LeConte pear orchards which I would not give anything for, but they had been neglected. The gentlemen I saw, however, were thorough cultivators. You can stand and look down a row of one hundred trees and you can hardly tell the difference, they are so nearly alike. One of the ten years old trees bore last year thirtytwo bushels. Mr. Sandford told me that there were thirty bushels of these marketable. A gentleman has twelve trees which have netted him a little over $400 in one year.

The President-What is it that makes it sell, its beauty or its quality?

Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia-I am unable to say exactly.
The President-What is its quality as a table fruit?

Mr. Berckmans-It is about good.

The President-Is it a very handsome pear?

Mr. Berckmans-Yes, sir. It is smooth and fine. This year my opinion of the LeConte has undergone a favorable change. I used to be prejudiced against it, but the quality this year was so much sweeter that I changed my opinion of it.

The President-Will it be successful to any extent in the latitude of Cincinnati and St. Louis ?

Mr. Berckmans-If I can judge from the results in New York and New Jersey, I would say, yes.

The President-If all of these premises are correct, we ought to plant a great many LeConte pears.

Mr. Baldwin, of Michigan-These gentlemen told me that they had never had a tree blighted.

Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia-They say it is blight-proof, but I do not believe that. I do not believe that any pear is blight-proof. The LeConte may be more nearly so than any other kind. I believe that it has been reported blighted in Southwestern Georgia.

Prof. Colmant, of Mississippi-I have had a few hundred LeConte pears in cultivation, and my opinion has been about the same as Mr. Berckmans'. I have seen it blighted, but I have seen it resist blight. It is different from all the other pears in its habits. Our experience has been that the strongest growing pears were subject most to blight. The LeConte has been less subject to it than any variety I have ever cultivated.

Col. R. W. Gillespie, of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, was then introduced to the Society, who said that he came on the part of his own road and the Louisville and Nashville road to extend an invitation to the Society. The L. & N. offered them an excursion to Mobile and back, or transportation to Mobile, if they accepted the invitation of the M. & O., which was to give them a special train from Mobile to Cairo.

The President said that this was the most generous hospitality he had ever heard tendered to a society, and thanked Mr. Gillespie therefor.

After some discussion upon these proposals, Mr. W. H. Cassell, of Mississippi, a gentleman of long experience in growing pears at the South, read the following paper on "Pear Culture":

PEARS AND THEIR CULTURE IN THE SOUTH.

BY W. H. CASSELL, OF MISSISSIPPI.

In the discussion of this subject, we are met first by the questions of latitude and longitude, and suppose that the Society will generally construe these to embrace that part of the United States between the Rocky Mountains on the west, and the Atlantic on the east, for longitude, and extending, in latitude, from the southern limits of the United States to the northern limits of the Cotton Belt, embracing some six or seven degrees of latitude. This opens up a large territory, varied considerably as to climate, and greatly as to soil, embracing almost every variety of the latter. But we find this (the favorite fruit of the writer) adapting itself, with considerable success, to the different conditions which these diversities of soil and climate necessarily impose upon it, so that from all quarters comes the report that some varie

ties of the pear are grown successfully, unless it be on lands too low and wet for fruit culture generally. The best results, however, are on well drained soils; and here at the outset I would like to ask if any one in the South has tried growing the pear on lands artificially drained, either by tiles or otherwise, and, if so, with what results?

There is a difference in the adaptation of the varieties to different soils, while the Duchesse d'Angouleme seems to adapt itself to all soils. The Vicar of Winkfield, or Le Cure, is a most miserable failure everywhere. A wide field is open here for experiment, and a careful comparison of notes by growers in different sections, and on different soils, is necessary to determine the exact status of most kinds. The lack of horticultural societies generally over the South has been a great hinderance here; and it is hoped the meeting of this Society, by bringing together prominent growers from different sections, may be of decided benefit in this direction. As far as my observation extends, if I could choose a soil more suited than any other, it would be represented by a fresh piece of land on the Chickasaw bluffs, or line of hills extending from Vicksburg to Natchez, east of the Mississippi river, and where it was not too rolling to admit of cultivation without the soil being soon washed away. Here growth is strong and vigorous, wood ripens well, and fruit well developed in size, appearance and quality. At the same time I have seen fine results on pine lands, where there was considerable clay in the subsoil. Next in order comes

CULTIVATION.

I believe it is conceded on all hands that all young pear trees should be cultivated, at any rate, up to the point where fruiting begins. Here cultivators differ; some preferring to continue stirring the soil with the plow or spade several times during the growing season, while others would sow in grass, and top-dress with manure during the winter, while still some others would allow the trees to take their chances without manuring. In the opinion of the writer, good judgment would determine a modification of these practices according to circumstances, the end to be gained being vigor sufficient to develop strong, healthy fruit buds, and carry to maturity a fair crop of fruit without an excessive stimulation of wood growth, which tends to make the tree cast its fruit and become more susceptible to attacks of the blight. In this, soil and variety must be considered together. For instance, a standard Bartlett on rich or strong soil, if highly cultivated, is exceedingly liable to blight; on a poor soil, uncultivated, it would not have vigor sufficient to perfect a full crop of fruit; per contra, a standard Seckel would be benefited by generous cultivation, on a fair soil, and is a comparative failure on poor soil, even with moderate cultivation, and completely so if uncultivated. Right here, the seasons too, exert a manifest influence and present sometimes a nice point to the anxious cultivator. If fertilized or cultivated to an extent sufficient to perfect a fair crop of fruit in an average season, and an extremely wet season should occur, the tree may cast its fruit and an ex