He will see to it that no marauding caterpillars fatten there, that no curculio whets his tooth in that first fruit; for he will walk in his garden in the fresh morning, in the shimmering noontide, and at the shady evening, and will feel that he has something to live for. He will be the providence of his pear-tree, and a worthy man.

I shall always remember S. G. P., who at last found peace among his pear-trees - a Salem and repose. He was early driven forth, Ishmael-like, into the wilderness, as other men are, and was in danger of perishing; for, was it not necessary, indispensable, to have much wealth, to be a merchant prince, and send forth ventures in ships ? To other men, older men, it seemed so, and his rapid energies grappled with these weapons with which to fight the world; for other men and merchant princes were struggling to get what all could not have, and there were many obstacles to be overcome, and much competition. For years he worked like a lion, and knew no rest; he visited many lands and braved many seas, and for what ? That he might secure, in his own hand, a larger share of the world's wealth, and so be pointed at as the man who owned much gold. But ships were lost, and fires ravaged, and agents were dishonest, that they, too, might have wealth; and the end saw S. G. P. a ruined man. When he was too old to reform his life, so as to work and not waste his energies, he remembered his father's garden and his pear-trees, and there he went, with a small income, to pass the evening of his days; and there he did pass it, in company with his two good daughters, and in communion with his "Louise Bonnes" and " St. Michaels."

To me it was a satisfaction to enjoy his satisfaction; for he was in harmony with his pear-trees, and they, knowing what he wanted, and knowing that he was right, tried to do as he wished, and grew well - as espaliers, pyramids, dwarfs, balloons, or standards. They resisted blights and frosts, blossomed timely, set well, and bore their fruits. It was a delight to see little fellows of three feet high bearing up bravely their load of half a dozen Duchesses or Wurtem-burgs, while stately standards stood and ripened their bushels of Urbanistes and Bosc8 through all the long summer suns.

It seemed to me that they leaned to the old man as he walked among them, trimming a little here, praising there - and I do not doubt they had as much satisfaction in him as he had in them; for he fully appreciated their virtues.

Do not think the old man did this because he wanted pears. He could have bought one for a sixpence any day, and have sat down in the shade and swallowed it; would that have sufficed? I trow not. No; he raised pears, as I said, because the trees must bear them, and it was his pleasure to give them every opportunity, which having done, the trees produced abundantly; and then the pears were eaten, because they had been created, not vice versa. Ah! many think it is a small thing to grow a good pear-tree, but it is one thing well done; and I know richer men than S. G. P., who, so far as I am aware, have never been accused of doing even one.

The Dutch doctor, Van Mons, was a creator of pears; and in his hand nature became a prolific inventor. It was his habit to sow the seed, to select from the young those which promised well, to graft them at once into bearing trees whose juices were rich, where they would make blossoms and fruit within three years from sowing the seed; for it is a curious fact, that the juices of the tree which really produce the fruit, have almost no influence upon the little graft upon which the fruit grows. From the fruits so produced, many good pears were given to the world by Dr. Van Mons.

Now the doctor did this, not because he wanted pears, but because he wished nature to do all she could do, and he found a satisfaction in helping her toward completeness.

One crowning use of pear-trees and pears is, that they furnish topics for talk, and are, in my opinion, fully equal to a "Bourbon," had we one among us. I have known many virtuous men who grew pear-trees (I am proud to say it), and I never knew one who enjoyed scandal or backbit his intimate friends; the reason is plain - he had something better to talk about, in capacity quite infinite; for are there not Beurres by the score ? But no pursuit is perfectly safe from misfortunes, and pear-growing is not quite secure. Judge Buel once had a package of valuable pear-grafts sent to him from Paris, every one of which was choice and was labeled; but, sad to say, rats had eaten or damp had rotted the strings which bound them, and Beurres were mixed confusedly with Bergamots. To my friend J. T. the judge gave some of these grafts, and J. T. took them as a man might a young elephant or a fine horse, not counting the cost. He grafted them into his trees, and in due time they bore delicious pears - but uWhat were they?"

No mortal man could tell their names, and many of them were new to us. From that day J. T.'s peace of mind was gone, and, it seemed, hopelessly gone; for no nomenclature could be certainly right It was well for Judge Buel that he was snatched away before these grafts bore fruit, and, perhaps, J. T. was happier in soon following him.

I alone remained, and, in the language of Mr. Samuel Weller, I may say:

"I eats my melting pears vithout any names, and gets along werry well indeed."

I would have my money-making friends, and my political friends, and my verse-making friends, and my women-friends, consider of this thing, and then plant pear-trees, and grow pears, that so it may be well with them. And I would have those wise men who know what a little care and kind treatment will do with a pear-tree, and how it comes to strength, and beauty, and fruitfulness, when external circumstances are made favorable by them, I would have them consider what grand results might come from a little of such judicious care and attention, if applied by them to a poor boy or girl now and then, or to a man or woman struggling, in an uncultivated soil, with crowded roots and bruised top. I would have them remember that the most capable and wonderful of all God's creations is man; and then I would have them not only cultivate pear-trees, but also cultivate men. - Putnam's Monthly.

Summer Pruning or pinching in of dwarf pears, apples, etc., should be mainly performed during this month. Watch the trees from day to day, and by means of the thumb and finger take out the end bud of a too strong and vigorous shoot, thus compelling it to force its elongated growth into the side buds, and spread and increase the breadth and form of the tree, rather than add to its height. Weak shoots, not wanted for keeping the form, may be pinched back and made to form fruit spurs; but such weak shoots as are wanted to fill up and keep the form regular and perfect, will require mainly to be let alone. A little daily attention in forming trees by means of pinching out buds at this season will obviate any necessity for after severe pruning, and many a tree can be formed into a true and regular shape by means of one season's pinching better than would result from two or three spring or winter prunings.

About Pear-Trees #1

Pleasant reading, but really without any practical point, except it be to ignore the use of names as applied to fruits. What would the writer have done had he grown the pears he ate, and finding one among the dozen kinds that pleased him more than all the others, desired to plant more trees of it ? I trow he would have had to find some one more skilled than himself, or else been compelled to make a hap-hazard guess, that after his young trees came into a bearing state would have resulted in disappointment.