Last year, when I was about to visit England, an amateur friend, who makes Pear-culture a spacialty, handed me a list of questions, which he wished me to present to some experienced cultivator of this fruit in Great Britain, and,.if possible, to obtain some brief answers to the' inquiries. On my arrival in England, I gave the paper to Mr. John Powell, head gardener in the Royal Gardens at Frogmore, who has perhaps no superior in the art of managing the Pear in that country - at'least, in respect to practical skill. Mr. Powell very kindly consented to answer the questions. No words passed between us in relation to the inquiries, nor was any discussion held by us upon the general subject of Pear-culture. I give the questions and answers just as they were written by my amateur friend and Mr. Powell.

What is the best standard market Pear in England?

Answer. Bishop's Thumb is the most profitable. Summer Bon Chretin, Beurre de Capiaumont, and Hassel are good.

What is the best market Pear on Quince root 1

Am. Louise Bonne de Jersey. The Ananas also grows and bears freely on the Quince.

What is the best age for transplanting Pear-trees, all things considered, for a commercial Pear-orchard 1

Arts. Pear-trees may be transplanted with success at any age from one year to ten; but the best age, all things considered, is three years from the graft or bud.

Do you place any manure or compost under or around or among the roots of Pear-trees when setting them in the orchard, and if se, what kind?

Ans. If the soil is poor, such as red sand or shingle, and also shallow, rotten horse or cow dung is sometimes used with good results; but it is better to top-dress the roots with the same kind of manure after planting; also, in after years, to top-dress in the same way when the trees show any signs of feebleness.

Do you apply any mineral manures, as lime, ashes, bone-dust, to the soil before planting?

Ans. In heavy clay or wet soils it is an excellent plan to use bone-dust, lime, pulverized brick, and ashes. Perhaps the best material of all is burnt (or charred) earth; in fine, any material which will render the soil open and porous. Calcareous or carbonaceous substances are always useful in such soils.

How small may be the distance between Pear trees, in garden culture; and what is the best distance for a dwarf and standard orchard mixed?

Ans. Dwarf and pyramid may be grown at eight feet apart, without root pruning. Mr. Rivers cultivates them a yard apart, by continuous root pruning, or by lifting them every two years, and pinching the leading shoots during the summer growth. It is not advisable to plant dwarfs and standards together. Eighteen to twenty feet apart is the usual distance for standards.

What is the best method of pruning to induce early fruiting, and continued healthfulness and profit?

Ans. Root pruning, and stopping all the strongest shoots during their growth, is the best treatment for dwarf trees. To induce early fruiting in standards, the shoots must not be shortened.

Does the Borer ever, or often, enter standard Pear wood?

Ans. This grub and beetle are not found in England.

Is there any earth-grub (not the true Borer, Saperda biviltata) which attacks the quince roots?

Ans. None that I am aware of.

Do you advise the application of much stable-manure to fruit-bearing Pear trees?

Ans. As stated elsewhere, all depends on the nature of the soil, and the condition of the trees. Stable-manure is good, used us surface dressing, and the skilful cultivator will always know, by the condition of his trees, when to use any stimulants.

Do you advise the application of lime, ashes, dissolved bone-dust, iron filings, or any other special manures to Pear trees? If so, what?

Ans. In clay, bog, or peat soils, the application of lime, ashes, or bone-dust, I strongly advise. In calcareous soils, stable-manure, or any other kind similar in chemical properties, should be used.

Do you mulch Pear trees? If so, with what substances?

Ans. We always mulch after planting, and at all times when the trees show any signs of weakness. Cow-dung is the best for this purpose.

Do you practice root pruning of standard Pear trees? If so, how soon do you commence after transplanting to the orchard, and in what way 1 Do you, at the same time, cut back the tops freely?

Ans. We never root prune large standard Pear trees in orchards, where they grow at will Pear trees, allowed to assume their natural size and habit, always form abundance of fruit buds. The only pruning required is thinning the branches, and occasionally shortening a branch to balance the tree; but, as a general rule, the tops ought not to be cut back, for there the finest fruit is produced. Garden standards are often root pruned, that is, when pruning is annually done to keep the trees within bounds. Root pruning is then of great service to check their growth and to cause them to be fruitful. It is not necessary to shorten the branches at the time of root pruning.

Would it answer to cut off all the roots of Pear trees four feet from the stem on two sides of the trees, and keep them constantly cut in that direction, if allowed to extend on the two other sides? (That is, to grow them in rows'ten feet apart, and keep open a sub-soil cut in the centre of the ten-foot space, to drain and admit air into the soil).

Ans. Yes, especially in wet or heavy land; doubtless the trees would be improved by this treatment.

How do you keep and ripen pears generally?

Ans. In the first place, the proper time for gathering each variety must be considered, and this varies in different places. Therefore no special rule can be given which will be a guide to all cultivators. The peculiarities of each variety and each locality must be studied. As a general rule, however, all kinds that have a tendency to mealiness should be gathered early, and the reverse with those varieties which have a juicy and gritty texture. Early varieties are of course best kept in a cool place; after the late varieties are gathered, admit air and light to the store till the fruit has ceased to throw off moisture, and the cells are sealed by the oily matter furnished by the fruit for that purpose. When this process is complete, if the store bo dry no more air is. requisite. Be careful not to allow any decayed fruit to remain in the store, or any fungi to accumulate. If any fruit do not soften at the proper time, introduce them into a warmer temperature, which will improve both color and flavor. It is a very good plan to place a few of the long-keeping kinds in dried sand, in boxes or jars. Do not put them in till the sweating process is past.

A few lumps of unslacked lime placed in the store-room occasionally, is of great service to absorb moisture and destroy fungus.

How do you keep, ripen, and color the Vicar of Winkfield and other winter pears?

Ans. Allow all late pears to hang on the trees till the latest period of gathering. Give light and air to the fruit store for the first six week; after this close the house, and keep the temperature at 45° to 50°. If not colored or ripe at the proper season, put them into a close box, in a warm room or vinery, where the temperature is from 60° to 70°.

What, in your opinion, are the causes of the Blight which often seizes and destroys large and apparently healthy fruiting Pear trees?

Ans. The Blight which seizes Pear trees in the summer time in America, is unknown here. Large and apparently healthy trees often fail here, but in no solitary instance have I traced the cause at the root, but to frozen sap in the branches. The injury is not done during severe frost in the winter months, but in spring when the sap is rising, and then I believe no injury arises from dry frost, but when the branches are wet, and the shoots become coated with ice, which happens when rain and frost occur nearly at the same time, or frost immediately succeeds rain.

Is trenching three feet deep absolutely necessary, on a good soil, after sub soil plowing eighteen inches deep, to obtain the best success in pear culture? Is it even desirable?

Arts. Trenching soil three feet deep is not at all necessary, especially if the soil is good. Eighteen inches are sufficiently deep. If deeper, it would only encourage over-luxuriance of growth in the trees, a thing which ought always to be avoided, if possible, in pear culture.. If the surface is clay, over a calcareous sub-soil, then deep trenching may be done with advantage, and these two kinds of soil incorporated together make a soil suitable for the growth of the pear.

Is under-draining necessary in a friable soil, with a porous sub-soil, for success with quince-rooted trees, or standard pears?

Ans. No, only in very wet, swampy ground, and then it is good practice to grow them on ridges.

Do you advise deep or shallow planting of Pear trees?

Ans. Shallow, by all means. Young trees should not have more than four inches of soil over their roots, and in planting divide the roots equally around the tree, and place them in a horizontal position.

How deep, if at all, would you cover the quince roots on dwarf trees? •

Ans. About four inches, and that, if possible, raised a little above the surface.

Would you permit grass to grow in a Pear orchard 1 If not, how would you work the open ground to save labor and not injure the trees or exhaust the soil?

Ans. I would not advise grass for a Pear orchard. It is far preferable for the health and productiveness of the trees to work the soil and grow light crops, say early potatoes in the spring, and turnips in the autumn, always using a dressing of manure for the spring crop, so that the soil may not be exhausted. It also appears certain that late spring frosts do not injure the blossoms of fruit trees so readily when growing in arable land, as in grass-covered soil, owing probably to a dryer atmosphere in the case of cultivated ground.

[An article of much interest, especially as presenting the views of a skilful English cultivator. The questions are clearly put, and, in the main, clearly answered. With the exception of Louise Bonne de Jersey, none of our popular pears are found in Mr. Powell's list; from which might be drawn some interesting inferences. The difference in climate, however, is so great, that we should naturally look for widely different results. - Ed].