350 Transactions of the 



AGRICULTURAL MATTERS. 



A fruit grower last year made ten dollars net profit on his pear trees 

 of two varieties, namely, Bartlett and Winter JMelles. Some of the 

 cherry growers did not fall much behind these figures. The latter fruit 

 cannot be exported, unless dried. But up to this time the home demand 

 for cherries has kept the price up so that fruit growers have had a satis- 

 factory market. The season for cherries is a short one. But the mar- 

 ket has never been glutted, as it sometimes is with strawberries, and 

 other small fruits. 



The demand for pears, especially Bartletts, is likely to hold good for 

 years to come, for the reason that they can be sent East from six to 

 eight weeks in advance of pears produced on that side of the country. 

 For this reason our home market will not be overstocked with the fruit. 

 Last year the fruit market was quite bare at times of Bartlett pears, for 

 the reason that the Eastern demand swept the market. There will be 

 no limit to that demand. 



An orchard set now with this variety of fruit would probabty be more 

 remunerative than any other of the pear variety. We have not so 

 much confidence in the Winter Nelles, because it is a late variety, and 

 one that is produced in great perfection all over the Eastern States. It 

 does not ripen here much in advance of its maturity on the other side 

 of the country. 



The fruit grower has to deal practically with the question of a market. 

 He may know of superior varieties of fruit for which there is little 

 demand, and, therefore, does not cultivate them, save for home consump- 

 tion. What he wants to know is if a given variety will find a good 

 market for years to come. In that event, he can set a new orchard or 

 work over an old one. Old pear trees grafted over will produce new 

 varieties, a few the second year, and more the third. A great many 

 pear orchards have already been grafted to meet the demands of the 

 Eastern market. 



Dr. W. P. Gibbons, of Alameda, gives some good advice about the 

 cultivation of the eucalj'ptus, through the Rural Press: 



I presume, now, that I am talking to a farmer, who has from one 

 hundred to four hundred acres of laud; who has been raising cattle, 

 horses, hogs, and sheep for twelve years past; who has never planted a 

 forest tree on his premises; who has stripped his canons of the few 

 straggling oaks, which kept up a flowing stream throughout the year; 

 who has spent his mone}' in purchasing fencing for his fields; whose 

 homestead looks as dreary as weather-beaten boards and ash-colored 

 surroundings can make it. I know that there are hundreds of such 

 farmers around, and I wish to show them the money-making aspect of 

 cultivating trees. 



You have one hundred acres of ground, then. That will be equivalent 



