352 STATE JIORTJCULTURAL SOCIETY. 



lected. At the same time a few pear trees were set out. About 1871 the pear 

 trees gave liandsome fruit, which sold well in market. The owner then saw it 

 was tlie place for pears, and next year set out 1,000 Bartletts. The following 

 spring 400 more Bartletts were added, and GOO Clapp's Favorites. In 1873 the 

 above named company was incorporated, and the farm passed into its hands, 

 with a capital stock of §20,000, in 200 shares of SlOO each. Nine thousand more 

 trees were set out the following spring, and the same number a year later. The 

 orchard uow numbers over 20,000 trees, over 19,000 are Burtletts. When 

 planted they were one and two year trees, were cut back to a foot from the ground, 

 and were thus made quite low headed, which form was thought to be best 

 suited to that climate. Twenty or thirty acres are annually planted with corn, 

 as much more with peanuts, and the remainder with black peas, plowed under 

 in autumn. This, with the marl, constitutes nearly the only fertilizing. 



Clapp's Favorite ripens about the first of July, and the Bartletts from the 10th 

 to the 25th. The fruit is carefully assorted and graded, and packed in boxes 

 holding a bushel each, made off-inch dressed lumber, and nearly water-tight. 

 It carries better and ripens better in tight boxes. Being gathered ten days 

 before ripe, time is allowed for conveyance to New York and Boston, and for 

 the arrangement of the commission merchant and the retailer. 



The company paid $12,000 Ibr the farm, leaving $8,000 for planting trees, 

 and various other expenses. The first dividend was paid in 1880. The pear 

 crop brought 84,000, which Avith the balance in the treasury from the previous 

 year, gave a cash dividend of 20 per centon the capital. In 1881, four thousand 

 boxes of pears were sold, with net returns of $13,084, out of which 50 per cent 

 was paid to the stockholders, besides 10 per cent set aside for current expenses, 

 ilost of the trees were set out within the lust eight years, and are still compara- 

 tively small. 



J. M. Smith, of Brown county, Wisconsin, talks about the other orchard in 

 the New York Tribune: 



In common with other portions of the Northwest, pear culture in Wisconsin 

 cannot be considered a success. I know of one small orchard which is a 

 marked exception to all others in this State. Perliaps Tribune readers may 

 gather from its history some ideas that will help them to success in other 

 places. The orchard is on a ridge about one and a half miles from Green Bay 

 and 150 feet higher than the water. The rows run parallel with the ridge, the 

 trees of one row stand about on the top of it, tlie others on its southern slope. 

 It was so abrupt that the ground was originally terraced for all cxcejit the top 

 row. The soil is a loam by no means rich, but well mixed with limestone peb- 

 bles, growing coarser and more plentiful as we go down. Into this soil the 

 trees were very carefully set in 1800 or 18G1. I believe some richer soil was 

 put in and around the trees when they were planted. They were very carefully 

 watched and cared for until the spring of 1805: since that time they have had 

 but very little care. The varieties are largely Flemish Beauty, a iexr Bart- 

 letts, and a few of the early kinds. There were originally between fifty and 

 sixty trees, a lew of them, i)erhaps a dozen, dwarfs, the latter now all gone. 



The best row and the largest trees — now about ten inches in diameter — are 

 those on the top of the ridge, and they are as thoroughly exposed as possible. 

 Twice since they have stood there the thermometer has gone down to 40*^ 

 below zero. The trees commenced bearing in ISliC, I believe, though it may 

 have been a year later. Since that time there has been no year when they did 

 not produce more or less. I have tried in vain to get some statistics either of 

 the vield in bushels or in dollars, but the owner, like too many of our farmers, 



