THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 353 



is not an expert in book-keeping. Tliis, however, I can say, that I have been 

 familiar with ])ear-growing in some of the favored sections in New Jersey since 

 my earliest recollection, but I have never seen trees bear as these have done. 

 Two or three years I have seen them so loaded that had they not been propped 

 and braced in everv direction, the entire orchard must inevitably have gone to 

 pieces. I have taken friends, visitors, and travelers there upon such occasions, 

 but never yet heard one say that he had ever seen such a yield elsewhere. Two 

 or three trees have died of fire-blight, one or two have apparently borne them- 

 selves to death, the remainder — about forty — are stiil vigorous and promise as 

 "well for the future as they have done in the past. 



HARDY PEACHES. 



Wm. G. Voorheis, of Benzie county, writes Green's Fruit Grower as follows. 



In a former letter, I mentioned that the Wheatland peach had reniform 

 glands, and it was a good sign of hardiness. What led my attention to this 

 subject was the common remark that, while my seedlings almost always bear, 

 my budded trees are not sure of doing so. In my experience, some seedlings 

 are not more reliable than budded trees, but the majority of seedlings are, 

 because most of the seedlings breed back to the wild or original type. In that 

 type, vigor and hardiness are more characteristic than size and quality of fruit. 

 Fine quality and size of fruit seems to be at the expense of vitality ; this does 

 not always happen. When we can combine both, by careful breeding, we con- 

 fer a benefit. To do this, we want to notice the peculiarities of each type, and 

 the difference between the hardy and tender sorts. 



As a general thing, in the hardy sorts, Ave observe the leaves almost always 

 have large reniform glands, the flowers are large, the flower-buds medium, or 

 small, pointed and harder than the tender type ; that is, the buds are more com- 

 pact or dense in the tender sorts ; he will find that the leaves are larger, and, as 

 a rule, with small or globose glands; the flower-buds are more rounded, larger, 

 and lack that firmness which is peculiar to the hardy type : also, the flowers are 

 almost always small. To my mind, the reason is plain, — why the one kind is 

 more hardy than the other. 



The petals of the large flowering varieties are a better protection to the 

 embryo, from the cold ; as the fruit bud is more dense or compact, the embryo 

 is more securely wrapped up and protected than the other; the buds of tender 

 sorts, on the other hand, are so loose and open that if it is colder than usual 

 they perish. 



With me, peaches like the Jacques Rareripe are more profitable than those 

 of the Crawford type. I think it is better to have a full crop of fair quality than 

 it is to have a very small crop of extra quality; then, too, in those years when 

 peaches are peaches, one will find that, while those of the Crawford type will 

 bear scarcely any or none at all, the others will carry all that they ought to 

 bear. 



EARLY" PEACHES. 



H. M. Engle, of Marietta, Penu., states in the Gardener's Monthly that he 

 has fruited this season twenty-six varieties of peaches claimed to be from one 



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