No. 85. J 313 



with a crotch or fork about three to four feet from the ground ; others 

 I suffered the limbs to grow out regular all round the tree about six 

 to eight feet from the ground ; this last method I found preferable. 

 In the former case, when they became large and were heavily loaded 

 with fruit, they split down. To prevent this, I had recourse to pass- 

 ing iron rods through the trees with a screw and nut, which secured 

 the tree and I find no injury resulting from this. They require trim- 

 ming very often. After the first setting, I took up the young trees 

 that came up around them and continued this modt without grafting, 

 and I have now four different kinds of pears. One sort a small pear, 

 ripe last of August ; another of good size, ripe last of September ; 

 another ripe 10th of October; and another 1st of November. The 

 last is a very large rich sugar pear, considered by many superior to the 

 Virgalieu. I am convinced from long experience that pears are as 

 well adapted to our climate as the apple, and as rich and well flavored 

 as those raised farther south. They prove great bearers, and it would 

 be profitable to cultivate them to feed out to swine. They combine 

 more nutritious qualities than the apple, and bear every year ; a quality 

 the apple does not possess. 



I have practiced for a number of years past to feed out, during fall 

 and winter, my common fruit, and find it profitable to commence fat- 

 ting my hogs in September by boiling apples, pumpkins and potatoes 

 with barley meal, much more so than making them into cider or sell- 

 ing them at a low price. What is left after fatting hogs feed out to 

 store hogs during winter. 



Peaches. — I have for several years past, raised peaches on a small 

 scale. 1 first began by planting south side of a wall, but the April 

 sun brought them forward too soon for the late spring frost, and they 

 soon died. I then took another method, viz. by covering them during 

 the winter and spring months till the middle or last of April with a 

 temporary board house to guard against the cold, and the spring sun ; 

 manured with yard manure, charcoal and leached ashes ; kept plenty 

 of stones around the trees to keep the ground loose. They are now 

 about six years old and have borne well in some seasons. Last 

 spring's late frosts destroyed nearly all the fruit ; they are said to live 

 twenty years. The flavor of those I have raised is good, far better 

 than some I have eaten at Rochester. 



Quinces. — I have raised a few quinces of fair and good size. They 

 require the same care through the winter as peaches. They want salt 

 spread round the tree frequently ; but the care and trouble will hardly 

 compensate for the fruit. My opinion and observation of this fruit is, 

 that the quince tree is not congenial to our latitude ; it grows best 

 near salt water. 



Plums. — I have cultivated plums to good advantage for about 30 

 years and find them to flourish well and prove good bearers. Some I 

 have inoculated and some I have engrafted. This tree requires great 

 care, first in setting out, viz : cut off the main branch to make it throw 

 limbs equally around ; cut off the tap root to give it more surface in 

 the ground, to make it grow more luxuriantly ; trim well and often 

 wash with ley or soap suds, and scrape off the rough bark after rain in 



