PEARS ON SUITABLE SOIL. 77 



soiL It was taken two miles away, and planted in a strong, 

 clayey, virgin soil just broken up. The result was, that a 

 new, vigorous life was imparted to the tree ; and this season 

 it produced from two to three bushels of as fine pears as any 

 one need desire. The first year that it fruited after re- 

 moval, not a pear was cracked ; all were of fair size, but a 

 large number were gnarly. . They have improved in size and 

 quality every year since. The tree has grown to thrice its 

 original size, and is very prolific every year. 



The right kind of soil for the right kind of tree will pro- 

 duce superior fruit on that tree, wherever located, although 

 protection from bleak winds adds greatly to the effect of the 

 soil. We think the soil in and about Lawrence is suitable 

 for a number of varieties. 



George E. Taylor of that city, who had a plate of fine 

 Beurre Hardy pears in the fair, says of his fruit, "I sold 

 my Bartletts before the fair, fifty of which filled a half- 

 bushel. I had some very nice Duchesse, many weighing six- 

 teen ounces apiece. The trees are all standards, growing 

 between houses, on low, sandy soil." Mrs. Benjamin McAl- 

 lister of same city, who had the finest Bartlett pears, and was 

 awarded the premium, states they were grown on a standard 

 tree; that she "simply let them grow in the garden until 

 fall, and then picked them." 



The remarkable size and quality of Dr. Kenney's fruit, 

 raised in the same city, attracted much attention. Flemish 

 Beauties — that grow so badly cracked in most parts of the 

 county, and are considered almost worthless — were there of 

 great size and very fair. He states that they are of the 

 finest quality, and the richest pear he has, in a variety of ten 

 or twelve kinds, all of which produce the same good quality, 

 according to their kind, as those exhibited. 



His manner of setting out and treatment of his trees after- 

 wards probably had a considerable effect upon the result; 

 for, when he set out the trees (about sixteen years ago), he 

 had holes dug about four feet in diameter, and two feet and 

 a half deep ; then filled in about one foot of compost, bones, 

 old shoes, lime, and old scraps of iron ; then covered that 

 with about six inches of soil ; then set his trees, and " filled in 

 with rich soil, which, in Lawrence and all about there, is the 

 common soil." In addition to enriching the soil around the 



