218 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



depth of soil ; and I am inclined to think so from the fact, that 

 a neighbor of mine, who pays no attention to his trees at all, 

 has abundant and most excellent crops; hut his trees were set 

 out in a deep soil, and are protected from the northerly and the 

 easterly winds. I therefore think, that in setting out a planta- 

 tion of pear trees, no matter what the variety may be, we can 

 rely upon these two things as fixed facts or principles — protec- 

 tion and deep soil ; and I think we can, if we keep in mind 

 these two things, reckon with great confidence upon our crops. 

 As regards the kinds which should be planted — that is, which 

 are the most hardy — my experience leads me to think that all 

 "varieties will take a fancy to die, in spite of all we can do ; and 

 if I was asked which I would choose, I should hardly know 

 what to say. I might mention the four varieties that have lived 

 with me, and borne largely and continuously ; but I should hes- 

 itate, because some other man might rise up here and say he 

 had had exceedingly bad luck with those trees. 



Mr. Oliver. Where is your plantation ? 



Dr. Nichols. In Haverhill. 



Mr. Oliver. What is the soil ? 



Dr. Nichols. Silicious, without clay. 



Mr. Oliver. How is it protected ? 



Dr. Nichols. Mine is quite exposed. 



Mr. Oliver. Your neighbor's? 



Dr. Nichols. They are finely protected by hills. The pear 

 garden I refer to is Mr. Hale's, down on the side of the river. 

 He has never paid the slightest attention to his fruit, having no 

 interest in it ; and yet, in that plantation of one hundred trees, 

 I can hardly recollect a season when he has not had an abun- 

 dance of fruit. 



Mr. Oliver. The garden to which I have referred is protected 

 on all sides. 



Dr. Nichols. No doubt your success is due to that feature — 

 protection. 



Mr. Clement. In reply to the gentleman last up, I would 

 like to remark, that we shall always have this little difficulty he 

 speaks of ; that is to say, we shall never get at any fixed facts by 

 which we can be governed in all places. The- gentleman says 

 that he has met with ill-success with two or three varieties of 

 pears in his garden ; but a neighbor, two or three miles distant, 



