408 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Topsfield, Boxford, and Amesbury, one each. Charles P. Put- 

 nam, of Salem, had one hundred and fifty distinct varieties of 

 apples and pears ; Robert Manning, one hundred and twenty- 

 one of pears ; Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, fifty-four of apples, 

 pears, and peaches ; Ephraim Emerton, of Salem, twenty-nine 

 of pears ; A. D. Rodgers, twenty-five of grapes and pears. 

 There were fine Black Hamburg and White Sweet Water 

 grapes, open air culture, from S. H. Elliot, of Lawrence. Of 

 the native grapes shown, your committee found none superior 

 to those of last year. Fine Angouleme Pears from David Nevins 

 of Methuen, and Rev. Dr. Packard, of Lawrence. Superior 

 " Bezi de la Motte " pears from Dr. Robinson, of West New. 

 bury, one cluster of nineteen, grown upon a single stem, weighed 

 seven pounds. There were fine Hubbardston Nonesuch, an 

 apple which we cannot too highly recommend for New England 

 culture, from Charles F. Putnam, of Salem, and S. H. Brockel- 

 bank, of Georgetown. 



In the cultivation of fruit, particularly the pear, we appre- 

 hend that a judicious selection of soil and exposure is most im- 

 portant ; many of our fine varieties when produced on a light 

 sandy loam are poor and almost worthless, while the same sorts, 

 when grown upon what we denominate a strong, retentive loam, 

 are large, fully developing their fine character ; we therefore 

 believe that it is now the greatest desideratum in the culture 

 of the pear, to ascertain what varieties to cultivate on a 

 given soil. 



In the recommendations which have been made from time to 

 time, of the best varieties of pears for general culture, (irrespec- 

 tive of soil,) many and great mistakes have arisen. Thus, for 

 example, the Beurre d'Aremberg, Wilkinson, Lewis, and some 

 other varieties, will almost invariably disappoint those who 

 grow them upon a light porous soil. There are, however, some 

 sorts which, like the Baldwin and Hubbardston Nonesuch apples, 

 accommodate themselves to various soils. Among these are 

 the Bartlett, Beurre Bosc and Thompson, early fall fruits, and 

 the Lawrence and Winter Nelis for winter — these are all first 

 rate fruits. The Bloodgood, an early pear, and the Belle Lu- 

 crative, a fall variety, are higher flavored and better developed 

 upon a light, warm soil. The experimental knowledge con- 



