FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 131 



Kieffer i)ears ^vlieii set two years, and they grew at least three feet tliat 

 season, and that winter they all Ayinter-killed. I haye seen all the dif- 

 ferent kinds of yarieties grafter on Kieffer, the top would outgrow the 

 trunk to such an extent that they would not stand a crop. 



A Member — In how many years? 



Mr. Chatfield — These trees are about fifteen years old. 



Mr. Bassett — I top-worked the Kieffer pears, the Seckel, the Bartlett. 

 Sheldon, etc., and the results haye been fairly good but the union is bad, 

 a big- knobby union. Then another thing we lost quite a number by 

 blight. I do not know whether it was because the Kieft'er throws so 

 much sap, but we lost a great deal of the top. I hesitate to adyise people 

 to top-work Kieffers. 



A Member — Some says, "Giye all the manure the ground can take, 

 and you will haye lots of fruit." I tried it for three years sprayed 

 thoroughly, and the trees were loaded eyery year but one, and that year 

 the frost hit them. So I say, giye the trees all the manure the ground 

 will take, and you will get lots of fruit. 



A Member — I haye one hundred trees of Kieffer pears, not come into 

 bearing, and I changed and grafted the most of them into Bartlett and 

 Seckel. In this way I got rid of my Kieffer pears and in this I think 

 I had that much sense anyhow. 



Question — How long haye they been grafted? And how do they look? 



Answer — They look first rate. 



A Member — This point was brought up last year at Benton Harbor, 

 and I would like to haye you come out to my place and see this pear- 

 grafting proposition on Kieffers. I haye some trees that are grafted on 

 Bartletts mostly, and I would not care to see anything that looks any 

 more satisfactory that those trees, yet Mr. Bassett says they haye not 

 done well in his orchard. 



]Mr. Farrand — ^I think a good way to leaye this is that if you have 

 Kieffer pears, and haye planted them, and do not want to go on and 

 grow Kieffer pears, you can decide as to whether you will graft them 

 oyer to some other variety, and then if they do not do all right take them 

 out. 



COLD STORAGE FOR FRUIT. 



Following a very interesting address on "Cold Storage" by Prof. H. 

 J. Eustace, which was illustrated by a number of charts, the following 

 discussion was held : 



A Member — Do you use sawdust on the ice? 



Prof. Eustace — No, we do not. 



Q.— How often is this filled? 



Prof. Eustace — Two or three times a week during the season Avhen we 

 are putting in very much warm fruit. 



A Member — How cool could you make the room? 



Prof. Eustace — Thirty-two degrees and you can make it ten to twenty 

 degrees less, depending upon the amount of salt used. 



The more salt you use the colder the room can be made. 



A Member — How often do you fill that box? 



