DECEMBER MEETING. 251 



two feet in some casos. In starting tlic heads the owner had formed or allowed 

 the trees to form some bad crotches. These he had in nuinerous cases tied to- 

 gether with grafts or by twining branches together. The trees have been 

 inannred every three years; tlie land cnltivafei occasionally. Some ashes have 

 been used. Last year the yield was about 175 barrels of very choice fruit, and 

 six years ago it bore 150 barrels. It is a profitable orchard and very well 

 managed. 



THE VEXU ORCIIAKD OF J, G. RAMSDELL, 



Traverse City, has been 2)lanted six years, and contained something over 40 

 trees. A few of the trees have been set only three ycais. The trees are set 

 IGxlG feet, and i)lanted with currant bushes. A considerable cjuantity of hard 

 wood ashes have been used. The foliage is dark and glossy. There are about 

 equal proportions of Virgalieu, Duchess, Buffam, 8eckcl, Bartlett, Flemish 

 Beauty, Jjouise Bonne de Jersey. He now prefers for his locality Bartlett, 

 Flemish Beauty, and Virgalieu. One tree was injured during the cold winter 

 two years ago. The pear trees have not been pruned since they Avere set, and 

 the committee thought their shape good. Judge Ramsdell last year placed a 

 knife in the hands of our President, T. T. Lyon, and asked him to prune some 

 of his pear trees in the best manner. He passed over several trees without cur- 

 ting a limb, and returned the knife, saying that he did not think he could better 

 the trees any by cutting off some of the limbs. The exact words of the reply 

 we did not copy at the time. 



THE PEAR ORCHARD OF GEORGE FARMELEE, 



Old Mission, contains 1100 trees, which have been set from two to eight years. 

 The varieties selected were 550 Bartlett, J 00 Flemish Beauty, 100 Beurre 

 d'Anjou, 100 Sheldon, 100 Belle Lucrative, about 100 or less eacli of Virgalieu, 

 Doyenne d'Ete, Clapp's Favorite, Vickar, Lawrence, Beurre Easter. The 

 above were selected without having any old trees in the county to serve as a 

 guide. Now, if setting a pear orchard, he would place Flemish Beauty and 

 Bartlett in equal proportions. The fruit of Flemish Beauty keeps better tlian 

 at the South, while Bartletts are not improved by going North. Flemish 

 Beauty is fine in shape, color, and flavor. The tree is productive and hardy. 

 Mr. Parmalee trims but very little. He allows the center to run up, and the 

 lower limbs to start as far down as they will. With most varieties he would 

 prefer the lower limbs within a foot and a half of the ground. The cultivation 

 and the soil are the same for pears as for his ap[)le orchard mentioned on 

 another page. He always ceases to cultivate as soon as the first of August. He 

 does not believe in cultivation without some crop, as he thinks the hot sun 

 burns out the vegetable mould. He prefers some crop on the ground, even a 

 crop of weeds, to notliing. This view is quite prevalent in the Traverse country 

 and in some other portions. A very few trees had been injured by snow and 

 ice. They have been very free from blight, though occasionally a tree had 

 suffered from this cause. Last year for the first, three died of blight. Last 

 year he picked 250 baskets of a peck each, which sold at a dollar a basket. 

 This is the finest pear orchard wo have ever seen in Michigan, and bids fair to 

 keep ahead of any or most others. It has maintained its good character as 

 shown four years ago. 



lxeynolds& Tracy, of Old Mission, Grand Traverse comity, have pear orchards 

 containing about 1200 trees. Many of them set two or more years ago. They 



