' DECEMBER MEETING. 'Zo'iS 



thing else. Most of these trees h;ive been set 15 years, and have borne more 

 or less since the first four years. They are all dwarfs except tliC' Bartlctts and 

 Flemish ]ieautics. It has been cultivated nearly every year. I'eside these 

 trees and near them are large numbers of others going with the blight. The 

 owner at one time thought that some sorts were going to escape this dreadful 

 scourge, but he "gives it up" and soon expects to cut down all the trees. 



Perhaps the blight has been hastened by tlie failure in late years to remove 

 parts of a blighted tree, or the whole when thus ali'ccted. 



THE PEAR OKCIIAKD Oi' D. ILGENFKITZ, 



Monroe, contains 500 trees which were two years old v;hen ])lanted. Thev 

 have been set two years. The trees were not large of their age when selected 

 for the orchard. The owner does not believe in overgrown or very rapidly 

 grown trees for setting. They are all standards, set in quincunx order, each 

 tree 20 feet from those surrounding it. There are 200 Flemish Beauty, 100 

 Bartlett, 50 Sheldon, 50 Virgalieu, 50 Buff urn, 40 Beurre d'Anjou, 10 Clapp's 

 Favorite. The tops or heads are started about three and a half feet high. The 

 orchard is in corn with no cultivation since the last of July. At the close of 

 the first year there was not a single vacancy. Four trees died last Avinter and 

 were replaced in spring. At present there are no vacancies. The soil, plant- 

 ing and general management of the pear orchard has been the same as tliat of 

 the apple orchard of the same age previously described. 



In passing over the State this year, there Avas seen an unusual number of 

 trees affected with the blight. The outlook for pears in Michigan is cpiite dis- 

 couraging, according to all wo can learn. It does not seem Arise to make a 

 YCry large outlay in starting a pear orchard. We earnestly hope the day may 

 speedily come Avhen some light may be throAvn on the disease so common to 

 pear trees, but until that time jorobably most of our best pears Avill come from- 

 trees scattered a iew in a jolace, here and there, over the country in f aA'ored 

 localities. AVe trust that all fruit growers Avill not giAC np pears Avithout a strug- 

 gle, but that they Avill continue to observe and experiment. 



THE PLUM ORCHAPtD OF J. G. EAMSDELL, 



Traverse City, contains 700 trees, set lGxl2| feet. Two hundred of these have 

 been planted six years; 200 haA'e been planted four years; and 300 have been 

 planted three years. They are all on plum stock. They have not been trim- 

 med, except, as Mr. liamsdell says, he has taken off the "fiddlers." The land 

 ■was stumped, and blue grass sod turned under in some cases for the tree-plant- 

 ing, and in others the trees were set after potatoes. 



Some hoed crops have since been raised, and one year buckwheat Avas soAvn 

 on late in the season. The soAving of buckwheat he thinks Avas an injury to 

 the trees. About some of the trees for a part of the time he has sown half a 

 bushel of hard-Avood unleached ashes. The ashes have produced an excellent 

 effect in the color of the leaves, the groAvth of the tree, and very likely added 

 to the quality of the fruit. This spring he harroAved once and let the Aveeds 

 groAV except under the trees, Avhere the ground Avas kept clean to make it easier 

 to pick up the injured plums as they fell. The Aveeds, altliough rather 

 unsightly, he considers an advantage to the ground. 



He usually cultivates very late in autumn to aid in killing the climbing cut 

 worms, Avhich are very annoying on his farm. They sometimes, if unmolested,, 

 climb a tree and cat out every bud. To keep the Avorms at bay, he ph^ces^ 



