1857.] Rise and Fall of Water in Lake Erie. 177 



tree, both early fruiting from tlie quince, and the strength and lon- 

 gevity of the pear stock. For instance, of trees of the same variety, 

 standing side by side in my own grounds for ten years, and enjoying 

 the same treatment, those ou the quince stock have attained a larger 

 size, and have borne for seven years abundant crops, while those 

 upon the pear stock have scarcely yielded a fruit. We have, also, 

 others on the quince, which, twenty-five years since, were obtained 

 at the nursery of Mr. Parhentier, where now is the most populous 

 part of the city of Brooklin, N. Y., and which have borne good crops 

 for more than twenty years, and are still productive and healthy. 



That the introduction and cultivation of the pear upon the quince 

 has been a great blessing, I entertain no doubt, especially in gardens, 

 and in the suburbs of large towns and cities. And as to its adapta- 

 tion to the orchard, I see no reason why it should not succeed well, 

 if the soil, selection and cultivation be appropriate. A gentleman 

 in the eastern part of Massachusetts planted in the years 1848 and 

 '49 as many dwarf pear trees as he could set on an acre of land at 

 the distance of eight by twelve feet, and between these rows he plant- 

 ed quince bushes. In the fifth year from planting he gathered one 

 hundred and twenty bushels of pears, and sixty bushels of quinces. 

 Of the former he sold seventy bushels at five to six dollars per 

 bushel, and he now informs me that he has lost only three per cent, 

 of the original trees, and the remainder are in healthful condition." 



Marshall P. Wilder. 



Dorchester, Mass. 



RISE AND FALL OF WATER IN LAKE ERIE. 



At a recent meeting of the Cleveland Academy of Natural Sciences, 

 Colonel Whittlesey exhibited tables and diagrams of the rise and 

 fall of water in Lake Erie, from the 1796 to 1852, the maximum be- 

 ing in 1838, the minimum in 1819 and '20, the variation being 4.65 

 feet. Rain guages were kept for various periods in different places 

 in the lake region. He also stated that, by a long course of obser- 

 vation he had discovered the existence of a short pulsating wave in 



this chain of lakes and entirely independent of winds or currents 

 12 



