58 



BLIGHT IN THE PEAR TREE. 



viiury — that is, the grapes arc to be grown 

 without artificial heat. The perfection to 

 which this mode of growing the Muscat of 

 Alexandria, Black Hamburgh, &c., was car- 

 ried in the old vinery at Blithewood, so 

 well satisfied its proprietor, that he erected 

 the present house for the same general plan 

 of culture. Our sun in this latitude is at all 

 times bright and powerful enough to mature 

 the foreign grape perfectly, with the simple 

 aid of glass and the pow-er which it gives 

 us of controlling the changes of atmosphere, 

 thus guarding against the too violent fluctu- 

 ations to which we are often subject. The 

 position of this vinery at Blithewood is 

 remarkably good. It stands on the north 

 boundary of the fruit garden, with a south- 

 ern aspect, and is backed by a thick copse 

 of wood ; hence the rear of the building 

 is never seen by the visitor, while the front 

 appears to the best advantage. In a situa- 

 tion exposed on all sides, by doubling the 

 rafters, forming a span roof, and pursuing 

 the same general style, a very beautiful and 

 perfect structure would be obtained, for any 

 purpose. 



The ground plan, fig. 18, we believe al- 

 most sufficiently explains itself. The height 

 of the roof, and the clear width of the vinery 



itself, arc each about 15 feet. The width 

 between the rafters, from centre to centre, is 

 four feet. Underneath the stage in the green 

 house, is a large cistern for the supply of the 

 cold range with water. At the back of the 

 range are a potting shed, and a fruit and 

 seed room. The vines are planted in the 

 usual mode — one beneath each rafter. 



Most of our readers are already familiar, 

 through the published views in our Landr 

 scape Gardening, with Blithewood, one of 

 the most beautiful of American country 

 seats, the residence of Robert Donaldson, 

 Esq., situated on the east bank of the Hud- 

 son, about 100 miles from New- York. The 

 present structure bears the same marks of 

 superior taste and refinement in landscape 

 embellishment and building, that we have 

 before so gladly admired and commended in 

 this demesne. 



Having given this as a specimen cf a 

 large and highly tasteful vinery, we hope 

 soon, also, to lay before them, a view and 

 plan of a structure for raising foreign 

 grapes, constructed in the cheapest and 

 simplest manner, and with a view not only 

 to the closest economy in the building itself, 

 but also in the care required in the culture 

 I of the grapes. 



THE BLIGHT IN THE PEAR TREE. 



The orchard cultivation of the pear is ra- 

 pidly becoming an important matter. The 

 soil and climate of a large portion of the 

 Union are, probably, as well suited to the 

 growth of this fine fruit as those of any 

 country whatever. As an instance of the 

 present state of the market for pears, we 

 may mention that, to our knowledge, a sin- 

 gle grower and dealer, in this state, sold in 

 New- York, in two years past, two thousand 



dollars worth of pears, mostly of the White 

 Doyenn^ (or Vtrgalieu). They were of the 

 very finest quality, and brought nearly 

 twelve dollars per barrel. The quantity 

 is large to be offered by one person, but 

 the price shows that pears of the finest 

 quality are yet scarce in our markets. The 

 fact indeed is this ; — to those whose soil is 

 favorable, the pear is the most profitable of 

 all orchard trees. 



