editor's table. 



Burlington, Iowa, is pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Mississippi, and con- 

 tains at this time some 9 or 10,000 inhabitants. Part of the city is in a sort of basin, 

 some 8 or 10 feet above the level of the river, with a bluff in the rear over 100 feet high. 

 In other places the ground rises gradually from the river to the top of the bluff. As we 

 crossed the river in the evening we were reminded of Newburg on the Hudson. The 

 broken character of the ground renders the grading of streets a work of considerable 

 labor, but it is going on vigorously. Spacious stores and comfortable dwellings are in 

 process of erection on all sides, and there is every indication of substantial prospierity. 

 Railroads have given this city a new birth, and her progress hereafter must be rapid. 

 The population is of a superior character, the situation healthy, and there is every induce- 

 ment for business men who are looking to the West to settle there. What interested me 

 most was the orchards and gardens ; you will say, " Of course." I have never been taken 

 so much by surprise as I was in visiting some of the gardens around Burlington. My 

 curiosity was awakened by some specimens sent into the exhibition rooms of the Fruit 

 Grower's Society. Beurre Diels weighing a pound and a half ; Swan's Orange about as 

 large ; Louise Bonne de Jersey, and Vicar of Winlcfield, enormous. Some monster Bart- 

 letts had been preserved in ice. Such a sight in the way of pears I have never seen, 

 and I at once resolved to visit the trees and know all about them. Dr. Tallant, to whom 

 I feel greatly indebted for many kind attentions, immediately conducted me to the garden 

 of W. F. Coolbaugh, Esq., the well known Banker of Burlington. 



His residence is on the top of the bluff and his garden contains scarcely an acre — there 

 I found the pear trees — beautiful pyramids, all on quince plants about 7 or 8 years, now 

 8 to ten feet, or 12 feet high. The early varieties were of course gone, but I found on the 

 trees Beurre Diet, Beurre d' Anjou, Vicar of Winkfield, Glout Morceau, Beurre d'Arem- 

 herg, and others, all nearly twice as large as good specimens grown in New York. 



The trees were remarkably vigorous, and hung full of fruits — what a sight ! And all 

 this without any special manures or culture of any kind — the ground was merely kept 

 clean. One tree of Glout Morceau was blighted. 



Dr. Tallant took us next to his own garden, which is situated in that part of the city 

 which I have described as being in a basin. The garden is small, but filled to over- 

 flowing with the choicest fruits and flowers, and all in the finest possible condition. 



Ilis pear trees are still finer than at Mr. Coolbaugh's, and the specimens still 

 larger. Brandijwine I observed a noble tree, and the Doctor told me that it bore speci- 

 mens that weighed a pound ! The trees were the same age and the varieties much the 

 same as at Mr. Coolbaugh's. Quite near to Dr. Tallant's we were shown a garden which 

 was formerly owned and planted by his Excellency Gov. Grimes; planted at the same 

 time as the others. The trees looked well, but had not received proper care latterly. 



The Governor has a new residence on one of the highest points of ground, commanding 

 an extensive and beautiful view of the river and surrounding country. His garden 

 contains a large and fine collection of fruits, but the trees are young and not yet in full 

 bearing. These which I have mentioned are all town gardens, and I assure you I do not 

 know anything here in our famous valley that can equal them. What do you think of 

 this? 



The nurseries are no less wonderful. I observed apple trees one season's growth from 

 the root graft, nearly G feet high and stout in proportion. 



Messrs. Comstock & Avery have, in various stages of growth, some 600,000 apple trees! 

 Messrs. Neely and Brother have also a fine nursery of some 30 acres, with a fair propor 

 the various fruits and ornamental articles. In these nurseries I observed that 

 Quince and Plum do not flourish on the deep prairie loam as they do on the 



