251 



the vicinity of Concord, Massachusetts, the old favorite, the reliable 

 Bartlett, has, died out in considerable numbers, and many others are 

 visibly declining in vigor. 



Local statistics of fruit-growing. — The following items of infor- 

 mation concerning orchard interests are received from correspondents : 



Niagara, X. Y. — The apple is our leading frait, of which there has been sold from the 

 county, in one year, 600,000 barrels. The export of apples in any considerable quan- 

 tity commenced twenty-five years' ago, and has steadily increased. There are thou- 

 sands of trees of only a few years' growth, and many large orchards are now being put 

 out. Thousands of trees in the county, from twelve to twenty years' growth, once in 

 two years produce from three to seven barrels of apples, worth about $2.50 per barrel 

 in the orchard, including barrels. Older trees often exceed these figures. Peaches 

 come next in order of importance. The early Crawford takes the lead of all other 

 varieties. Pears claim considerable attention, and under favorable circumstances and. 

 judicious management are paying well. They bear very regularly, and bring from $o 

 to $S per barrel. Quite a large amount of cherries and plums are sent otf. Grapes are 

 made a specialty by a few and with profitable returns. 



Baltimore, Md. — A number of small vineyards are in a flourishing condition, varying 

 in size from one acre to five, a few exceeding the latter number, and pay from $300 to 

 $500 per acre. Apples are our main crop of fruit. Almost every farm has an apple 

 orchard containing from 100 to 800 trees. The profit is in late-keeping fruit, in many 

 instances ]>ayiug better than cereals ; the demand for good fruit is greater than the 

 supply. With careful and judicious culture apple-orchards are paying from $100 to 

 $200 per acre, the refuse not included, which is profitable to convert into cider and 

 food for hogs. Pear-culture is receiving more attention lately, paying better than 

 apples, paying from .$200 to $300 per acre. Cherries are also a noted fruit, and profit- 

 able. Tiie trees need no cultivation or manures, and are not expensive in any respect. 

 From trees that bore from six to eight bushels per tree, the fruit has been sold at $4 

 per bushel. The census of 1870 states the value of our fruit-crop at al)out $103,200, 

 the crop reported being a partial failure. The value of our marketalde fruit in a 

 favorable year is not less than $200,000. 



Albany, X. Y. — An apple-orchard of twelve acres in 1372 produced 3,000 barrels of 

 apples, and $90 worth of fruit was sold from three pear-trees in 1873. 



Steuben, X. Y. — Of summer and autunm apples we cultivate the Early Joe, Early 

 Strawberry Harvest, Tart Bough, Sweet Bough, Fall Pippin, Gravenstein, Hawley, 

 Porter, Rauibo. Winter-apples, in the order of their prominence, Baldwin, Northern 

 Spy, King, Liicky Apple, Rhode Island Greening, Seek-no-further, Swaar, Wagoner, 

 Russet. The number of bushels reported for 18/3 was 492,327; cider, 22,116 barrels. 

 Peaches are grown in some of our towns; more particularly in Pultney, Bath, Cohoc- 

 ton, and Corning. The varieties cultivated are: Early York, Early Crawford, Alberge, 

 George IV, Tillotson. The first two are the most productive and profitable. The yield 

 in 1873 was 5,697 bushels. Pears are grown along the shores of the Crooked Lake with 

 profit. The Bartlett is the leading variety in yield and profit ; six trees in this vicin- 

 ity yielded, in 1873, 14 bushels, which sold at $6 per bushel. The Flemish Beauty, Dix, 

 Duchess d'Augouleme, Napoleon, and Seckel do well with us. The report for 1873 

 was ],798 bushels. Grapes constitute a notable feature of our fruit-production. Sev- 

 eral hundred acres of vineyards are cultivated in the towns of Pultney, Wayne, and 

 Urbana, and the yield in 1873 reached the enormous amount of 3,000 tons, two-thirds 

 of which were sold in New York and the balance made into wine and brandy. The 

 yield i)er acre is from 1 to 2^ tons. One vineyard of five acres produced 12i tons, 

 which sold for $1,500, but the usual net product is about $125 per acre. A vineyard of 

 Delaware grapes has netted for the last three years $275 per acre. The Catawba and 

 Isabella are deemed the standard varieties, and the Concord and Delaware the best 

 early varieties. 



Tomplins. X. Y. — The Duchess d'Augouleme, Bartlett, Virgalieu, Flemish Beauty, 

 Seckel, Sheldon, Beurre d'Anjou, Vicar of Wakefield, Howell, Onondaga, Beurre Diel 

 are a few of The many kinds of pears. I raised over 500 bushels upon 280 dwarf Duch- 

 ess d'Augouleme trees, that occupied less than one acre of land, and which sold for over 

 $1,100, besides transportation and commission. The x>rospects this spring are as favor- 

 able for a large crop as one year ago. 



Burlington, X. J. — J. S. Collins, of Moorestown, reports his strawberry-crop, on five 

 acres, as averaging $350 per acre ; his raspberrj'-crop, five acres, averaging $250 per 

 acre; blackberry-crop very light. The above are gross receipts. Year before last his 

 gross receipts from 75 acres of blackberries were $22,500, or $300 per acre. This last- 

 uamed crop was not grown on his home farm, but on his farm in Camden County. The 

 Park Cranberry Association, formed in the spring of 1865, and purchased 164 acres 

 of cranberry-laud in New Hanover Township, and proceeded at ouce to prepare th« 

 ground and plant cranberry-vines. The first season about 15 acres were planted. 



