118 



THE CANAPIAN H'^LTICULTURIST. 



A PROFITABLE PEAR ORCHARD. ! 

 Franklin Davis, the veteran fruit I 

 grower of Richmond, Ta., gives an | 

 account, in his report to the Araei'ican j 

 Pomological Society, of the pear orcliar J \ 

 of the Old Dominion Fruit-growing 

 Company. The ground w4iich it occu- 

 pies is on the south bank of the James 

 river, 75 miles below Richmond. The 

 farm belonging to the company contains 

 500 acres, mostly sandy loam, under- 

 laid with shell-marl from 5 to lo feet 

 below the surface, with a natural drain- 

 age. About 18,000 peach trees were 

 planted from 18G0 to 1867, but the 

 fruit rotted badly, and the orchard was 

 neglected. At the same time a few 

 ])ear trees was set out. About 1871 

 the pear trees gave handsome fruit, 

 which sold well in market. The owner 

 then saw that it was the place for pears, 

 and next year set out 1,000 Bartletts. 

 The following spring 400 more Bart- 

 letts were added, and 600 Claj)p's favor- 

 ite. In 1873 the above named com- 

 pany was incorporated, and the farm 

 passed into its hands, with a capital 

 stock of $20,000, in 200 shares of $100 

 each. Nine thousand more trees were 

 set out the following spring, and the 

 same number a year later. The or- 

 chard now numbers over 20,000 trees, 

 or over 1 9,000 Bartletts. When plant- 

 ed they were 1 and 2 year trees, were 

 cut back to a foot of the ground, and 

 were thus made quite low headed, 

 which form was thought to be best suited 

 to that climate. Twenty or thirty 

 acres are annually planted with corn, 

 as much more with peanuts, and the 

 i-emainder with black peas, plowed un- 

 der in autumn. This, with the marl, 

 constitutes nearly the only fertilizing 

 Clapp's Favorite ripens about the 

 first of July, and the Bartletts from the 

 10th to the 25th. The fruit is care- 

 fully assorted and graded, and packed 

 in boxes holding a bushel each, made 

 of |-inch dressed lumber, and nearly 



water-tight. It carries better and 

 ripens better in tight boxes. Being 

 gathered ten days before ripe, time is 

 allowed for conveyance to New-York 

 and Bo.^ton, and for the arrangements 

 of the commission merchant and the 

 retailer. 



The company paid $12,000 for the 

 farm, leaving ^S, 000 for [)lanting trees, 

 and various other expenses. The first 

 dividend was paid in 1880. The pear 

 crop brought $4,000, which, with the 

 balance in the treasury from the previ- 

 ous year, gave a cash dividend of 20 

 per cent, on the capital. In 1881, four 

 thousand boxes of pears were sold, with 

 net returns of $13,684, out of which 50 

 l)er cent, was paid to the stockholdei-s, 

 besides 10 per cent, set aside for current 

 expences. Most of the trees were set 

 I out within the last eight years, and 

 ' are still compai-atively small. 

 I The two valuable facts taught by 

 this successful experiment are — \. 

 i Choosing a site which previous experi- 

 1 ence had proved well adapted to pear- 

 growing ; ami 2. Planting the orchard 

 whei-e the fruit would ripen four to six 

 weeks before that of the multitude of 

 orchards at the North, but easy of access 

 to northern cities, to which the boxes 

 could be conveyed for less than 25 cents 

 each. Another imi)ortant point was in 

 secui'ing the last named advantage be- 

 fore other southern orchards were under 

 way, to dispute the profits of the early 

 market. — Country Gentleman. 



Kieffkr's Hybrid. — This new and 

 unique pear was raised by Peter iCiefier, 

 Roxbury, near Philadelphia, from seed 

 of the Chinese Sand ])ear, accidently 

 crossed with Beurre d' Anjou or some 

 other kind grown near it. Tree remark- 

 ablv viijorous, havini; lai-fje, dark screen, 

 glossy leaves, and is an early and very 

 })rolific bearer. The fruit is of good 

 size, good color, good quality, and is a 

 promising variety for the table or mar- 



