PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 243 



valuable to me when I was without experience, and possibly they 

 may prove beneficial to some who are, as I was, thrown upon their 

 own resources, with everything to be learned." 



Mr. P. T. Quinn replied that he was entirely sure that Mr. Dud- 

 ley is mistaken, probably owing to double grafts, one producing 

 Seckels and the other Fondante d^Aidomne. The system of 

 cultivation which he recommends would not answer for this section 

 of country. Whoever allows his pear orchard to become matted 

 with grass will inevitably fail. 



Mr. N. C. Meeker said whoever undertakes at Quincy to follow 

 the instructions suited to pear culture in New Jersey or New Eng- 

 land, will make a worse failure than Mr. Quinn would make by 

 allowing his orchard to become as grassy as Mr. Dudley's. The 

 soil there is so strong it is necessary to do something to check the 

 growth of wood rather than encourage it. 



Manure for Blackberries and Strawberries. 



Mr. H. R. Smith, Tappan, Rockford county, N. Y., says : "I am 

 preparing ground this fall for the purpose of setting blackberry 

 and strawberry plants in the spring. Will backhouse manure and 

 plaster be suitable manure for them, if so, how should it be applied?" 



Mr. Solon Robinson — Such manure would be better for black- 

 berries than strawberries. For the latter it would cause too rank 

 a growth of foilage. Blackberries cannot be manured too highly, 

 nor with manure that is too rank. For strawberries, a fine com- 

 post, or ashes, or bone dust, should be used. • The contents of the 

 privy should alwa^^s be composted ; with muck if convenient. It 

 may then be applied on the surface near the blackberry plants. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter said he had had a good deal of experience 

 in the use of such manure made into poudrette, the condition in 

 which it should alvrays be used. It is then suitable for strawber- 

 ries or any other plant. 



Cisterns — How to Build, and How to Stop Leaky Ones. 

 Mr. Joseph C. ^lattuck, Linn Creek, Camden county. Mo. — "I 

 want information about building cisterns, and mending leaky ones. 

 I came from New Hampshire, where the abundance of soft spring 

 water made cisterns useless. In traveling in this State, I have 

 found many useless cisterns, apparently perfect, but would not 

 hold water ; was told the cement was not good. In Eastern Penn- 

 sylvania they build a thick wall with two feet of concrete for the 



