Nursei'ies of Thorpe 4* Smith. 99 



Syracuse, affording scions which he hberally dispensed to all 

 who applied. When next we visit this city, we hope to giA^e 

 a full account of this garden. 



Nurse7-ies of Thorpe cj* Smith. — Having an hour or two on 

 our hands before the cars left for Albany, we called upon 

 Messrs. Thorpe &. Smith, who have extensive grounds near 

 the city, principally devoted to the cultivation of the apple, 

 the principal demand having been for this fruit. Recently, 

 the pear has attracted more attention, and many new vari- 

 eties have been added, as well as an increased stock of 

 trees ; but we found the principal kinds, the Seckel, White 

 Doyenne, Gansell's Bergamot, Stevens's Genessee, Bleeker's 

 Meadow, Brown Beurre, &c. 



Nurserymen, as well as amateur cultivators, in this part 

 of the State, are, however, awaking to the importance of 

 more attention to the pear ; and, although the fear of the 

 blight dampens the ardor of some, there is a deep interest 

 manifested in the introduction of the newer varieties, and 

 Messrs. Thorpe & Smith, to keep up with the demand for 

 these, have recently added many to their collection, and, 

 among the number, we saw Van Mons Leon le Clerc. We 

 noticed here, as well as in almost every nursery and garden 

 we visited during our tour, that the Glout Morceau is sold for 

 the Beurre d'Aremberg; an error which is easily corrected, if 

 but a careful comparison is made of the wood and foliage 

 with the drawings and descriptions in onr Fi-nits of America. 

 We pointed these out to Messrs. Thorpe & Smith, and they 

 at once saw the difference. Pears, as well as apples, have 

 so many peculiarities of wood, foliage, and habit, that care- 

 ful observation will at once enable a person to detect 

 errors, which otherwise could not be avoided in an extensive 

 nursery. 



Messrs. Thorpe & Smith grow an immense number of ap- 

 ple trees, nearly or quite all of which are root-grafted. They 

 are cultivated in rows about three feet apart, so as to admit 

 of a plough between them, and, at three years old, they are 

 good-sized trees. The ground here is a strong rich loam, 

 well suited to the growth of the apple. 



Mr. Thorpe's residence, just at the outskirts of the city, con- 

 tains six or eight acres, and is neatly laid out with a 



