18 SHELTER AN ORCHARD. 



the alternate freezing and thawing, that prove so 

 fatal to young trees in many sections of the West. 

 There is no advantage in ripening pears early ; in 

 fact, there is a disadvantage, for, if the Bartlett and 

 Belle Lucrative are on a southern exposure, they are 

 ready for market at a time when peaches and black- 

 berries are in abundance, and, as a matter of course, 

 they have to be sold at a much lower price than 

 when peaches and berries are disappearing. This is 

 also true of the Duchesse d'Angouleme. In the 

 early part of October, pears of this variety frequent- 

 ly sell from $8 to $12 per barrel, while in Novem- 

 ber, prices advance, and it is not unusual to get from 

 $20 to $30 per barrel for the same quality of fruit. 



To shelter an orchard from the prevailing wind, 

 is often more important even than the aspect ; for 

 pear trees, especially when heavily laden with fruit 

 and exposed to a wind storm, will suffer more injury 

 from being shaken, than from an ordinary late frost. 

 When the location is selected, if no natural protec- 

 tion exists, it is better to plant rows of some rapid 

 growing evergreens such as the White Pine, Nor- 

 way Spruce, or American Arbor Yitse every twen- 

 tieth row, close enough to form a complete hedge in 

 a few years. This will prove ornamental and useful. 

 The evergreens should be planted in lines parallel 

 with the pear rows, and they will more than pay for 



