Si6 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Mr. Berkmans, of New Jersey, had found that 

 Virgalieu trees that had been subject to this disease, 

 when grafted with other varieties became exempt. 

 With him, Glout Morceau and Vicar of Winkfield 

 had been most apt to blight For twenty years he 

 had attended to this subject, but the result was un- 

 satisfactory. Cracking was most common in wet 

 seasons. Beurre Diel, Ohaumontel, and Stevens' 

 (ienesee all cracked badly. 



The next subject taken up was that in reference to 

 rearing nursery trees on fresh soils previously unoc- 

 cupied with them. 



Mr. Downing said that he had had no experience 

 in raising trees on new soils, but knew that very good 

 trees could be raised on old soils. 



H. E. Hooker had seen just as good trees raised 

 on old soils as ever were raised, but believed in a ro- 

 tation of different sorts of trees. 



Mr. Thomas said that there was much difference 

 in soils; some being able to produce good crops for 

 a long time with good cultivation, while others never 

 were profitable. 



Mr. Barry supposed that no one doubted that 

 trees may be grown a century on the same soil; but 

 the question is, are these trees as good as on new 

 land? His experience is in favor of new land. — 

 The roots of the trees were more fibrous, and conse- 

 quently the trees could be more easily transplanted; 

 believed that many diseases of trees were owing to 

 vicious cultivation and bad manures. 



Mr. Hooker thought that all the soil was pretty 

 old, and that with proper rotation it could be always 

 cultivated. 



Mr. Berkmans had cropped land in France with 

 trees, and then followed them with potatoes and 

 other root crops, and dressed with potash, and then 

 again raised good crops of trees. This had been 

 done several times in succession. 



Mr. TowNSEND thought that a succession of varie- 

 ties was desirable, as it is the method pointed out by 

 Nature. 



Mr. Langwoethy thought that there was a princi- 

 ple in new soils peculiar to itself, and which was not 

 in manures, and could not be applied to old soils. 



Mr. Smith, of Geneva, was in favor of new soils, 

 and thought it impossible to grow good trees twice 

 in succession on the same soil, even with heavy ma- 

 auring. After a crop of Pear trees he had planted 

 Peach trees, which grew feebly the first season, and 

 were manured the winter following, (last winter) and 

 BOW were only about two-thirds average size. 



The next question taken up was, can the Pear or 

 Quince stock be advantageously cultivated on a large 

 scale for market? 



Mr. Thomas would make a report of an estimate 

 he had made of a quantity of Virgalieu trees on 

 Ellwanger & Barry's grounds, occupying about 

 one half acre of land. The trees were six years 

 from the bud, and now have on them at least sixty 

 bushels of Pears. He thought that the Virgalieu 

 should not be planted largely for market, but would 

 prefer Louise Bonne de Jersey and Duchesse d'An- 

 gouleme. The great cause of failure among tree 

 planters is the want of discrimination in reference to 

 the varieties which they plant. Much information is 

 yet also needed on this point. 



Mr. Yeomans, of Walworth, Wayne Co., had an 

 orchard of Pears on Quinces of three thousand 

 teees. Those of Louise Bonne and Duchesse d'An- 



gouleme produce from one half to one bushel per 

 tree, but the Virgalieus are badly cracked. 



Evening Session. 

 President Thomas in the Chair. 

 The question taken up for this evening was, what 

 form of tree is best for the Standard Pear in orchards? 

 Mr. Berkmans thought the limbs should be kept 

 short, and the tree trimmed into the pyramidal form, 

 for the first ten or twelve years, and then allowed to 

 take its own course. The pyramidal form is the 

 one found by experience to be the most practical, 

 one. If the limbs are allowed to grow long, the 

 weight of the fruit is apt to break them down. Pear 

 trees are more apt to straggle than Apples. Pro£ 

 Mapes' trees are allowed to straggle, and they split up. 

 Mr. Barry remarked that there were several con- 

 siderations in reference to the forms of trees, among 

 the most important of which are the liability of their 

 being affected by high winds, the gathering of the 

 fruit, and the safety of the trunk of the tree. The 

 Standard tree is usually trained with a trunk from 

 four to six feet high. This form is not so well suited 

 to the Pear as to the Apple. The sun in winter is 

 apt to affect the bark of the trunk and seriously in- 

 jure the tree. Trees trained in the pyramidal form 

 are less aSected by high winds, and the fruit can be 

 much more easily gathered; and trees growing in 

 open spaces naturally assume the pyramidal form. 

 He had also found that trees trained in this manner 

 bore earlier than tall ones, and were not liable to as 

 many accidents. 



Mr. Hooker agreed in the main with Mr. Barry, 

 but thought that trees should be trimmed high 

 enough to cultivate easily about them, and that the 

 shade afforded by the limbs was sufficient to protect 

 the trunk from injury by the sun. 



Mr. AiNswoRTH, of West Bloomfield, is cultiva- 

 ting trees in both the forms mentioned by the previ- 

 ous speakers, and also in a middle form. Some with 

 limbs commencing five feet from the ground, others 

 about two and a half feet, and lastly, branching from 

 the ground. The trees are now all in bearing; pre- 

 fers the middle form, because the trees are more 

 easily cultivated. The low limbs protect the trunks 

 from the rays of the sun, and also from reflection 

 from the snow. When trees are injured by the sun, 

 it is always on the north side, and on the under side 

 of the limbs. A year ago last winter his trees re- 

 ceived the most injury in this way; and at the same 

 time the faces and hands of the men at work on his 

 grounds were severely blistered by the reflected rays 

 of the sun from the snow. Those of his trees that 

 at that time were protected by the low limbs were 

 not injured. The trees trained four and a half or 

 five feet high he found to be much more affected by 

 high winds. He did not like the pyramidal form, 

 but preferred to keep the head down and make the 

 limbs throw out. Had found the lowest trimmed to 

 bear the earliest. 



Mr. Berkmans had seen one tree in France branch- 

 ed low, so that the limbs on every side braced into 

 the ground and acted as stanchions, so that it was 

 impossible for any wind to move or affect it. 



Mr. Townsend's method was similar to the middle 

 course adopted by Mr. Ainsworth. 



Mr. Fish plants stocky trees, and keeps them 

 trained low. 



Mr. Barry said there was no difficulty in cultiva^ 



