BEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FRUITS. 151 



orchards in the vicinity of Boston suffered very much from the 

 ravages of the slug; in mauy instances every leaf was eaten and 

 nothing remained upon the trees but the half-grown fruit, and that 

 was entirely worthless. 



January 10th, Hovey & Co, exhibited three varieties of winter 

 pears ; Josephine de Malincs, Doyenne d'Alencon, and Cross, all 

 of them of much value for their keeping qualities. 



At the- exhibition of winter pears, Januai'y 24th, all the prizes 

 were awarded. The first to A. Dickinson for Piaster Beurre, Passe 

 Colmar, Winter Nelis, Glout Morceau, and Vicar of Winkfleld. 

 These were all in good order and quite handsome ; Mr. Dickinson 

 said they had been kept in his barn, protected by being covered 

 with hay. J. H. Fenno was awarded the second prize, and his 

 statement is as follows: "About the first of November, I placed 

 one peck each, of ten varieties of winter pears, in baskets and put 

 them in a cold, damp cellar that was well ventilated ; the loss up 

 to the present time, January 24th, was only eight specimens of 

 Beurre d'Anjou and ten of Lawrence. The other varieties were 

 all perfect. At the same time I placed the same quantit}^ and 

 varieties in another cellar that was warmer and without ventila- 

 tion, and the loss was over fifty per cent. My experience is, that 

 dampness is necessarj^ to prevent shrinkage, so common with winter 

 pears ; the had eff'ect of which is prevented by proper ventila- 

 tion." The third prize was awarded to H. Partridge, and his 

 statement was, that directl}' after picking his pears he placed them 

 in a fruit-house and kept them there until about January 1st, when 

 he removed them to his own cellar. At the time he exhibited them 

 they were as hard as when first picked, and we do not believe they 

 would ever have become fit to eat, as several specimens of different 

 kinds were taken for trial and none of them ripened so as to be fit for 

 use, and most of them decayed before they were mellow. J. L. 

 Bird exhibited a very fine dish of Passe Colmar pears. March 

 21st, Wm. Maloon presented some fine specimens of Winter Nelis. 



As before remarked, the season was very backward and many of 

 the weekly exhibitions were aff'ected very unfavorably. July 25th, 

 the first premium day for early pears, there were none ofljered 

 worthy of a prize. On August 1st, the first prize was awarded to 

 the Dovenne d'Ete. August 15th, all the premiums were awarded 

 •to the Beurre Giff'ard. August 22nd, the exhibition of Clapp's 

 Favorite was very fine. September 5th, the first prize was 



