14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1895. 



ground, and has borne thirty bushels in a season, some specimens 

 measuring eleven inches around the bulge ; he also describes a 

 Worden Pear tree measuring five feet six inches around ; and one of 

 bis neighbors has a Bergamot Pear tree, brought from Englaud in a 

 box in the year 1643, that measures six feet ai'ound, and has borne 

 twenty-two bushels of fine pears in one season. The pears grown in 

 the latter part of the last century, and known as St. Michel, St. 

 Germain, Brown Beurre, Virgoleuse, were undoubtedly introduced by 

 the Huguenots, about the year 1685 ; and it is from these that our 

 earlier native pears have sprung. Cherries and peaches also received 

 some attention early in the seventeenth century. Some cherry trees, 

 planted in 1650, at Bristol, R. I., lived two centuries. 



Peaches are mentioned by William Penu. Writing the 16th of the 

 eighth month, he mentions very good peaches, and not an Indian 

 plantation was without them. Peaches were grown from the stone in. 

 1790, by John Kenrick of Newton, Mass., who planted a quantity 

 of peach stones ; the process of budding was not then understood or 

 practiced, and trees were grown in their natural state ; with this 

 practice, peach trees were long-lived and attained great size, bearing 

 abundant crops in a few years. Subsequently inoculating or budding 

 was practiced, and about the year 1818 the dreaded disease known as 

 " Peach Yellows " was first noticed in the State of New Jersey ; a 

 few years later, large quantities of ciioice varieties of peach trees 

 were brought into New England from New Jersey, and with them the 

 "Yellows" was introduced, and has since remained, and probably 

 will continue so long as budded trees are used, or trees grown from 

 stones procured from diseased trees. 



The attempt to prolong the existence of choice varieties of peaches, 

 which is done by budding, has, without doubt, had a tendency to 

 lessen the natural stamina of the peach to that extent that they are 

 unable to withstand the extremes of temperature in this climate, as 

 they formerly did when grown naturally. It is also well known that 

 the "Yellows" does not manifest itself in trees grown under glass, 

 or in the southern portions of the country; hence, we may conclude 

 the peach in its weakened condition cannot resist the disease in our 

 climate. Therefore, the "Yellows" has been the main cause of 

 seriously diminishing our peach growing, almost to the extent of pro- 

 hibition. It would also seem the only course to pursue to regain our 

 former success, is to root out all the old trees and plant anew with 

 stones procured from sections of the country where the " Yellows" is 

 unknown. 



