1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



519 



"know the right, and yet the wrong pursue," in all 

 these matters. Mr. French excavates three feet 

 deep, to plant a dwarf pear. He considers it essen- 

 tial to plant the tree three inches below where it 

 was budded, and says he is not aware that he ever 

 manured a jiear tree too liberally, though he con- 

 structs heaps of compost for his two acres that 

 would be respectable for a small farm. One thing 

 is noticeable, in regard to all his trees, including 

 the apple. They are all ti-ained low, with short 

 stems. This is commonly objected to, in apple 

 orchards, because of the inconvenience of cultiva- 

 ting among them, and this consideration is to be 

 weighed, and a proper medium preserved. I have 

 myself always despised long-legged trees. The first 

 object is to obtain fruit, not to cultivate the land, 

 and low trees I think are more fruitful than high 

 ones. And besides, the labor of gathering fruit 

 from tall trees in an orchard is so much greater as 

 to compensate for a great deal of extra cultivation 

 by hand, where cattle cannot M"ork close to the 

 trunks. ■Nlr. French's mind is made up decidedly, 

 on that point. He says he is sure such a drought 

 and heat as that of 1854 would have destroyed ma- 

 ny of his trees, had not the ground imder them, 

 and their trunks, been shaded by the branches. I 

 thought the experience of my friend so valuable, 

 especially to those who are cultivating in his neigh- 

 borhood, that I took the liberty to pencil down the 

 results of his experiments in regard to some of the 

 known varieties of pears. 



We are all aware, that success in pear culture is 

 very various, even in the same neighliorhood, and 

 on soil and with treatment much the same. In the 

 region about Boston, where fruit-growers meet re- 

 gularly and compare notes frequently, it might be 

 presumptuous, in any individual, to set up the short 

 experience of himself or another against the general 

 opinion. ]\Ir. French is nearly a hundred miles 

 from Boston, and sixty from the ocean, and it has 

 seemed to me that his oI)servations might prove a 

 valuable contribution to the cause of fruit-growing. 

 I will take the responsibiHty, therefore, of stating 

 briefly the opinions which he has formed, leaA-ing 

 it to each person who reads, to judge how far they 

 may be useful, as a guide to himself. 



Ten Varieties of Pears Approved. 



1. BEOODGOOD.— On pear stock ; ripe last of August; me- 



dium size, hears well — j-'ood. 



2. BARTLETT.— On pear and quince, thrives well on both, 



though best upon pear stoclis, which produce more 

 abundantly, and larger fruit. 



3. BELLE LUCRATIVE.— On Miiiiioe ; ripe early in October ; 



a free growing, liardy tree, and great bearer. Fruit 

 fair and perfect, and of delicious flavor, and ripens 

 anywhere, with as little care as a Balilwin apple. On 

 the whole, the most valuable variety of all the pears, 

 so far as tested. 



4. LOUISE BONNE DE JERSEV.— On quince; ripe October 



10th ; a hardy, free be vrer ; fruit fair, high colored 

 and fine flavored, a valaable pear for general cultiva- 

 tion. 



5. FLEMISH BEAUTY.— The most splendid of all pears in 



size and color ; better than the Bartlett in flavor, and 

 of large size ; on <iuince — ripe in the middle of October, 



6. BEURRE U'ANJOU.— On quince ; middle of October. A 



fine, healthy, happy looking tree. A free bearer, 

 grows well. Fruit high colored and good, and ripens 

 without care. 



7. GRAY DOYENNE.- November ; on quince ; not a free 



bearer. Nearly eciual to the old St. Michael, which it 

 resembles, and which is admitted to be the perfection 

 of pears. Fruit fair and delicious. 



8. BEURRE DIEL.— On ((uince ; December ; a free bearer, 



and healthy ; fruit high flavored, russet colored. 



9. WINTER NELIS.— Late winter fruit ; on quince ; a fine 



fruit, which ripens well in a common cellar. A shy 

 bearer, and grows irregularly. 

 10. SECKEL. — On pear ; first of November ; a feeble, slow 

 growing tree, though healthy ; fruit small but delicious. 



Five Varieties of Pears Conde]mned. 



1. DEARBORN'S seedling.— On pear; rii^e 1st September ; 



a small, coarse fruit, with nothing to recommend it ; 

 ■worth about seventy-five cents a bu.-:hel, and not wor- 

 thy a place in a gentleman's garden, so far as tried 

 here, though of high reputation about Boston. 



2. DUCHESSE D'ANGOULEME.— On quince; a good grower, 



and bears well. Fruit very large and very fine, when 

 ripe, but needs about a month more, at each end of 

 the season, to make it sure in this latitude. 



3. GLOUT MORCEAU. — On quince ; shows a good disposition 



to grow and bear, but the tree blights worse than any 

 other variety, except the 



4. PASSE COLMAR. — On quince. Nearly every tree ruined 



by the blight — entirely hopeless. 



5. VICAR OF WINKFIELD.— On quince. Tree hardy and 



grows well. Fruit fair and large, but with the best 

 care here, coarse, corky, choaky, and unfit for an 

 amateur to eat. Often of fine quality in Boston, and 

 sold at a shilling each. 



The above are the present impressions of Mr. 

 French in regard to the fruits named, differing 

 widely, as to some varieties, from the received opin- 

 ions. Dearborn's Seedling, for instance, I am told 

 by Mr. Bull, of Concord, Mass., who is high author- 

 ity in such matters, is with him a first-rate fruit, 

 nearly equal in flavor to the St. Michael ; and the 

 Glout Morceau, which at Laconia is destroyed by 

 the blight — a dozen in a row — wliile other varieties 

 grow finely on each side of it, at Mr. Bull's jjlace, 

 is a fine, healthy tree. 



WIND SUCKING. 



This detestable habit in horses may be cured, so 

 say contributors to the Oliio Cultivator, by the fol- 

 lowing process : 



Wind sucking is a habit, (like chewing tobacco) 

 much easier ac<piircd than forgotten. It can only 

 l)e practised however under favorable circumstances 

 — that is, when there is some object on which the 

 horse can rest his teeth, located about as liigh as 

 his breast — such as a common manger, for histance. 

 The best remedy, therefore, is to ])ktcc the feeding 

 trough as low as the ground or floor of the sUxble, 

 and the hay-rack as high as the horse can reach ; 

 and see that there is no object of an intermediate 

 height for him to rest his teeth upon to suck wind. 

 Care must also be taken that when out of the sta- 

 ble, he is not allowed to stand near a fence or stump, 

 or any object of convenient lieight for practising 

 this hal)it. In the coiu-se of a few montlis, say five 

 or six, he will forget the trick. 



Jay Coxinty, Ind. G. BATi:nA:«. 



Another Reinikdy. — Tic a cord around the neck 

 of the horse sidticiently tight to prevent him from 

 enlarging the tliroat, as is done in wind sucking, 

 but not so tight as to obstruct l)reatliing or swal- 

 lowng. A tight halter, with throat straj), will an- 



