64 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



the whole liad been once an orchard, with the trees 

 standing in rows at regular distances. 



At that time the trees were loaded with fruit 

 about the size and shape of the Virgalieu; their 

 color was green, and thej were puckery to the taste, 

 and not tit for table use. The trees yielded from 

 thirty to sixty bushels each every year.^ 



Here, then, in this clayey loam, which had not 

 been cultivated, for many years at least, if ever, 

 and probably never manured, stood these old pear 

 Irees, magniticent in their proportions and vigorous 

 foliage. This Avas evidently a good pear soil ; but, 

 nine-tenths of the original trees had gone, showing 

 tliat the Pear is a precarious tree. 



On the Canada side of the Niagara river, at , 



are hundreds of old pear trees which were planted 

 at the time of the Revolution, by tory settlers from 

 tlie States, with seeds which they brought with 

 tliem, from New Jersey and some other parts. The 

 soil is poor, but the trees are in a flourishing condi- 

 tion, and unatfected by the blight. Few of the 

 apple trees then planted now stand. 



Some of these trees, owned by an acquaintance 

 of mine, I induced him to graft with scions which 

 I let him have from my garden, among which were 

 the Marie Louise^ Glout Morceau. Bartlett, Winter 

 N'elis, and one or two other varieties. He grafted 

 them thirty feet high, and they now bear splendidly. 



The soil where these trees stood is a heavy clay. 

 On the opposite side of the river, in a lighter soil, 

 many pear trees have been blighted. 



BEST SOIL FOR THE PEACH AND CnERET. 



Mr. Barry — The Peach requires a dry soil, and 

 will succeed much better on light soils than most 

 other fruit trees; but a heavier soil will also be 

 found well suited to it, if it is dry. The Cherry 

 requires a dry soil of almost any kind. Had heard 

 the opinion advanced that the cracking and gum- 

 ming of cherry trees was most prevalent on light 

 sandy soils, and thought this to be tlie case. 



Mr. Stacey could concur with Mr. B., that the 

 Cherry is not adapted to moist soils — ^he had lost 

 aJiout 25 trees by the stoppage of an underdrain. 



H. N. Langworthy had twenty years experience 

 in growing cherries on light sandy soil, with good 

 success. 



Mr. Barry recommended as an assortment of 

 cherries for family use, the Early Purple Guigne, 

 Belle (V Orleam^ Gov. Wood., May Du^e, Blach Tar- 

 tarian^ and Black Eagle for early sorts ; for a late 

 sort, the Reine Ilortense, and the very late. Belle 

 Ma<ini(ique ; for market he would add Napoleon 

 Bigarreiu.^ Rockport Bigarreau and Elkhorn. 



PEARS ox PEAR STOCKS. 



The question, what varieties of Pears should be 

 cultivated exclusively on the Pear stock, and what 

 varieties exclusively on the Quince stock, was in- 

 troduced, and Mr. Barry named the following for 

 cultivating exclusively on the pear stock : Bartlett., 

 Flemish Beauty, Bix, Beurre £osc, Winter Ifelis, 

 Lawrence and Shelton. 



MORNING SESSION. 



GRAPES BEST ADAPTED TO WESTERN NEW-YORK. 



This morning the question discussed was — What 

 varieties of tlie Grape are best adapted to the climate 

 of Western New York ? 



Mr. Barry — Although there are many now varie- 

 ties just now claiming attention, and have so far 

 promised to become valuable acquisitions, yet the 

 Isabella is the only one of established rei)utation 

 which I would be willing to plant extensively in 

 Western New-York. 



L. F, Allen agreed with Mr. Barry that the Isa- 

 bella is the best for this section, but even that can 

 not be depended on for ripening, and thought that 

 some other varieties in a few years would prove to 

 be better adapted than the Isabella. 



Mr. Barry would like to inquire of Mr. A., if the 

 cause of the fruit not ripening in the cases he 

 referred to, was not the fault of the cultivator or 

 of the soil. 



L. F. Allen replied that he made a broad state- 

 ment, and he referred to the Grape as it is usually 

 grown. Thought there were many localities in 

 Western New-York, especially on the borders of 

 the lakes, which were adapted to the growth and 

 ripening of the Isabella. 



H. E. Hooker, so far as his experience was con- 

 cerned, thought the Isabella the best for this climate. 



J. J. Thomas thought that there are many locali- 

 ties in Western New York which are good for the 

 purpose of grape-growing, and such should be 

 selected. 



Mr. Maxwell would recommend the Isabella. 



Mr. Peck, of Bloomfield — I have a vineyard of 

 one hundred vines, which this year bore seventy- 

 five bushels. I sold six hundred pounds this fall, in 

 Buffalo, at eighteen cents per pound. Last year I 

 sold a quantity in New-York at twenty-two cents 

 per pound. I would recommend the IsaheUa for 

 general cultivation in Western New-York. My 

 land is a clay loam, naturally dry, descending to the 

 north. An indication of the ripeness of the fruit 

 is the withering and drying of the stems. Have 

 preserved the fruit, packed loosely in boxes, until 

 March. I do not think taking off the leaves to 

 admit air and light, as practiced by some, any bene- 

 fit; but, on the contrary, an injury. My method 

 of pruning is as follows : Commencing by planting 

 a vine two years old, I let one cane grow- the first 

 year, and in the fall cut it back to six inches from 

 the ground ; the next season I grow two horizontal 

 canes, one each side of the stem, letting them run 

 about six feet each way, and then pinching them 

 off; the next year, from these horizontal canes, I 

 train uprights, parallel to each other, about four- 

 teen inches apart to the top of the trellis and stop 

 them ; the next year I prune off the side shoots to 

 two buds. I practice the renewal system with the 

 uprights. The vines stand twelve feet apart each 

 way, with dwarf pear trees occupying intermediate 

 rows, and are cultivated with the plow and cultiva- 

 tor. One hundred vines and thirty-five dwarf pear 

 trees occupy half an acre of ground. I obtained 

 this year seventy -five bushels of grapes, weighing, 

 at the rate of forty pounds to the bushel, three 

 thousand pounds. The vines have been planted 

 four years. 



W." B. Smith had preserved grapes until June, by 

 packing in boxes, with layers of cotton batting be- 

 tween them ; but they tasted of the cotton. 



C. P. Bissell had preserved them the same way 

 as Mr. Smith and without taste from the cotton. 



Mr. Parsons had some experience in growing 

 grapes ; generally packed from seven to eight bush- 



