282 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



pursuit ; yet to all reflecting minds it holds forth this inducement — that, as stated 

 in this volume, " examples are exceedingly rare of men, once engaged in Flori- 

 culture, ever giving it up but with their latest breath." While it oSers elegant 

 recreation to the man of wealth, to the poorest it is not forbidden. 



In making room for the practical matter which follows, to the exclusion of as 

 much already prepared for this number, we propose to show to our friends of 

 this intellectual, prosperous Association, that in our case their kindness has not 

 been lost on the wayside, at the same time that we put in for them a claim to 

 the gratitude of our readers. 



His method, although at first expensive, 

 deserves to be kuowu. His fruit-house is a 

 circular building expressly for this purpose, 

 with an outer and inner wall, as will be seen 

 on reference to the figure below. The liight 

 and tliickness of the walls, as well as the di- 

 mensions of the house, are with him arbitrary. 

 The distance between the two walls is about 

 three feet six inches ; both have windows, as 

 he thinks a diffused hght preferable to entire 

 darkness. The mner room is, of course, the 

 depository of the fruit, and the object here is 

 to attain a constant temperature of about 50*^ 

 Fahr. ; as low as 39° would not be injurious, 

 but 66° to 73° destructive. The intervention 

 of iire-heat he considers very prejudicial. 



He has a number of tight wooden boxes 

 made with drawers, of oak — > which wood he 

 prefers, as being easier to be cleaned from the 

 remains of any iruit which might decay ; 

 softer woods allow the moisture and seeds of 

 fungi, causing decay, to sink into their open 

 pores, where they remain and vegetate an- 

 other season. In these drawers the fruits are 

 placed, with small intervals between each, on 

 a slight bed, one-sixth of an inch thick, of 



" The following simple statement of the 

 number and varieties of Pears contiibuted at 

 the last four annual exhibitions will confirm 

 the foregoing impression : 



1S4.X 



From M. P. Wilder, Pres't, about 91 



Messrs. W^inship 47 



Pomolog'I Garden, Salem. 160 



Samuel Walker 13 



Ebenezer Wight 21 



Otis Johnson 32 



J. L. L. F.Warren 34 



J. S. Cabot 



Joeiah Lovett, 2d 



Hovey & Co 



The beauty and qualities of these Pears 

 cannot be represented by numbei-s, but those 

 who saw and tiisted them can bear witness to 

 their great excellence in these points, and the 

 large number of sorts will show the pains that 

 have been taken to put all on ti-ial for the 

 purpose of maliing selections best suited to 

 this climate. 



The perseverance m cultivating many vari- 

 eties, of high character elsewhere, which at 

 first do not appear to thrive in this section of 

 the counti-y, deserves notice, as it has been 

 rewarded in several instances by successful 

 acclimation, and has given rise to the 

 decision that Pears should not be re- 

 jected without a fair trial of four or 

 five successive seasons. 



Equally interesting statements re- 

 specting Apples, Grapes, Plums, &.C., 

 miglit be drawn up, but this is sufli- 

 cient for present puq)ose. 



As the experience acquired in the 

 cultivation of these must of course be 

 extensive, its wide dissemination is 

 certainly of great importance ; and the 

 s;ime is trae of another object, that is, 

 the method of keeping Fruit in the 

 most perfect state throughout the win- 

 ter, particularly apples and pears. 



Mr. Victor Paquot, of Paris, pub- 

 lished a little work on this subject in 

 1814. He gives an extract of the 

 printed awiuxl oi" the Royal Society of 

 Horticulture of J'aris, decreeing a 

 medal to him ; this states that M. Pa- 

 qnet had on the 12th of . June exliibit- 

 ed one hundred pears and ap[)leb, and 

 that those the judges tasted had per- 

 fectly preserved not only their beauty, fresh- 

 ness and flavor, but even their perfume. In 

 one year he preserved 17,000 apples and 11,- 

 OOO pears: the finest of those latter fetch some- 

 times 3 fr. (60 cts.) each in the Paris market. 

 (570) 



Ground Plan. A, B, doors ; F, windows. 



saw-dust (not pine, which would communi- 

 cate an unpleasant flavor), highly dried in a 

 baker's oven, eight parts, and one pai't of very 

 dry 2)ulvcrized charcoal ; and with this mix- 

 ture the interstices between the fruits are 



