528 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



SECKLB AND LOUISE BONNE DE JER- 

 SEY PEARS. 



The Seckle (dotted outline) pear, with many 

 cultivators, stands at the head of all pgars, as re- 

 gards quality. It is now introduced into every 

 fruit garden. Downing says "it is the richest 

 and most exquisitely flavored variety known. In 

 its highly concentrated, spicy, and honied flavor, 

 it is not surpassed, nor indeed equalled, by any 

 European variety." When we add to this that the 

 tree is the healthiest and hardiest of all pear trees, 

 forming a fine, compact, symmetrical head, and 

 bearing regular and abundant crops in clusters at 

 the end of the branches, it is easy to see that we 

 consider no garden complete without it. The soil 

 ' should receive a top-dressing of manure frequently, 

 when the size of the pear is an object. The Seckle 

 pear originated on the farm of Mr. Seckle, near 

 Philadelphia. 



The Louise Bonne de Jersey is one of the best 

 among the new autumn pears ; many place it 

 among the five or sis best pears known. It suc- 

 ceeds admirably in New Fngland, being hardy and 

 productive, the tree making fine upright shoots. 

 The fruit is large, the skin glossy and smooth, pale i 

 green in the shade, and overspread with brownish 

 red in the sun, but sometimes becoming quite 

 crimson. In season vet September and October;' 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



Will you infijrm £f subscriber whether the good 

 efiFects of guano would be impaired, if put on the 

 land at the same time with wood ashes, (a.) 



Another question — Is reclaimed swamp land a 

 proper soil for raising grain? {b.) d. 



Remarks. — (a.) If the guano and ashes are thor- 

 oughly incorporated with the soil, we should nol 

 fear any unfavorable effects from such an applica- 

 tion. 



{b.) On meadows that are drained twelve to 

 eighteen inches below the surface, we have seen 

 almost every crop of the farm growing in great 

 luxuriance ; but as a general rule, we think it 

 would be unsafe to recommend the cultivation of 

 the cereal grain on our common reclaimed mead- 

 ows. 



To " A Vermonter." — In answer to the inquir- 

 ies of" A Vermonter," we would simply say, that 

 our prices current are examined every week, by 

 dealers in the several commodities about which 

 he seems so desirous of being informed, and the 

 prices are varied to suit the current prices of the 

 articles sold. Not being produce-dealers or mar- 

 ket-men ourselves, we are obliged to rely upon 

 others for our information, and if any of our read- 

 ers are deceived by such data as are given in the 

 Farmer, it is because we also are made sharers of 

 the same deception. It is our intention, and our 

 effort, to spare no pains in making every depart- 

 ment of the Farmer reliable and correct ; and our 

 readers may be assured that if anything seems 

 wrong, it is not the result of intentional neglect. 

 In reply to your inquiry about grasshoppers, we 

 have not heard that they have been destructive 

 the past season to any but the grass crop and 

 pasture. In some sections of New England the 

 pastures were cut off so that feed was very short; 

 but the abundant rains have afforded good feed 

 generally in the Northern States, since July. 

 There is no failure to our knowledge, in any of the 

 usual crops. The hay crop will be an average one, 

 after all the fears that were entertained. The ap- 

 ple crop will be short. 



Swallows. — The barn swallows mostly left this 

 locality between the first and tenth of August; the 

 last that Inoticedwason Sunday, Aug 27Ui, when 

 two were seen. On Friday, Sept. IGth, in the af- 

 ternoon, large numbers of the white-bellied swal- 

 low (apparently several hundreds) were seen for 

 some hours. They left before night, and have not 

 since appeared. I do not recollect seeing a single 

 swallow since that time. S. Bates. 



East Bridgewater, Sept. 2G/A, 1853. 



J. H.^ Temple, N. H., and E. C. H., Plymouth, 

 Gurnet , Mass . , will please accept thanks for inter- 

 esting letters in relation to the habits of birds. 

 We do not publish all letters that we receive on 

 this subject, but intend to compile bye and bye 

 something reliable from them regarding the habits 

 of our New England birds. 



