60 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



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FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY OF WESTERN N. Y. 



This capital Society held its fifth annual session 

 on the 4th and 5th of January, at the Court House 

 in Rochester. The meeting was one of the'largest 

 yet assembled ; and the show of apples and pears 

 was one of the finest ever made at this season of 

 the year. The officers were unanimously reelected 

 as follows : 



President— Col. B. HODGE, BufiTalo. 



Vice-Presidents — J. J. Thomas, Macedon ; Wm. 

 B. Smith, Syracuse ; W. R. Coppock, Bufi"alo. 



Treasurer — W. P. Townsend, Lockport. 



Secretary — C. P. Bissell, Rochester. 



The crowded state of our columns will only per- 

 mit us to give a very brief abstract of the discus- 

 sions ; but the Society will publish a full report of 

 the proceedings, with the President's address, etc., 

 • ' which any person can obtain by enclosing a stamp 

 to the Secretary. The discussions commenced with 

 the question : 



"is the dwarf pear a humbug?" 



Mr. PiNis'ET, of Monroe. — There is one sort which 

 is not a humbug. The Louise Bonne de Jeisey will 

 bear as much fruit on same size of limbs as any 

 other. Has dwarfs, two years old when set, and 

 now eight years old, that are bearing one bushel, 

 one and a half, and even two bushels of pears to 

 the tree. If I set one hundred acres of pears, would 

 set half of them dwarfs of the right sort. 



Mr. TowNSKND, of Niagara. — The Louise Bonne 

 de Jersey^ taken twenty-five years together, will 

 bear three to one of any other sort I have cultiva- 

 ted as dwarfs. Were I to commence planting pear 

 trees again, I would not plant a standard. Fruit ou 

 dwarfs is much larger than on standards ; bears ear- 

 lier. Needs good cultivation. 



Mr. Jay, of Yates. — A fruit orchard should be a 

 fruit garden, and that is where most men fail. 

 Trees set in post-holes won't answer. 



Mr. Coppock, of Erie. — Endorse all that the 

 members have thus far said. Vicar of Winljield 

 succeeds very finely as a dwarf tree. Spading 

 around trees is injurious : cuts ofi:' the fibrous roots 

 which are near the surface. 



Mr. Ellw ANGER, was asked what varieties did 

 not succeed well as dwarfs. Answered — Beurre 

 Bosc, Sheldon, Dix, Paradise d''Automne and Can- 

 andaigua. On the other hand. Belle Lucrative is 

 always poor as a standard, and fine as a dwarf. 



Mr. Beadlk, of Canada. — Belle Lucrative, as a 

 dwarf, is invariably fine and large. 



Mr. Frost, of Monroe. — Duchesse d'' A'ngouleme 

 splendid as dwarf. Trees have, years before this, 

 borne two or three bushels per tree, and this year 

 three and a half bushels. 



Mr. Brooks, of Wyoming. — Don't think it is best 

 to send dwarf pear trees out among farmers. Can'c 

 by any possibility induce a farmer to 'run a cultiva- 

 tor through his orcliard once in two weeks ; no, noi 

 four weeks ; no ! nor once in two months. 



Mr. Smith. — The gentleman might as well advise 

 not to sell Durham cattle to farmers because fine 

 breeds need care, and fine breeds sometimes fail ; 

 yet, when cattle are well treated they do well, and 

 when dwarf pear trees are well treated, they also 

 do well. 



Mr. Brooks. — Farmers make some things prom- 

 inent. Farmers will use stock well; but fi'uit trees 

 are a little on one side. Some gentleman has ad- 

 vised that every farmer have dwarf pear trees in 

 his garden — supposing .that in the garden they 

 would be well seen to. Now, what we in C)ur 

 country call a garden, is a place back of the liouse, 

 where dish-water is thrown ; where we have a few 

 hills of potatoes, and several hundred — pig-weeds! 



Mr. AiNswoRTH, of Ontario. — Some time ago, I 

 made remarks against dwarf pears. Have made 

 observations since then, and find that some sorts 

 do remarkably well as dwarfs — better tlian as stand- 

 ards, both as regards size and flavor of the fruit. 

 Louise Bonne de Jersey will yield double the crop 

 on same amount of space on dwarf than on stand- 

 ard ; so will Belle Lucrative. 



The whole secret of raising dwarfs is in the cul- 

 tivation and pruning. Get the right sorts, and then 

 cultivate and prune thoroughly. 



In answer to a question as to profit, Mr. Erx- 

 WANGER said, that you could cultivate one thousand 

 dwarf pear trees per acre, and if of the riglit kinds, 

 they will average over a bushel per tree. 



Mr. Barry. — A great feature in dwarf pears is 

 the earliness of bearing. Aged people could plant 

 trees and enjoy the fruit. Easily transplanted, and 

 liable to no more accidents or diseases than the 

 standards. 



BEST PROTECTIVE OF FRUIT TREES. ETC. 



J. J, Thomas. — In parts of the country where 

 the winds are high, great benefit is derived from 

 belts of timber, evergreen hedges, etc. 



Mr. Barry. — Our prevailing high winds are from 

 the west, and fruit needs protection in the fall to 

 keep it from being blown off; and the trees need 

 it in winter and spring. As tu underdraiuiiig, re- 

 member that the trees stand all the year round, 

 and in almost any land underdniining will do good. 

 There are plenty of evergreens that Avill grow 

 three to four feet each year. 



Mr. Langworthy thought that board fences, 

 twelve feet high, would be beneficial, and also 

 serve to train grape vines upon. 



Mr. Beadle. — In Canada, farmers are beginning 

 to plant trees on the west sides of their farms. 

 Wheat crop is better for them. 



Mr. AiNSwoRTH. — Ground sloping towards the 

 east, good crops and seldom killed ; but sloping 

 to west, wind strikes hard — snow blown off— poor 

 crops. Here is protection^ and the contrary. 



