THE GENESEE FARRIER. 



311 



lIPAlS:^MIIgM^^ 



A DAY m A PEAR ORCHAKD. 



In the second week of last month, we spent a 

 day in the extensive pear orchard of W. H. Lee, 

 of N"ewark, Wayne, Co., N. Y. 



This orchard was set out in 1850, by the late Mr. 

 E. Blackmaij. It occupies 40 acres, and contains 

 about 8,000 dwarf pear trees and 2,000 standards, 

 and is, we believe, tlie largest orchard of dwarf 

 r<.'ar trees in tliis country, or probably in the world. 



When set out, the principal variety was the 

 White Doyenne or Virgalieu. "When the trees 

 came into bearing, the fruit cracked so badly that 

 the trees were re-budded with other kinds, sucli as 

 the DucJiesse cf Angouleme, Louise Bonne de Jersey^ 

 Bartlett^ Flemish Beauty^ etc. This was done four 

 years ago, and the trees are now coining into full 

 bearing. This year, the crop is quite large and 

 fine. At the time of our visit, there were some 

 three or four tliou>aiid of these double-worked 

 Ducliesse d'' Angouleme trees that were loaded with 

 heavy crops of large, handsome fruit. The fine 

 I)yramidal trees of Louise Bonne de Jersey were 

 also full of fruit, and presented a moat beautiful 

 appearance. There must be over a thousand trees 

 of this variety, all healthy, vigorous, and highly 

 productive. The Bartletts were all gathered, but 

 we believe the crop had been very good. Some of 

 the earliest Bartletts^ picked August 14, were sent 

 to Boston and brought $20 per barrel ! The re- 

 mainder of the crop, picked later at different times 

 as the fruit was ready, w^as sent to New York and 

 lu-ought from $8 to $13 per barrel. There can be 

 little doubt that this orchard, which looked so dis- 

 couraging for the first six years on account of the 

 cracking of the Virgalieus^ wiU yet prove highly 

 remunerative. 



The soil of this orchard is a gravelly loam, rest* 

 ing on a clayey subsoil some fifteen or eighteen 

 inches beneath, and the whole resting on a sub- 

 stratum of coarse gravel, which affords perfect 

 drainage. It has been thought that the soil was 

 too light and gravelly for pears, and the cracking 



of the Virgalieus has been attributed to this cause. 

 Be this as it may, other vai'ieties in the same 

 orchard do well. And we noticed a fact whicli 

 seems, to indicate that the cracking is not owing to 

 the soil. Several Virgalieu trees had only a por- 

 tion of their branches re-grafted with the Duc/w.sac 

 fZ' Angoul-eme, and on these trees the Virgalieus 

 were cracked and worthless, while the Duchesse ti' 

 Angoulemes were entirely free from this disease. 

 Here both varieties were growing on the same tree, 

 both receiving the same plant food from the soil, 

 and one is diseased and the other healthy ! This 

 does not pi'ove, however, that the Virgalieu is not 

 more liable to crack on some soils than on others. 

 It does not prove that Virgalieui v.-ould have 

 cracked on heavier soils. 



Last year Mr. Lee sowed a part of his orchard 

 with rye seeded with clover, with the intention of 

 turning in the clover for manure. The rye was not 

 suffered to mature its seed, but it proved, neverthe- 

 less, very injurious to the trees. They presented a 

 yellow, sickly appearance, and tlie Virgalieus were 

 cracked worse on this part than on any other. 



For the last tw^o years, Mr. L. has so\ved, each 

 year, 6 bushels of salt and 10 bushels of unleached 

 wood ashes per acre on a part of the orchard, and 

 he thinks this part of the orchard decidedly the 

 best. 



We may mention that the FlemisJi Beauties, on 

 the double-worked trees, are exceedingly fine, and 

 the trees healthy and very productive. 



A FEW WORDS ON GRAPES. 



The Rebecca grape fully matured here, in one 

 situation, this season, by September 1st. This was 

 in an open garden, and without any means having 

 been taken to hasten its time. Another vine we 

 had the pleasure of seeing did not perfect its fruit 

 until Sept. 10th. The Rebecca must be considered 

 the earliest ripening grape yet introduced. 



The Logan was well colored and fit to pick for 

 market on the 10th of September, although it 

 would improve by hanging still longer. 



Hartford Prolific came in season about the same 

 time as the Logan. With our limited knowledge 

 of these two grapes, we do not feel at liberty at 

 present to make a comparison of their respective 

 merits. 



The Delaware, Sept. 15th, is well colored, sweet 

 and excellent, although it will no doubt continue to 

 improve yet for the next week or ten days. So 

 far, this new fruit proves itself to be all that has 

 ever been claimed for it, and it must become gen- 



