APPENDIX. 101 



sionally, because they were ill-natured, or written by 

 those who had little interest in the subject. To Mr. 

 Bright let me say, that he has given me the first mis- 

 givings upon the policy of what I had written, and that 

 I confess his view to be the most philosophical regard- 

 ing pear culture. 



Still I must do myself the justice to say, that the 

 great expense I recommended was qualified in several 

 places in the book, by stating that it was the extreme 

 of high cultivation, and that I felt it necessary to ex- 

 plain the processes by which the very highest result 

 could be reached. 



On those wretchedly light soils which it has been my 

 fortune to cultivate, much less labor would scarcely 

 secure success. 



"We have since learned that Mr. Field planted his 

 pear trees on some city lots, which had been filled up 

 with poor soil and rubbish, and that it was necessary 

 for him to manure heavily, to bring the soil into a fer- 

 tile condition. His own practice was no doubt correct, 

 but the advice in his book was too much after the old 

 Downing method, and was certainly not judicious. "We 

 are all too much in the habit of supposing that the 

 practice which proves successful on any particular piece 

 of soil, will be suited to all soils. "We do not wish to 

 punish Mr. Field for his want of reflection ; we only 



