80 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I might further state that I have another house where I cul- 

 tivate the peach, and part of the trees are in the ground, and 

 part are in pots. I raise a great many in pots. My course has 

 been to purchase a large niimber of trees the second year after 

 the graft. I generally send to Long Island and buy, say a 

 hundred at a time, and my gardener takes them and sets them 

 out in the spring, cutting them down so as not to leave more 

 than two buds on each tree. They grow up that season, and 

 the next I have a good crop of peaches. Most of these peaches 

 I have had in pots, as these pines are now in pots, which are 

 cultivated under glass. And I would remark, in reference to 

 pines, that it is very easy to cultivate them, if you have a house 

 arranged for it. These were grown over a hot-air flue. I had 

 a wooden box built, and filled in something like eighteen inches 

 with tan, and the suckers which we clip from the sides of these 

 plants are put into pots filled with good rich soil, which pots 

 are embedded in the tan, and the heat underneath will keep 

 them in a fine state of growth, and they will come into full 

 bearing the first year. These came from my pinery yesterday, 

 and my gardener took off most of the suckers which were on 

 the sides. You will see that some of them are here now. 

 There were large clusters around both of these pines, which 

 have been cut off, which would have been fine pines to set out 

 and bear a crop next season. 



The Chairman. I have the pleasure of recognizing here this 

 evening a gentleman who has performed very efficient service 

 for many years in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 1 

 allude to Mr. Strong, its Yice-President, and Chairman of its 

 Fruit Committee. I hope Mr. Strong will address the audience. 



W. C. Strong, of Newton. Our Chairman has left very 

 little for us to say, his suggestions are so practical, and he 

 covers the ground so entirely. But, as I have been called up, 

 I will allude to one subject, with which, perhaps, I am least 

 familiar, and it is because I feel a strong interest in it. 



I was rather amused this afternoon, as I heard President 

 Clark describe the work of the past year, and the improvements 

 that have been made on the Agricultural College grounds, at 

 the evident satisfaction with which he spoke of the industry of 

 the students in rooting out his apple-orchard. That was the 

 first lesson in fruit-culture which the students received, and I 



