366 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



About twenty-one years ago harrassed me until 



I gave him an order for pear trees. I frankly told him I 

 could not tell him what varieties to send me, but he 

 declared he knew, and would send me paying kinds. 



Before he sent them, I went to and asked him to 



release me from the order, telling him I was of the 

 opinion I was leaving too much to him. He declared he 

 knew the paying varieties and would send them to me. 

 He sent me a great many kinds — all sorts of French 

 names — but only three or four were worth anything, 

 Lawrence, Bartlett and Duchess, were good. The others 

 were bought as refuse from a nursery in New Jersey, and 

 from this refuse I got most of my trees. A good many 

 were dead when they arrived, which the seller, to me, 

 acknowledged with tears in his eyes, and left the 

 amount of his bill to me to determine. I paid the whole 

 amount $8oo,when, in truth, I did not owe him one cent. 

 He really was in debt to me. I afterwards found he was 

 in the habit of crying when he had an unjust account. 

 Bartlett, Duchess and Lawrence have always borne well 

 with me, and paid handsomely, until this year. Duchess 

 is a Dwarf pear and does well. I have seen it as 

 Standard, but it did not do well. Bartlett and Lawrence 

 bear so soon, and do so well as Standards, it seems to 

 me, useless to have them any other way on my stiff soil, 

 (stiff yellow clay). I cultivated my trees until they 

 were six or seven years old ; I then penned my sheep in 



