90 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



made last year by its accomplished chairman, Professor "W. C. 

 Fowler, and published in the Transactions of the Hampshire 

 County Agricultural Society for 1853, the present chairman of 

 your committee finds that the subject was treated on this wise, 

 to wit : I. Plant a nursery ; II. Select the ground for your 

 orchard and fruit garden carefully ; III. Prepare your ground 

 carefully; IV. Plant your trees carefully ; V. Tend your trees 

 carefully. He having considered these several topics in their 

 order, it is proposed on this occasion to present a few sugges- 

 tions concerning some of the more desirable varieties of fruits. 

 Some seem inclined to multiply varieties, more especially of 

 apples and pears, without paying due regard to the qualities 

 thereof. 



Don, in his work on English Gardening, published in 1832, 

 gives fourteen hundred varieties of the apple. The number 

 has been greatly enlarged since, so that there are now about 

 two thousand cultivated varieties. 



Before proceeding to the enumeration of certain varieties 

 which it is desirable to cultivate, it should be remarked that 

 every farmer, in making his selection, should be governed by 

 the use which he designs to make of them — how many, for ex- 

 ample, he wants for baking, drying, sauce, cider, dessert, and 

 for other uses ; also, if he designs to raise apples for the mar- 

 ket, to select such varieties as will sell most readily and for 

 the highest prices. Early fruits, if located near the place of 

 market, will be found most profitable ; but if remote from the 

 place of sale, autumn and winter varieties will be found more 

 profitable. In selecting, you should have regard to varieties 

 whose trees are vigorous growers ami good bearers. There 

 are some of the choicest varieties whose growth is feeble and 

 products meagre. The alphabetical list of the choice varieties 

 which follows will be found of service to all interested in fruit 

 culture in our society : — 



Summer Apples. — American Summer Pearmain, ripe in Sep- 

 tember; Red Astrachan, ripe in August; Beuoni, ripe in Au- 

 gust; Large Yellow Bough, ripe in August; Bohauan, August 

 to October; Early Harvest, July ; Early Strawberry, August; 

 Early Joe, last of August; Lyman's Large Summer, August; 

 Manomet, August to September; Summer Bellefleur, (superior,) 



