ORCHARDS. 93 



In making this selection of the more choice and desirable 

 varieties of fruits, Barry's "Fruit Garden" has been frequent- 

 ly referred to — a work recommended to all fruit growers. 



The committee desire, in taking leave of this fruitful subject, 

 to press home to the mind of every proprietor of a garden 

 spot or farm in western Massachusetts the importance of fruit 

 culture. Then, ere long, this region will become as noted for 

 producing an ample supply of the choicest varieties of fruits 

 as it has been hitherto for the lack of them. 



L. Wetiierell, Chairman. 



Statement of Theodore Pasco. 



I have eighty-one trees of grafted fruit, in one location, on 

 an acre and a quarter of land. A part stand on loamy, and 

 the remainder on sandy, soil. I have also twenty-three scat- 

 tered and ungrafted trees. The trees in my orchard were 

 grafted, six or seven feet from the ground, twelve years after 

 they were set. Most of them are twenty feet apart ; but I 

 think it would be better if the distance was twenty-eight or 

 thirty feet. The land they stand on has never been ploughed 

 since they were set; for my opinion is, that turning over the 

 soil around the trees two or three feet from them, and throw- 

 ing on compost manure plentifully, is preferable to ploughing. 

 Young trees standing on land that is often ploughed at first 

 will look very thrifty and grow fast; but soon the roots are 

 badly injured, and the result is, the appearance of the orchard 

 is sadly changed. My varieties of fruit are Greenings, Bald- 

 wins, Roxbury Russets, Shaker Russets, Gillyflowers, Seek- 

 no-farthers, Winter Sweets, Golden Sweets, Gennetings, 

 Pumpkin Sweets, Spitzenburgs, Pound Royals, and several 

 varieties of early apples. I have gathered this year from my 

 grafted trees one hundred and eighty-one bushels of good win- 

 ter fruit, thirty bushels of fall apples, and one hundred and 

 fifty bushels of cider apples. 



IIadlet, October 1G, 1854. 



