298 Notes and Gleanings. 



It would seem almost impossible to plough the ground too deeply when pre- 

 paring it for planting trees or vines, or too shallow when they are once planted. 

 Where the ground has been deeply ploughed or spaded among trees, few roots 

 will be found within six inches of the surface. Therefore use only a fork or 

 cultivator among trees, and invite the roots to the surface, where they will have 

 the benefit of warmth and air. But keep the surface finely pulverized so as to 

 absorb moisture from the air. 



The Kirtlaxd and Hadley Pears. — As long ago as 1845, we fruited the 

 Hadley Pear, which took its name from the town of Hadley, Mass., where it was 

 supposed to have originated. In 1862, the Kirtland produced fruit for the fii-st 

 time with us, which proved identical with the variety so long known as the Had- 

 ley. We were greatly at a loss to explain this circumstance, as the minute history 

 given of the Kirtland by the venerable pomologist, Dr. J. P. Kirtb.nd, who had 

 seen with his own eyes the development of this variety from the very embryo, 

 and had cultivated, cherished, and introduced it to public notice, seemed difficult 

 to reconcile with the existence of the Hadley at that place where we hear from 

 it in 1835. A 'c\o\.& just received from Dr. Kirtland explains the mystery. It 

 appears that some time between 1823 and 1830, a Mr. Hunt of Northampton, 

 Mass., spent several days with Dr. Kirtland, who then resided at Poland, O., at 

 about the period when the Kirtland Pear first began to attract notice. He 

 was an intelligent amateur pomologist, and was ardently engaged in searching 

 for new and valuable fruits in the numerous seedling orchards then fruiting in 

 that new country. There can be no doubt that the grafts of the Kirtland were 

 carried by him to Northampton, and that from them sprang the supposed seed- 

 ling tree in the adjoining town of Hadley. The Hadley must therefore be set 

 down as a synonyme of the Kirtland. R. M. 



OxE indication of the progress of horticulture in this country is that we 

 hear so little about training trees on walls or fences ; while, formerly, a considera- 

 ble part of every work on fruit-culture was devoted to this subject. Following 

 the example of our English cousins, from whom we learned our horticulture, 

 much attention was formerly given to their elaborate systems of training; but 

 they are now found to be useless or worse, under our hot suns, unless it may be 

 for a few varieties of pears, for which the season of the Northern States is hardly 

 long enough ; and for these it is hardly worth while, as we have other equally 

 good varieties which can be grown to perfection with much less trouble. We 

 have seen the fruit of trees trained on a brick wall presenting a burnt appear- 

 ance, which showed plainly that the heat was too great. Such trees have been 

 well described as "stretched perfectly flat as if impaled alive, or crucified with a 

 cruel and unattainable purpose of compelling them to produce rich fruit by 

 torture." 



The question of applying iron to pear-trees, as recommended some years ago, 

 is again agitated. We have used a cart-load, spreading half a bushel round a 

 single tree, and digging in, without doing any good or harm that we could 

 perceive. 



