FIFTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 27 



large pear grower on the Hudson river, and we are very glad to 

 welcome him and other growers from other states, on account 

 of the new thoughts and ideas they are able to give to us. 



Experiences of a Hudson River Pear Grower. 



By J. R. Cornell of Newburg, N. Y. 



Mr. President, and members of the Connecticut Pomo- 

 logical Society, ladies and gentlemen : A few days ago I 

 received a letter from Secretary Miles inviting me to be pres- 

 ent, and it stated that Mr. Hale had met a Mr. Cornell at 

 Lockport who said he was going to be present, but I seem to 

 be a little bit mixed, and I am going to ask Mr. Hale to iden- 

 tify me. 



Mr. Hale: I think you don't look so well as he did; he 

 was a prett}- good looking fellow. 



Mr. Cornell: I of course w-ould not dare take up the 

 question of peach growing here in Connecticut, or even of 

 apples, when you have such noted growers like Mr. Hale and 

 Mr. Barnes, and other gentlemen that I am not acquainted 

 with, and so I decided to talk a little on the pear question. 

 Now I have attended a good many horticultural meetings, 

 and it is very rarely I have ever heard anybody talk on pears, 

 and I have often wondered the reason why — whether it was 

 because we didn't know much about it, or whether what little 

 we did know we were not sure of; but I wall speak a little 

 while to you this morning entirely from my personal experi- 

 ences, that run back over quite a good many years. 



When we consider the wonderful increase of acreage in 

 orchard, fruits, particularly in case of the apple and the peach, 

 it would seem to the ordinary observer that the pear has to a 

 certain extent failed to keep pace, or rather has fallen behind 

 in this orchard development. 



This would naturally lead us to inquire as to the reasons 

 why. Surely not from lack of demand or low prices, in our 

 great markets. At no period in my experience in the growing 

 of this fruit have I ever known a better demand than we had 

 this past season for high quality pears. 



