MARCH. 145 



at our Annual Exhibition, from the lips of various noted foreign amateurs, 

 who have Avitnessed many like exhibitions in Eng-land and France. It is a 

 fruit that is constantly in demand, (at least the late keeping varieties,) and 

 much of it is sold to go to New York, and even as far as Washington. A 

 proportion is sold with us directly from the producer, while thera are various 

 dealers constantly furnishing the tables for the hotels and private parties 

 during the winter. An attempt was made at a statistical account, but as it 

 is not complete, it will not be furnished at this time. The prices range 

 from 50 cents to $1 50 per dozen, and often as high as $"2 is paid for some 

 of the choicest specimens — a price equalling the amount demanded for a 

 barrel of apples ; and certainly it cannot be as much work to grow a dozen 

 choice pears as a barrel of apples. It may be urged that the apple tree 

 requires less attention than the pear. One thing is quite certain, the pear 

 will not bear neglect ; it requires attention at intervals during the whole 

 season, and what is there belonging to the garden that is not impatient of 

 neglect ? " If a thing is ^vorth doing at all, it is certainly worth doing well ; " 

 and it is believed few fruits will give a better return than will the pear, whether 

 grown as a standard or a dwarf In several instances, amateurs have real- 

 ized five hundred dollars annually from the surplus stock of pears frotn a 

 garden. 



During the past season we have had an exhibition of all varieties of pears 

 grown on quince, equalling in size, fairness of skin, and flavor, the best 

 specimens ever shown in former days. In some instances, the growers 

 attribute the result to a free use of I)e Burg's super-phosphate of lime, — in 

 others, to the liberal use of ground bone. Without a free use of some kind 

 of manure, and good tillage, we should not expect a good return. 



Few seedling pears have been exhibited the past season, — two, however, 

 are worthy of particular mention, viz., the one shown by Mr. McLennan 

 and the one shown by Mr. Walsh. 



The Easter Beurr^, Beurr6 Clairgeau, B. Sterckman, Doyenn6 Sterckman, 

 Glout Morceau, Beurre Langlier, and B. Superfin, have more than sus- 

 tained their former reputation. 



April 14th. — Messrs. Lovett, of Beverly, exhibited the Northern Spy and 

 Ladies' Sweeting, being from trees planted by their late father. The fruits 

 were not only of remarkable size, but were the best specimens of the two 

 varieties ever exhibited at the Society. To the Ladies' Sweeting, as ex- 

 hibited from all quarters, we would mete out the highest praise, and we 

 wish we could speak in like terms of the Spy ; but from nearly all the 

 growers in this vicinity, the past season, there has been the same complaint, 

 viz., " dry rot." Trees have been loaded down with what appeared to be a 

 fine crop, but in going into the tree, to pick for autumn gathering, nearly 

 all the largest were found to be destroyed by the rot : it was the same in a 

 gravelly soil or deep rich loam. 



Mr. Bowen Harrington, during the late v.'inter and early spring months, 

 made his usual handsome display of tlie Baldwin and other late keeping 

 apples. 



Mr. Manning and Dr. Stetson have shown the Fallawater, till late in 



VOL. XXII. NO. III. 19 



