in the Vicinity of Neio York. 49 



the opposite side of the way, where on the return, a few 

 rods from the Commercial Garden, we found the old and 

 well-known establishment of the 



Bloodgood Nursery, Messrs. Wilcomh 4* King. Pro- 

 prietors. — The day being now on the decline, we had but 

 a few moments to spare, unless we made up our minds to 

 remain during the night, and, though urged to do so by the 

 politeness of Mr. Wilcomb, we were compelled to decline 

 the pleasure it would have afforded us, from the necessity 

 of our previous engagements. 



The residence of the proprietors is situated nearly on the 

 main road, a small lot of only about four or five acres in- 

 tervening. Their main nursery is situated about a mile 

 beyond, and comprises nearly forty acres of ground well 

 filled with trees, the collection of a series of years, com- 

 menced long ago by the late Mr. Bloodgood, an excellent 

 nurseryman and cultivator of trees. This part of the es- 

 tablishment we had not time to see. 



The ground in front of the house is completely filled 

 with a young and thrifty stock of pear trees, probably 

 numbering, large and small, fort)' or fifty thousand. The 

 season for executing orders having just commenced, the 

 men were taking up the trees. Messrs. Wilcomb & King 

 have a good variety of kinds, and, taken as a whole, tlieir 

 nursery of pears was as good a stock to select from as the 

 most ardent cultivator could wish. 



The Bleeker's meadow pear is used in this nurser)'-, as a 

 stock for grafting the weaker growing sorts upon. No vari- 

 ety, probably, is more vigorous or robust in its habit than 

 this ; it throws up a straight stem several feet high, and often 

 branches the first season. At the desired height for stand- 

 ards, they are then budded with such varieties as have a 

 weak and procumbent habit, and which, grafted near the 

 surface, would require a long time, and perhaps never make 

 a good-shaped tree. We think the object good, and would 

 advise a trial of it; we certainly never saw such thrifty 

 and erect trees, as we noticed in the many hundreds which 

 were growing in parallel rows. 



That fine summer pear, the Bloodgood, of first-rate 

 quality, was originated in this nursery by the late proprietor, 

 and it will serve to perpetuate the services which he, in 

 commoii with Messrs. Prince and other nurserymen of the 



VOL. IX. NO. II. 7 



