25 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FRUITS 



For the Year 1857. 



BY EBEN. WIGHT, CHAIRMAN. 



The Committee on Fruits present to the Society a Report of their doings 

 for the year 1857. Previous to the opening of the Hall, the last week in 

 May, contributions were shown weekly in the library-room of the Society. 



Winter apples and pears, forced grapes, peaches and strawberries, assist- 

 ed to make the shows quite interesting during the late winter and early 

 spring months, and for these contributions we were mainly indebted to 

 Messrs. C. S. Holbrook, M. H. Simpson, J. Fisk Allen, and Henry Vandine. 



Again, the season has been most unpropitious for apples, cherries and 

 pears, in consequence of the unfavorable state of the weather during the 

 time of the setting of the fruit. 



Though the past winter was one of almost unexampled severity in horti- 

 cultural annals, there was a full blossom of the above named fruits, leading 

 us to hope for a good crop, till it became too evident that little or no fruit 

 would set. So cold had been the winter of 1856-7 as to destroy Isabella 

 grape vines, in many cases, vine and root, and even some of those which 

 had stood out without any protection for twenty years. Many pear trees, such 

 as the Bartlett, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Beurre Bosc and Marie Louise, were 

 killed to the ground. ' These varieties seem to have suffered badly in al- 

 most every direction in this vicinity, while most other varieties seem to 

 have passed the winter without the slightest injury. These facts are wor- 

 thy of note. 



Though the general crop of apples and pears has been less abundant 

 than usual, such as have been grown were nearly equal to what they might 

 have been had there have been a full crop and we had been obliged to 

 resort to the process of thinning out. It is hardly possible to say what 

 would have been the crop of cherries, for the few or many which were in 

 process of ripening were secured by the robin. 



Probably no city in the Union is so highly favored as is our own in the 

 number of enthusiastic horticultural amateurs, who make the subject a 

 pleasure, looking after, closely watching and encouraging the growth of 

 fruit trees, planted by their own hands, during the leis'ure of business. 



The Committee feel that they would fail in duty did they omit to mention 

 one of the most perfect fruit gardens comprised in this vicinity, viz., that 

 of Mr. Ariel Low's, Roxbury, the whole grounds consisting of about one 

 acre. At the commencement Mr. Low selected pear trees which were in 

 bearing and planted them in soil deeply trenched, and mixed with soil fresh 

 from the woods, and in this he showed his clearsightedness at the very out- 

 set. Notwithstanding his trees have been planted out only some four or 

 five years, they were loaded with the very choicest specimens of pears, 

 which had been judiciously thinned so as to leave them handsomely dis- 



