72 



full growth, and before they change color ; they ripen ia 

 from one to three weeks, keeping them longest and best in 

 a dark, dry, cool place, with plenty of air. Can not recom-* 

 mend the varieties of pears for jprqfit^ as I have had no ex- 

 perience in marketing pears. In enriching the soil for my 

 trees, I dig in the manure around the trees every year — usu-< 

 ally in the fall — and put a pile of coal ashes about the .tree, 

 say ten inches to a foot high at the trunk, running back two 

 or three feet. It seems to be a protection to the roots, like 

 mulching, giving the trees a better start in the spring. 



Yours truly, 



H. G. Herrick. 



REPLY OF E. W. GREENE, OF NORTH ANDOVER. 



I exhibited at the County Fair, at Lawrence, two kinds of 

 pears, viz. : — Bartlett and Beurre Bosc, both varieties raised 

 on Standard trees, grown in a heavy loam, with a hard-pan 

 sub-soil, enriched yearly with light dressing of stable ma- 

 nure. I prune very little, in spring. Have been troubled 

 with both blight and insects, to some extent ; have tried no 

 remedy. I pick my pears — Rostiezers when ripe, most of 

 the others when the stem separates from the wood by lifting. 

 They ripen in from one to four weeks, the earlier varieties 

 quickest. I keep and ripen them best in a cool place, free 

 from air. I recommend the following varieties for profit ;— 



Madeline and Rostiezer, early and productive. Bartlett, 

 productive and universally known. Louise Bonne de Jersey 

 and Seckel, productive and of good quality. Beurre Bosc, 

 Beurre Clairgeau and Swan's Orange (Onondaga), all pro- 

 ductive, and of good quality and fine appearance. Winter 

 Nelis, productive and good keeping qualities. Buffum, 

 hardy. I find the Bartlett, Swan's Orange, and Beurre Bosc, 

 the most reliable to bear, and best for market with me. 



Respectfully yours, 



E. W. Greene. 



North Andover, Oct. 31, 1878. 



