90 



tive, and salable in market. Half the crop should be gath- 

 ered by the 25th of August, and ripened in the house, the 

 remainder when the fruit comes to size, thus the tree is kept 

 in bearing every year. 



Merriam, one of the most profitable for market, on account 

 of its fine golden russet color, which it assumes after it is 

 picked. 



Beurre d'Anjou, the best and most profitable, very late fall 

 and winter variety, covering the mouths of November and 

 December, and with care may be kept to February, popular 

 throughout the United States, the most valuable pear that I 

 have introduced in forty years. 



The other varieties are too well known to need qualifica- 

 tions. 



Maeshall p. Wilder. 



APPLES. 



Your Committee have the pleasure to report that the quan- 

 tity and quality of the entries in this department far exceed- 

 ed those of previous years. 



The superior quality of apples gathered from our own or- 

 chard, we attribute, in part, to the absence of the Codlin 

 Moth, which has done much injury to the crops of other 

 years ; we did not find any in the traps and bandages that 

 readily capture them if any appear. We believe one cause 

 of the large proportion of cider apples in our orchards is that 

 more fruit is allowed to remain on the tree than can mature ; 

 this may be prevented by judiciously thinning the small 

 fruit, or what is better, the blossoms, before the fruit sets, and 

 if, as some claim, this will give us a crop the next year, a 

 double advantage will be gained. 



550 plates were exhibited. The following premiums and 

 gratuities were awarded : — 



$3 each, first premiums for best dish of twelve specimens 

 of the following varieties, viz. : To E. B. George, Groveland, 

 Baldwin; John Titcomb, Groveland, Hubbardston ; Thomas 

 A, Sides, Groveland, R. I. Greening; S. B. George, Grove- 



