THOMAS palmer's STATEMENT. 7 



tree is two years old, or has been rejected over and over, by good 

 judges, and finally packed ofF to be sold to new beginners, and with- 

 out doubt thousands of such trees have been sold by travelling dealers 

 in this vicinity, that were worthless, and have therefore disappoint- 

 ed the buyer, as it has pleased the dealer to get rid of them. Again, 

 we say set Pear trees, but set good ones or none ; and when set, do 

 not think the work is done. Nurse them, dig about them, and take 

 as much care of them each year, as a good farmer would take, and 

 must take, in getting a good crop of corn, and we believe that your 

 labors will be rewarded. 



JAMES. M. WOODBURY, Chairman. 



STATEMENT OF DR. THOMAS PALMER, • 



OF FITCHBURG. 



My Pear Orchard is set on the Moderii Quincunx plan of mixed 

 Standards and Dwarfs, qontaining three hundred twenty-six trees, one 

 hundred sixteen on pear stocks and two hundred ten on quince stocks, 

 standing on thui^y thousand square feet of land, being less than three- 

 fourths of an acre, and is located on my Fruitland farm on Summer 

 street near the village of Fitchburg. 



This orchard was set in the Spring of 1863. The soil is a deep 

 yellow, with clay subsoil, sloping to the Southeast. It had formerly 

 been used for grass crops. It was ploughed in the Spring. The trees 

 were set fifteen inches deep, and all stones removed. After setting 

 the trees, it was planted with, potatoes, with the usual amount of ma- 

 nure for potato crop, spread on, and no manure put under the trees, 

 when set. Each year since there has been as much manure spread on 

 and ploughed in as is usually put on corn ground, and cropped with 

 squashes, tomatoes, onions and strawberries, as much as though there 

 were no trees. 



The trees were two years old when set, and were obtained from the 

 Geneva Nurseries, New York. 



An orchard set on the Quincunx plan, forms rows and alleys run- 

 ning in every direction, rendering it advantagious in cultivating^ the 

 ground with the horse hoe, leaving the Standard trees in a position 

 one in the centre of four, eighteen feet apart, with dwarfs between, in 

 such a manner that all the trees are ten feet four ^ inches from each 

 other, giving sufficient room for growth and cultivation. 



T. PALMER. 



Fitchburg, October 1, 1866. 



