ORCHARDS. 



41 



and commenced on about half of the remaining trees. 

 In 1855 I continued the process of grafting as in 1854, 

 and commenced on the last and poorest of the trees ; in 

 1856 I finished grafting those first commenced, and 

 continued with the others in nearly the same manner. 



Most of the old trees I have manured with about one- 

 third of a cord of swamp-muck and two bushels of ashes 

 each, spread around the trunk of the trees in a circle of 

 about sixteen feet diameter, and have mulched most of 

 these with leaves and brush. Where the soil admitted 

 of it, I have recently plowed around the trees, and am 

 now cultivating nearly one-half of them, including 

 several of the younger trees which have been well culti- 

 vated and manured four or five years. 



The varieties grafted are the following: Eighteen 

 Bartlett, ten Lawrence, two Urbaniste, two Beurre 

 Superfin, two Beurre d'Anjou, one Flemish Beauty, 

 one Beurre Bosc, one Beurre d'Armburg, one Winter 

 Nelis, one Doyenne Sieulle and one Madeline. The 

 Bartletts commenced bearing the second year after being 

 grafted, and have borne more or less every year since, 

 although the present year the crop was very light, 

 several of the trees having been badly injured by the 

 weather last winter. The other varieties have nearly 

 all commenced bearing. 



I am unable to state definitely the expense of 

 reclaiming, or the value of the fruit obtained from the 

 trees, but am convinced that the pears already obtained 

 have been worth double the expense incurred. In 1857, 

 after reserving an abundant supply for my family I sold 

 pears from these trees to the amount of $26,79. 



