19 



" That part of the water which is not taken into the head pipes 

 as it passes, (and this is much the largest part,) falls into a chan- 

 nel which conducts it to another pear-tree lot arranged with 

 strawberry beds, where a part of it is turned through channels 

 between the rows, as before described, and a part runs into an ar- 

 tificial fish-pond, the out-flow of which is conducted to a small 

 work-shop in the garden, and by means of an over-shot water wheel, 

 six feet in diameter, turns grindstones, works a turning-lathe, cir- 

 cular saw, hay-cutting machine, corn-sheller, pump, &c., &c. 



" In regard to some of the effects of irrigation, I consider the 

 hay crop more than doubled by water alone, without the applica- 

 tion of liquid or other manure. 



" The pear trees, which arc mostly on quince stocks, were im- 

 ported from France, part of them planted in the spring of 18o7, 

 and the other part, from the same nursery, in the spring of 1859. 

 They were two years from the bud. The principal fertilizer they 

 have received is the water applied by irrigation, as before des- 

 cribed. On some parts of the grounds the irrigation has been 

 more thorough than on others. Under such circumstances the 

 trees have made more than twice the growth of wood. The differ- 

 ence between those which have been ivell irrigated and those 

 which have not, can be seen almost as far as the trees can be 

 seen — the size and luxuriance being so much in favor of the 

 former. The best trees are where there is irrigation on the sur- 

 face and drain pipes laid directly under them, four feet below. 



" Strawberries I plant between the I'ows of pear trees, in deep, 

 light beds three feet wide only. By this arrangement the soil is 

 never trodden down either in planting, weeding, trimming, or 

 picking the fruit, and they are much more easily kept free from 

 weeds. The beds are liberally supplied with strong manure, 

 placed in one deep furrow in the centre of the bed, at least one 

 foot below the surface. One row of plants is set directly over the 

 manure, the plants fifteen to eighteen inches apart. They are 

 set in the month of May. The hole for the plant is made with a 

 tool like a marlin-spike, reaching down well into the manure. 

 The roots are let down and the hole is carefully filled with fine 

 earth without pressing, then soaked with water, and dry earth 

 placed over top to prevent baking. The effect of placing the 

 manure so deep, is to carry the roots of the plants through the 

 manure to the soil in a dry time, to entirely cover the beds by 

 autumn with most vigorous plants, and to keep the seeds of weeds 

 and grass so low that they will do no harm. The fruit is mostly 

 grown on the new plants, which have derived their vigor from the 

 manure chiefly through the roots of the original plant, the runners 

 from which are cut off" in the spring for the convenience of weed- 

 ing, «S:c. 



