69 



Horsford, 50 cents ; Vicar of Winkfield, N. Cleaveland, 

 Topsfield, 50 cents ; Seckle, E. S. Cox, Salem, $1. 



ANDREW LACKEY, for the Committee. 



Chas. p. Preston, Esq., Sec'y of Essex Agricultural Society: 

 Sir: — Agreeably to your request of last week, I have writ- 

 ten out, though not so carefully and fully as I could have 

 wished, a few suggestions derived from experience and ob- 

 servation, on the Cultivation of the Pear, for your annual 

 volume. 



Hoping they may be of some value to the people of the 

 county, I am 



Yours, Respectfully, 



WILLIAM D. NORTHEND. 



CULTIVATION OF THE PEAR. 



THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION. 



Pear trees require a deep and strong soil. Land with a 

 clay or hard gravel subsoil is to be preferred. If the soil is 

 heavy or without good natural drainage, it should be under- 

 drained. This can be done by digging trenches three to four 

 feet in depth, with proper inclinations, and filling to within 

 eighteen inches of the surface with stones, over which may 

 be placed a layer of leather or wood shavings, and the re- 

 mainder of the trench filled with soil. 



After providing proper drainage, the entire ground should 

 be spaded to a depth of from eighteen inches to two feet, and 

 the top soil thoroughly mixed with the subsoil. The impor- 

 tance of this can hardly be overestimated. It is essential for 

 the growth and health of the trees in all seasons, and abso- 



