46 HAMrsiIIRE AGKICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for onr inspection which the owners thereof generously declined ask- 

 ing the premiums of the society, viz : 



One by Hon. Edward Dickinson, and one by Josiah Ayers, both 

 of Amherst. The orchards of both the above named gentlemen, were 

 set in ground well adapted to their growth, and have since had all 

 the attention that is necessary for their thrift and well balanced tops. 



In the Orchard of Mr. Dickinson your committee's attention was 

 called to various kinds of fruit ; such as the best varieties of Apples, 

 Pears, Peaches, Plums, Quinces, and Grapes, (both native and for- 

 eign,) nearly all of which are in bearing condition. We also saw in 

 his garden a beautiful Fig tree loaded with fruit ; we were unanimous 

 in the opinion that he has trained them all strictly to the laiv of Ag- 

 riculture. Mr. Ayers has 155 Apple trees all budded on seedling 

 stocks raised from seed of his own planting, and culture. He has 

 budded and set them all himself, and has been very particular in 

 every attention required. In transplanting seedlings to the nursery, 

 the center, or tap root of each tree has been cut oif for the purpose of 

 giving the lateral roots more vigor. In removing from the nursery to 

 their present position he was careful to dig large places and subsoiled at 

 least 6 inches below where they v/ere to stand, supplying a small quan- 

 tity of compost manure, and set the same depth as when in the nurs- 

 ery. The trees are nearly all thirteen years from the seed, and many 

 of them this year produce fine fruit. This orchard contains almost all 

 the choicest and most approved varieties of which the owner has the 

 satisfaction to know every individual tree, whether bearing or not. 

 The Committee were highly gratified with the success of Mr. Ayer's 

 experiment ; and are happy to present this as an illustration of what 

 can be done by skill and intelligence. We find four Apple Orchards 

 off"ered for premiums, viz : by Alfred Baker, E. Pomeroy Cutler, 

 S. Harrington, all of Amherst, and Levi Boutwell of Leverett. 



The orchard of Mr. Boutwell, contains about 100 trees, but as he 

 has not furnished the committee with any written statement, we for- 

 bear to make comments, hoping he may ofi"er it next year, stating his 

 success in every particular. 



STATEMENT OF MR. BAKER. 



My trees were all engrafted in the nursery, at or near the ground; 

 they were transplanted in the fall of 1838, late in the mouth of No- 

 vember. The soil in which they were set, was poor, dry, and very 

 stony. My manner of setting them was in the first place to dig a 

 hole sufficiently large to admit the longest roots and a few inches 



