254 Transactions op the American Institute, 



the sandy barrens of New Jersey are redeeming their reputation 

 for the production of fine fruit. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I recognize this pear as the Belle Lucra- 

 tive, one of our choicest varieties; and these are fine specimens. 



Mr. S. Edwards Todd. — We have here a most beautiful and 

 instructive illustration of what may be done on soil no better than 

 it is in despised New Jersey, by way of producing fine pears. I 

 saw this cluster of fruit last week growing on its parent stem, only 

 two years old. Had this tree been mine, I would have stripped off 

 all but one, as soon as the young fruit had commenced to grow, as 

 the growth of the tree would have been of more value than the 

 pears while the tree is so young. 



Mr. H. P. Smith, Westfield, Mass. — I am truly surprised at the 

 admiration expressed by this Club at this cluster of pears. I 

 expected to see the pomologists in this Club express their unquali- 

 fied disapprobation of allowing a young tree to grow itself to death 

 in this manner. I consider it disgraceful to any man to present 

 such a cluster of fruit from a tree so young. If I had a gardener 

 who would present me with such a large cluster of fruit on a tree 

 only two years old, I would tell him to go, as he is not the gardener 

 for me. My man said to me one day: " That is a splendid and 

 noble horse of yours. He hauled to-day 5,800 pounds at one load 

 from the freight-house." I replied to him: "Discharge that driver 

 at once." So I would do with a man who would abuse a young tree 

 like that. 



The Chaiiinan. — I do not feel like censuring those gentlemen. 

 "What they have done furnishes an illustrious example of what 

 good cultivation will do on such soils as we find in that part of 

 New Jersej''. This simple fact, that so many pears can be produced 

 on one tree, the second season after the tree is grafted, may stimu- 

 late other men to grow fruit who have always thought that 



" He who plants pears, 

 Plants for his heirs." 



A man is not always culpable for such an act, when great good 

 is likely to result from the experiment. It is worth the price of 

 one tree to know what can be done in two seasons with a young 

 pear tree. 



CLOVER ON LIGHT SOILS. 



ISIr. S. Edwards Todd. — With your permission, I will talk my 

 one minute about the vast importance of raising and tm-ning under 



