1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



311 



THE ENDICOTT PEAR TREE. 



I am always happy when my old friend, the 

 Farmer, comes to hand. I believe I have read it 

 every woek since it was first published by Fessen- 

 den — notwithstanding its variation in form. There 

 is something about it that commends it to the 

 New England farmer. There are other papers 

 that I like just as well — particularly the Cowifnj 

 Oenthman, published at Albany — always sensible 

 and sound ; but not quite so well adapted to my 

 instruction. I like the reading on the inside of 

 your paper : it usually gives "multum in parvo," 

 and saves the drudgery of wading through many 

 pages of trash, for it must be admitted that much 

 which is written for the papers is of this character. 



The temperature of my office — 78° at this mo- 

 ment — and the temperature of the last night, 

 about the same, give assurance that vegetable 

 growth is near at hand. I have never witnessed a 

 more lovely sight than is spread on the fruit trees 

 in our gardens and orchards. I yesterday took 

 occasion to pass by the Endicott pear tree, now 

 more than 232 years old, (the oldest fruit-bearing 

 tree in the United States,) and although like an 

 old man crippled under the weight of accumulated 

 years, it was still healthy and vigorous with blos- 

 soms. This variety of pear is known as the 

 '•Bon Chretien," which speaks well for those 

 who planted it — notwithstanding they had many 

 prejudices. For those who look for perfect char- 

 acters or perfect trees, I fear are doomed to dis- 

 appointment, p. 



May 17, 1862. _ 



OYSTER SHELL LIME. 



Please tell in your June number of the Farmer 

 where the oyster shell lime may be found. 



Shall we use it on vines and bushes, such as 

 grape, strawberry, gooseberry, &c.? And if so, 

 how and when ? Subscriber. 



Baco, Me., 1862. 



KILL THE MILLERS. 



The following, from a farmer in New Jersey, 

 may be of interest to many. He says: "Some 

 ten years ago, I purchased the property where I 

 now live. The former owner, being quite a man 

 for fruit, had set a large variety of trees. The 

 farm was noted for producing more fruit, and 

 greater variety, probably, than any other farm in 

 the neighborhood. At the time of my purchase, 

 the trees were on the decline. The cherry and 

 plum trees were covered with black knots, and the 

 fruit was wormy and worthless, so that 1 was 

 about to cut them down and supply their places 

 with shade trees ; but disliking to part with the 

 fruit, and observing that the enemies were at one 

 stage of the existence in the form of a miller, my 

 plan was to destroy them while in that stage. 

 ¥.^hh th".t cbjccL iu vievr, and observing that they 

 were fond of a light, in the early part of the sum- 

 mer of ISdo, I commenced their destruction. To 

 do this, I elevated a brisk blaze about five feet 

 from the srround, in the vicinity of my trees. The 

 first evening, between eight and eleven o'clock, 

 the millers destroyed might have been counted by 

 hundreds, which gradually diminished, so that, at 

 the end of one Aveek, there were none to destroy. 

 I then discontinued mv fire until the latter part of 



summer, Avhen I discovered another crop of mil- 

 lers, and again built them a blaze. I have followed 

 the same course whenever the candles have drawn 

 them, to give them a light of their own, which has 

 been twice in the summer. Now for the result : 

 my trees have gradually resumed their former rich 

 green ; those knots have fallen from the cherry 

 and plum trees ; and this year the crop of Morel- 

 la cherries has been probably as large as they ever 

 were, and that on trees that Avere considered 

 worthless five years since, and the fruit, both 

 cherries and plums, not wormy." — Essex County 

 Mercury. 



HAVEKHILL FARMERS' CLUB. 



The enterprising farmers, and others, of the 

 tOAvn of Haverliill, formed a farmers' club during 

 the past winter, and seem to have entered at once 

 into a most systematic and vigorous prosecution 

 of the labors and duties Avhich they have assigned 

 to themselves. We have before us a list of the 

 subjects they have selected for discussion during 

 the ensuing season. They are as follows : Fruits ; 

 Drainage ; Farm Implements ; Management of 

 Farm Stock ; Manures, — comparative value, prep- 

 aration and application ; Comparative Value of 

 Horses and 0.\en for Farm Work ; Sheep, — 

 breeds, management, &c. ; Small Fruits, — kinds 

 and culture ; Transplanting Trees and Vines ; Ap- 

 ples, — kinds and culture ; Is Farming Profitable ? 

 Pears, — kinds and culture ; Farm Stock, — com- 

 parative value of breeds ; Seeds, — how to raise, 

 preserve and select ; Milch Cows ; Grapes, — kinds 

 and culture ; Influence of the Atmosphere on 

 Soil and Crops ; Experiments that we have made ; 

 Poultiy, — breeds and management ; Fai-m Build- 

 ings, — their arrangement and construction ; Adap- 

 tation of Soil and Crops ; Rural Embellishments ; 

 Garden Vegetables, — kind and culture ; Diseases 

 of Trees and Vegetables ; Farm Economy ; Flow- 

 ers and Ornamental Trees ; Noxious Insects ; 

 and Are Birds more Serviceable than Injurious to 

 Farmers ? 



The gentlemen composing this club must pos- 

 sess an unusual amount of zeal, if they attend 

 and keep up the spirit of their meetings during 

 the summer months. We hope they will. In 

 addition to these meetings, there is another fea- 

 ture of their organization which is new, and must 

 be valuable. This is in setting apart a time to 

 meet occasionally, at the farm of any member of 

 the club, Avith especial reference to an examina- 

 tion, on the field, of the subject assigned for the 

 occasion. These meetings are called Field Days. 

 Thus, on the fifth of May, the subject is the Pre- 

 paration of tlie Soil, and on the seventh of July, 

 the subject for examination Avill be Grasses. In 

 addition to these, on the eighteenth of Septem- 

 ber, they are to have a Market Day and Fair. 



If these plans are sustained, the Farmers' Club 

 of Haverhill will aflbrd an example worthy of all 



