1S71. 



NEW ENGLAXD FARMER. 



521 



BEURRB CLAIRGEAU PEAE.* 



This winter pear originated at Nantes, 

 France, by M. Clairgeau, and was first intro- 

 duced here in 1848. Our illustration (see 

 opposite page,) was drawn from a specimen 

 raised by Andrew Lackey, Esq., of Marble- 

 head, who described it as an early bearer, and 

 w.onderfully productive ; so much so that im- 

 less the fruit is thinned its energies will soon 

 become paralyzed if not exhausted, and the 

 fruit inferior. 



The following is Mr. Thomas' description of 

 it. Large, pyramidal-pyriform, approaching 

 long obovate, skin yellow or reddigh brown, 

 often with a crimson shade towards the sun 

 and brown dots, — not distinctly shown in the 

 cut — stalk short, stout, fleshy, obliipxe, sunk 

 little or none ; basin shallow, furrowed ; flesh 

 white, slightly granular, buttery, melting, 

 often with a rich, very good flavor, but fre- 

 quently poor. November and December. 

 Shoots reddish purple, short, erect and as- 

 cending ; leaves stiff. 



In a list of eighteen pears recommended by 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Club, we find 

 the nfeme of this pear. In the catalogue of 

 pears published by the American Pomological 

 Society, the Beurre Clairgeau is recommended 

 for cultivation in Connecticut. 



It is a very showy fruit. The specimen 

 from which our illustration was made, was one 

 of four grown on a tree three years from the 

 bud. 



*Prouounced Klair-zho, accent on last syllable. 



MANAGEMENT OF GRASS LANDS. 



"We are now prepared to say a few words 

 on the general management of grass lands ; 

 how we can succeed in keeping up the fertility 

 of our fields so they will yield annually a heavy 

 burden. We have the choice of three meth- 

 ods : first by frequent top-dressing ; the sec- 

 ond is to break up as soon as the amount of 

 hay diminishes in quantity, plant with hoed 

 crops one or two years and then seed to grass 

 with grain ; third, break up when required and 

 re-seed in September. The first is a long ro- 

 tation, the otbers short. The top-dressing is 

 cheapest, simplest and most profitable. The 

 rotation with hoed crops requires more labor, 

 which is expensive, and large quantities of 

 manure, to be successful. I have tried the 

 three methods ; the top-dressing has proved 

 most satisfactory. There is a slight advan- 

 tage in ploughmg often in the fertilizing matter 

 gained by turning under a grass sward, but it 

 is not so important as the fii-st view of the sub- 



ject would suggest, for a sward that has re- 

 ceived two or three liberal top-dressings is 

 much richer when turned under than a bound- 

 out sward. 



Exporience is often a hard school-master. 

 I made many mistakes before I hit upon the 

 right course to adopt in managing my grass 

 crop ; the system of management which I have 

 adopted, if a practice so simple might be hon- 

 ored with such a title, grew out of some acci- 

 dental exjieriments to increase the hay crop ; 

 the lessons taught by failures were more valu- 

 able than those by success, and I have found 

 it far safer to patiently grow, rather than un- 

 dertake to jump into the art of a successful 

 farmer. 



Top-Dressing. 



It does not require very rich compost to give 

 large returns in top-dressing gi-ass lands. My 

 way of composting for this purpose is of home- 

 made materials, easily and cheaply manufac- 

 tured. I prepare it as follows : During sum- 

 mer, as leisure occurs, I cart from twenty to 

 thirty cords of loam, road-wash, muck, leaf- 

 mold, or the waste of charcoal pits, whichever 

 material is most readily obtained, or a mix- 

 ture of them, into the barn-yard and spread 

 it ; the yard has a hard bottom, and is lowest 

 in the centre. I then draw from five to eight 

 cords, as near one-fourth part of the absor- 

 bents as 1 can judge, of rich manure from the 

 barn cellar, which is evenly spread ; this is the 

 agricultural yeast to leaven the whole mass. 

 I now plough and harrow thoroughly ; if I 

 want more compost I draw more materials, 

 plough and mix as before. I afterwards 

 plough and harrow two or three times at inter- 

 vals of a few weeks, when the compost is 

 ready for use. I prefer to apply it just be- 

 fore the fall rains, about the last of October 

 or the first of November. It may be spread 

 from the cart or laid in heaps and spread af- 

 terwards, which is the cheaper way, where 

 there is plenty of help, but uwst men would 

 spread it evener, which is a point worth con- 

 sidering, from the cart. I apjjly as near six 

 cords of the compost to the acre as possible. 

 After spreading, I go over the field with a 

 heavy brush harrow to fine the lumps and work 

 the compost into the grass stubble out of the 

 way of the scythe or mower next season. It 

 protects the roots of the plants from the cold 

 winds and exposure ; gives the grass a beau- 

 tiful early start in the spring, making a quick, 

 luxuriant growth, which shades the ground, 

 keeping it moist in dry weather ; it also acts 

 as a mulch in the summer, after the grass is 

 cut, and largely increases the second crop, 

 which is of much importance. 



It will not pay to top-dress a bound-out 

 sod ; the compost should be applied before 

 the best grasses die out or decrease much in 

 their product, to give the finest results. I 

 like to top-dress after the land has been 

 mowed three years, then every other season 

 till it is broken up again, and my rule is to let 



