44 [Assembly 



of evergreen, and other trees, so arranged as to present a most 

 agreeable variety at all seasons. 



There are about twelve acres devoted to the cultivation of fruit 

 and vegetables. The fruits consist of strawberries, raspberries, 

 currants, gooseberries, peaches, pears, quinces, and grapes. The 

 peach orchard has about 260 trees, covering less than one acre, 

 and was set out originally with a view to test their growth on 

 that side of Long Island, and to raise sufficient, at least, for home 

 consumption. Your Committee walked through this orchard 

 with great pleasure, and found the trees in perfect health and 

 vigor, with no symptoms of disease, no appearance of gum or 

 blight, and most of them loaded with fruit ; and it is needless to 

 add, we helped ourselves most bountifully to the delicious fruit. 

 Mr. K. informed us that this orchard, this season, yielded 145 

 baskets of beautiful fruit, and that his experiment has been not 

 only successful, but profitable. His treatment of the peach tree 

 is as follows : every spring the earth is removed from the trunk 

 of the tree two or three feet, and Moss Bunkers, or bony fish de- 

 posited around them ; that simple process gives the trees abun- 

 dance of food, keeps them in health, dispels the worm, and they 

 yield good crops every year. Your Committee cannot recom- 

 mend too highly this mode of treating the peacli tree, wlierevev 

 this material can be procured. 



Mr. K. has gone extensively into the culture of the pear tree, 

 of which he has more than a thousand grafted upon the quince 

 stock, containing the I^est varieties, and all were imported from 

 France. We examined about two hundred Virgalieu, or White 

 Doyenne engrafted on the quince stock, which were set out about 

 eighteen months previous to our visit, and upon a ni;ijority we 

 found growing from four to twelve pears, all large, beautiful, and 

 free from cracks, to which the Virgalieu has been subject for 

 many years past. These trees are set out eight feet apart, in rows, 

 and the rows are twenty feet distance from each other. The land 

 between the rows is kept in good cultivation, and in addition to 

 the pears, fine crops of strawberries, spinach, cabbage and toma- 

 toes are raised ; the quince roots being sure to find their share of 

 the benefit of the top dressing, which is principally intended for 

 their neighbors. 



