1861. 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMEK. 



295 



The pear orchard of 



C. H. 8T0DDAHD 



Is about three-fourths of a mile back from the 

 bluff on a nearly level plain of considerable ex- 

 tent. The soil is a whitish prairie drift, similar 

 to the land in the basin of Egypt. They have 

 here also suffered with the hot dry wind of the 

 14th and 15th June, doing damage to fruit and. 

 foliage; at this point it was followed by a frost 

 on the 17th and several days of cold weather. — 

 Most of the trees were well set in fruit, but at 

 that time it fell off rapidly. 



The orchard contains one hundred and seven 

 standard pears, six years set. The land has not 

 been underdrained, and has been been cropped to 

 corn. The trees have made a remarkably fine 

 growth. They are mostly White Doyenne, Bart- 

 lett and Stevens' Genessee. The Bartletts have 

 a fair show of fruit, proving it as popular on its 

 own stock as that of the quince. If no casualty 

 should overtake this orchard it will soon produce 

 hundreds of bushels of pears. It is the purpose 

 cf Mr. S. to tile drain the orchard. Tile is made 

 near by of the common brick, but as the demand 

 increases the tile machines will come into use 

 The nursery of 



D. F. KINHET 



Is adjoining Mr. S. on the west. The plain was 

 formerly covered with a light growth of timber, 

 and in many places is yet standing, offering a 

 very good protection to the orchard. In his fruit 

 garden is a large number of dwarf apple trees 

 six years set, and now presenting a good crop of 

 fruit. This is the second place en timber land 

 where we have met the dwarf appl j doing well. 

 The Dutchess of Oldenburg is especially fine. 

 Mr. K. complains of the Brown Thrush which 

 nests in his trees in large numbers, and preys 

 upon his fruit. We hear complaints of birds in 

 all locations near the forest, but little or none on 



the prairie. 



In the garden of Mr. Dailing we saw dwarf 



pears eight years set, loaded with fruit, and two 



Flemish Beauty Standards, but five years set, 



bending with their loads of beautiful fruit. 



Port Byron, some eighteen miles up the river, 



was our next place of visit, and we parted with 



our Rock Island friends in the morning to visit 



that locality, and had the pleasure to meet 



HB, A. S. COE. 



At the depot with his carriage, ready to drive us 

 to his farm, which is some four miles distant to 

 the northeast. 



The land near the river is very much broken, 

 but from its ready access to the river market, it 

 had been settled at an early day. The ridges run at 

 right angles to the river, and present the appear- 

 ance of having been cut away by the slow pro- 

 cess of heavy rains. Tha soil being quite sandy 

 would seem to favor this idea. The orchard 

 occupies the crest of two ridges and the 

 slopes and space between them. The drain- 

 age, except near the bottom of the valley, is per- 

 fect, requiring no linderdraining ; in this respect 

 it differs from the ordinary prairie soil. It is 

 what might be called a warm quick soil. The 

 trees for some forty acres of the orchard were 

 common root grafts, set eleven years ago in the 

 nursery, and at two years reset in the orchard. 

 The remainder have been set from time to time 

 up to within the past two years, making in all 

 seventy-five acres, which, at twenty-four feet 

 apart, is seventy -five trees to the acre, or an ag- 

 gregate of five thousand six hundred trees. To 

 stand upon one of these fruit crowned hills and 

 look down the long slope, and up the opposing 

 hill a half a mile distant, and view the stately 

 rows of the apple laden with fruit, is worth a 

 long distance of weary travel to see. The pecn- 

 liar topography of the ground, the size and form 

 of the trees, all lend their aid to charm the be- 

 holder. The sun, which had all day glowed like 

 a furnace, was just setting behind the bluffs, to the 

 west of the great river, as we drank in the inspir- 

 ing scene — the last day of the week, which had 

 been one of ardous trial, amid the blazing heat 

 of the August sun, no wonder, half invalid as we 

 are, that the day of rest, in the very temple of 

 Pomona, was hailed with delight, as we stood 

 among those sentinels of health and saw the 

 I'ght of day fade out into the night. 



This orchard has been trained on the non- 

 pruning system, and the trees branch from and 

 near the ground. It has been but nine years se(» 

 yet it has produced thousands of dollars worth of 

 fruit. 



THE riKE BLIGHT. 



As we approached the Mississippi river from 

 the east, we saw specimens of the fire blight on 

 the apple trees, first a faint tinging of the term:, 

 nal shoots with the blackened foliage, and as we 

 came into the valley it became more common and 

 more destructive to the trees. Now and then a 

 pear tree was like affected, and in the grounds of 

 Mr, Coe we find some varieties seriously dam- 

 aged, especially is this the case with Smith's 

 Cider, by the way, otherwise, one of the most 



