18 SHELTOR AN ORCHARD. 
the alternate freezing and thawing, that prove so 
fatal to young trees in many sections of the West. 
There is no advantage in ripening pears early; in 
fact, there is a disadvantage, for, if the Bartlett and 
Beile Lucrative are on a southern exposure, they are 
ready for market at a time when peaches and black- 
berries are in abundance, and, as a matter of course, 
they have to be sold at a much lower price than 
when peaches and berries are disappearing. This is 
also true of the Duchesse d’Angouléme. In the 
early part of October, pears of this variety frequent- 
ly sell from $8 to $12 per barrel, while in Novem- 
ber, prices advance, and it is not unusual to get from 
$20 to $80 per barrel for the same quality of fruit. 
To shelter an orchard from the prevailing wind, 
is often more important even than the aspect; for 
pear trees, especially when heavily laden with fruit 
and exposed to a wind storm, will suffer more injury 
from being shaken, than from an ordinary late frost. 
When the location is selected, if no natural protec- 
tion exists, it is better to plant rows of some rapid 
growing evergreens—such as the White Pine, Nor- 
way Spruce, or American Arbor Vitee—every twen- 
tieth row, close enough to form a complete hedge in 
afew years. This will prove ornamental and useful. 
The evergreens should be planted in lines parallel 
with the pear rows, and they will more than pay for 
