428 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 24 
ent they are mostly reserved for breeding purposes, 
and not used for mutton except as accidents or culling 
demand. If all the Shropshires in England were 
brought to this country and distributed among the 
farmers for breeding purposes, it would be several 
years hefore the supply of mutton could meet the de¬ 
mand. Half-bloods of this breed are quoted higher, 
both for feeding and when fattened, than common 
sheep, because they make greater gains on a given 
quantity of food, and there is a growing demand for a 
better quality of mutton. Half-blood lambs four 
months old sold this spring for $7.87 per head in Buf¬ 
falo. These were raised by a thorough farmer of our 
county, who says half was clear profit. The common 
sheep of the future on high-priced lands will be grades 
produced by breeding a good ram of some of the best 
English mutton breeds upon the common sheep of the 
present. Wool has already taken second place. We 
can get a good profit from mutton sheep and sell the 
wool at the same price per pound that we get for 
mutton.” _ 
A FEW MORE DUCK POINTS. 
I asked Mr. Wilcox, mentioned in my duck article 
last week, of what value they considered the droppings 
from the ducks. 
“They are the best fertilizer I can use for any crop 
except potatoes, upon which they cause scab.” 
“ How do you apply them ?” 
“ On the surface after plowing, then harrow in.” 
“ How do they compare with hen manure ?” 
“ I consider them more valuable. They will grow 
larger stalks of corn than will hen manure. We have 
used them on light, sandy soil for 10 years in succes¬ 
sion, and always get big crops of corn, wheat and oats. ” 
“ Is there any more land for sale along here ?” 
“ Some, but near the water they want from $100 to 
$300 per acre for it. Farther back, in the pine woods, 
it can be bought for $8 to $12 an acre.” 
“ How do prices of ducks compare with those last 
year ?” 
“ They are about two cents per pound higher now. 
Do you see that cannibal ?” exclaimed Mr. Wilcox, as 
one duck went squawking through the water, closely 
pursued by another. 
“ What is the trouble with them ?” I asked. 
“ They are pulling quills. They get in that habit 
sometimes, and we have to catch them and trim the 
hooks from their bills, so that they can’t get hold. It 
is a long job and takes a great deal of time; but if we 
don’t do it, the habit keeps spreading, they grow poor 
and the loss amounts to a pretty sum.” 
Thus are there many ins and outs in such a business 
that the outsider never sees or thinks of, and which 
amount to a great deal in the aggregate. F. n. v. 
DOWN WITH THE DEADLY DOG. 
About two miles from a certain town in this State 
lives a farmer who owns a flock of very fine Cotswold 
sheep. In the said town lives a gentleman who is 
quite a “sport” and owns a varied assortment of fight¬ 
ing, hunting and other dogs, all of which are very 
fond of raw lamb chops and leg of mutton. One day 
the farmer met the “sport” on the road and greeting 
him pleasant 1 y, remarked : 
“ Jenks, your dogs and my sheep seem to be getting 
mighty friendly of late. I believe they lie down 
together in my pasture every night—my sheep inside 
of your dogs !” 
“ Do you reckon ?” said Jenks slowly, closing one 
eye and cocking the other. 
“ I do,” said the farmer stroking his beard thought¬ 
fully. 
“ Well,” chippered Jenks cheerfully, “ my dogs alius 
was noted for their friendly disposion an’ hospitality. 
In that respect they’re jest like myself—I won’t charge 
your sheep anything for storage, lodging or entertain¬ 
ment ! Get up, Dolly !” And now they don’t speak 
as they pass by. 
Isn’t it a little singular that the farmer is compelled 
by law to put a fence a bout his sheep and keep them 
on his own land, while the dogs of such chaps as Jenks 
are allowed by law to roam at large day and night ? 
But as the farmers who raise sheep are vastly outnum¬ 
bered by the farmers who raise dogs and whose senti - 
ments aie : “ The man wot kicks my dog kicks me !” 
it’s not likely that any law abridging the privilege of 
the sanguinary cur to wander abroad at his own sweet 
will and devour the gentle lambkin will be enacted 
very soon. 
‘ • I have a piece of woodland over there that would 
make splendid sheep pasture if I could use it for that 
purpose,” said a farmer to me one day. 
“ And why can’t you use it ?” I asked. 
“ Too many mean dogs prowling around. They’d eat 
up a flock of sheep over there in less than a week ! ” 
And when I called at his home, two fierce dogs came 
forth and threatened to rend me in twain. They were 
bis own especial pets. 
Driving up to the house of another farmer who keeps 
a flock of sheep, I was greeted by three tough-looking 
mongrels. 
“You are well supplied with dogs,” I said as he 
came out and heaved a cudgel at them. 
“ Yaas,” he drawled, “ I am just now. But only one 
of them belongs to me. That big one is Ben’s, and that 
brown cuss is one I gave away about a month ago, but 
he’s found the way back. I’ll have to write to the 
man I gave him to, or give him to somebody else. He’s 
no account on’y to bark at people and eat eggs !” 
“I should thin i you would be afraid they’d get after 
your sheep. ’ 
“ Oh, there’s no danger. They’re used to ’em. Dogs 
are not half 60 bad on sheep as some people try to 
make us believe.” 
At the proper time, however, he presented a bill 
“ for four sheep killed by dogs,” and I suppose it was 
duly allowed.” frkd grundy. 
Christian County, Ill. 
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ANY PROFIT IN PEARS? 
WHAT PROSPECTS FOR SELLING THE CROP ? 
What are the Best Varieties? 
A good deal is being said nowadays about the great 
profits in pear culture, particularly in the growing of 
winter pears. Will you be kiad enough to tell us the 
facts in the case ? 
1. Is the prospect good for disposing of a crop of pears at profitable 
prices ? 2. Do you consider pear culture more promising than that of 
other fruits ? 3. Are the wlnter-rlpenlng varieties more profitable 
than others ? 4. What are the chief obstacles to successful pear 
culture ? 5. On the whole, do you advise farmers to go Into It, and If 
so, what varieties do you recommend ? 
Not Hardy in Iowa. 
No variety of the old list is hardy here in Iowa. On 
some high loess soils in the southern parts of the State, 
Flemish Beauty, Crassane Bergamot and four or five 
other sorts of this grade of hardiness do fairly well. 
We have trouble on account of too much summer 
heat and aridity of air for the maintenance of 
healthy foliage, and also from too low a temperature 
in winter. j. l. budd. 
The Pear Tree is Exacting. 
1. There is not, nor appareLtly is there likely to be 
much difficulty in disposing of well grown either 
autumn or winter pears, if the varieties are suitable, 
when properly ripened and put up in attractive pack¬ 
ages. The supply of these in city markets is seldom, 
if ever, commensurate with the demand, though there 
may be danger of an over supply of Bartletts. 2. The 
pear tree, unlike most other fruits, is exacting in its 
requirements, both as to soils and modes of pruning 
and management. In consideration of these partic¬ 
ulars, together with the occasional prevalence of 
blight, it n ay be considered unsafe to venture heavily 
in the planting of pears, except upon locations and 
soils previously tested by persons thoroughly familiar 
with the best systems of management, and with a 
wisely chosen list of varieties. 3. To a thorough ex¬ 
pert, with accessible and appreciative markets, win¬ 
ter-ripening varieties can probably be rendered more 
profitable than the early kinds 4. The obstacles to 
successful pear culture are mainly referred to in the 
second paragrap >. 5. It can scarcely be considered 
safe for a farmer, or any other person, to embark, 
otherwise than experimentally, in pear culture till 
he has well investigated the soil and climate of the 
contemplated locality, and become thoroughly and 
practically familiar with approved systems of manage¬ 
ment. Thus equipped, the venture may fairly be re¬ 
garded as eminently promising. At the North of very 
early varieties plant Summer Doyenn6, Osband’s Sum¬ 
mer and Tyson. Of medium varieties plant Sterling, 
Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, Sheldon and Howell. Of 
late autumn varieties plant Bose, Onondaga, Anjou, 
Angouleme (as a dwarf only). Of winter varieties 
select Winter Nelis and Lawrence. t. t. lyon. 
Michigan. 
Who Knows of a Fair Failure With Fruit ? 
The prospects for disposing of a crop of pears at 
profitable prices is always good ; we have never had 
any difficulty in disposing of ours, even of the early 
kinds, but the autumn and winter varieties are the 
most valuable because there in never enough to be 
found on the market. In speaking of fruit, we would 
state that we mean well grown, carefully graded and 
well assorted kinds. We consider it a positive injury 
to the entire fruit trade to offer for sale low grades 
unless so marked. It is our practice to assort the 
finest fruit and to so mark the packages that they will 
be recognized at once as containing the highest grade; 
the second grade is also marked in like manner. 
Growers can very easily obtain a reputation for first- 
class goods, or, on the other hand, one for poor 
sorts. Success or failure will be the result of these 
reputations when they are once established. The 
most profitable winter pear we know of is the Anjou ; 
another very profitable variety is the Clairgeau ; 
although it is only of medium quality, its size and 
handsome appearance command for it the highest 
prices in market. The Winter Nelis for a mid winter 
pear is very profitable because it bears regularly and 
heavily and the fruit always commands good prices, 
ripening as it does about February 1. An indispens¬ 
able requisite to fruit culture is to have the soil well 
under-drained; the trees should not be planted too 
thickly ; dwarf trees should be planted at least 15 feet 
apart and standards 25 feet, and the earth should be 
cultivated—we do not believe in sod. Pruning should 
be carefully attended to every year ; thinning should 
also be practiced in order to prevent overbearing and 
to get choice fruit. One of the greatest mistakes 
made by growers is in not thinning. By all means 
farmers should devote those portions of their farms 
which are suitable to fruit culture to fruit. In New 
York State especially it has become evident that wheat 
and corn cannot be grown profitably ; the soil here is 
so rich and well adapted to 'fruit culture that we 
believe the land owners make a great mistake in not 
devoting some portion of their farms to this business. 
This is what we have been advocating and recommend¬ 
ing for the last 50 years, but we would state at the 
outset that the planter who intends to take up fruit 
culture as a business must be ready to under-drain and 
properly cultivate and fertilize generously his soil, in 
order to keep it in proper condition. In our long 
experience we do not remember a single case where 
fruit growing, when conducted properly, has resulted 
in failure ; the failures which have occurred can 
always be traced to some error in care or cultivation, 
or something of that kind. ellwanger a barry. 
There Are Many “ Ifs ” In It. 
As to the profit of pear culture, my observation has 
been that a man who knows how, and will do as well 
as he knows, and is not too far from a good market, 
can make the business pay as well as any other line of 
fruit growing. In this, as in all else, “it is thorough¬ 
ness that does it.” I would never advise any man to 
go largely into pear growing unless, being well 
located as to soil and markets, he puts his mind to the 
business resolved to excel. It is easy to find out 
which are the most popular kinds ; and these, when 
well grown and rightly handled, will always, unless 
in very great gluts, pay fairly ; and with extra fruit 
more than fairly. Badly as apples are handled by the 
majority of growers, it is worse with pears ; though 
these will not bear rough usage as well as most 
apples. Though there are but comparatively few 
winter pears, most of them are of excellent quality, 
good looks and size ; and I see no reason in the few¬ 
ness of the varieties why, if the locality is suitable, 
they should be less profitable to grow on that account. 
But it is quite a science to handle winter pears just 
right. Cold storage, or even good deep cellars will 
prolong the season materially ; but vigilance is neces¬ 
sary, and a sure buyer at the right time. I would 
not advise any one engaged in farming, dairying or 
stock raising to abandon these occupations for pear 
growing. One business is enough for one man ; and 
while there is often a sale and sometimes a profit for 
promiscuous fruit, it will not pay any capable man to 
try to walk in two roads at one time. t. h. hoskins. 
Orleans County, Vt. 
At The Head of Tree Fruits. 
1. Nice, well grown pears can now be sold at a good 
profit, not equal to those of some past years, but high 
enough to justify the planting of orchards. In past 
years when I was growing larger crops of pears, 1 had 
no trouble to find buyers. Knowing my orchards and 
the quality of the fruit I grew, they sought me, and 
usually bought the entire crop of certain varieties, 
paying me a good price for them; I did not have many 
varieties, but plenty of a kind. That is what brought 
buyers to my door. 2. Yes, I believe there is more 
money in pears than in any other tree fruit, except it 
be quinces, on a given amount of land; I am now speak¬ 
ing for this Miami Valley, Ohio. 3. Winter varieties 
sell for more money, but would not do so, if there were 
as many grown as of summer and fall varieties. I have 
found fall varieties—those that are marketable in Oc¬ 
tober and November—the most profitable. The Law¬ 
rence has paid me more money per tree than any other 
variety I grew. 4. Yes, with proper soil—clay loam 
on top, next a couple of feet of rich yellow clay that 
does not hold water, then gravel below (that is what 
I’ve got). I had some blight when the trees were 
young, till they came into bearing, but not much there¬ 
after. I planted over 4,000 trees at different times 20 
to 30 years ago ; nearly all are now living and bearing 
