©EC 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
THE KIEFFER PEAR. 
THE RURAL’S REPORT FOR 1883. 
CONFLICTING OPINIONS.—“ IT IS BETTER THAN 
LAST TEAR.” 
The readers of the Rural New-Yorker 
interested in this showy pear will recall our 
report of last year. It was very unfavorable 
in so far as quality alone was concerned; very 
favorable iu other respects. There is no ques¬ 
tion about it that the Kieffer is one of the 
handsomest pears in cultivation. The vigor 
and beauty of the tree need not be questioned. 
Perhaps it is less liable to blight than other 
varieties. It is said to bear early and bounti¬ 
fully. This we do not question, since we have 
no evidence to the contrary. Our own speci¬ 
mens are too youug to bear. Now, the quality 
of this pear is the one question that needs to 
be discussed. 
About October 20 a bushel-basket of Kieffers 
was sent to as by Howard A. Chase of Phila¬ 
delphia. These were ripe and ripening when 
received. They were all of rather small size 
for Kieffers, and in shape resembled more the 
Anjou than the characteristic barrel-shape of 
the Kioffer. Later, a fine lot was sent to us 
by Win. Parry, of New Jersey. Four or five 
smaller lots were sent to us by other friends, 
or brought to the office. November 5, the 
lot Of Mr. Chase were richly colored, aud 10 
of them begipiling to rot. They were judged 
to be as juicy as fair specimens of the Beurri 
d’Aujou, though not so sweet, melting, or 
tender. The flesh was rather firm and hard in 
places—somewhat as if frozen; but still they 
were of a flavor that, when eaten after the 
Anjou, was stil 1 somewhat enjoyable. Several 
who ate them at that time said: “ Not so bad.” 
“ I have eaten better pears, certainly, but 
these are eatable.” The pears received from 
Judge Parry averaged in weight just eight 
ouuces each. They varied greatly in form, 
■which variation we have shown in our cut ou 
the first page, which is true to nature, the en¬ 
graving, Fig. 688, showing what is considered 
the typical form. All of the pears received 
were eaten by perhaps 20 different persons. 
Whenever practicable, a slice of each was 
given to those present. The following is a 
verbatim report of what each said: 
OPINIONS OF 34 PERSONS AS TO THE QUALITY 
OF THE KIEFFER PEAR, EATEN BETWEEN 
NOVEMBER 5 and 15: 
A: “It is neither sour nor sweet. It is not 
like a quince—no astringency, but rather like 
a half-ripe pear baked.” 
B: " A poor pear for such a beauty. ’’ 
C: “ For eating out of hand, I should never 
select that pear.” 
D: “I had rather eat the Kieffer than no 
pear.” 
E: “My pieces vary much in quality. Some 
are quite fair, others nearly tasteless. One 
of the seven pieces 1 ate was very good, but 
not so good as a poor Bartlett.” 
F: “ Medium in quality, taking all to judge 
from. Some were almost flavorless, others 
quite good.” 
O: “ One piece was quite good, the others of 
a sourish, sharp taste, without sweetness.” 
H: “inasmuch as the different pears vary 
so much in quality, I should suppose that in 
some places the Kieffer might mature excel¬ 
lent fruit.” 
I: “ This pear is fully ripe. It is better than 
poor specimens of Anjou that I have eaten. 
It Is refreshing and juicy.” 
J: “ The flavor is the same as that of Le 
Conte.” 
K: “I like it better after I have eaten it 
awhile than at first.” 
L: “ Take them altogether, I like them.” 
M: “I do not like them as well as Duchesse.” 
N: “One of mine tastes like a musk melon, 
the other like a quince, though the flesh isuot 
tough.” 
O: “The flesh is not so coarse iu some as in 
others. They are of a coarse flavor, so to 
speak, and the grain is coarse.” 
P: “ I like Duchesse much better.” 
Q: “I liked one of mine very well; the 
other I did not like. ” 
WM. PARRY’S SPECIMENS. 
The following visitors who ate them were 
told they were Bartletts, preserved in cold 
houses. 
A: “I think it has lost some of its natural 
flavor. ” 
B: “Mine is hard but of an agreeable 
flavor.” 
C: “I think they are very good for this 
time of year. But they are not like Bartletts 
in their season.” 
D; “My piece is insipid and coarse as if 
half ripe, aud yet this seems very ripe.” 
I E: “ Mine is hard all the way through.” 
F: “ Mine has not much taste. It is between 
a sharp and a bitter flavor.” 
G: “I yesterday ate a Beurrd d’Aujou of 
lower flavor, though the flesh was firmer.” 
Editor of the Rural New-Yorker: 
We send a few specimens of Kieffer’s Hy¬ 
brid Pears for testiug. They are proviug to 
be a great success here, fully sustaining all 
that we over claimed for them; bear early 
and abundantly, of uniformly large size, 
handsome fruit, firm flesh, sound at the core, 
can y well, color up beautifully, aud sell for 
the highest price of any {tears in market. 
Sold last week iu Philadelphia iu market for 
from 50 to 75 cts. per half peck, and $4 to §5 per 
bushel. We sent some last week, by way of ex¬ 
periment, to produce commission merchants in 
New York, and received prompt returns that 
they sold for $3,50 per box (three-quarters of 
a bushel), aud trusting the same would be 
satisfactory, said they would lie pleased to 
have further shipments from us. We never 
claimed for the Kieffer Pear best quality", nor 
do we for the Concord Grape; but if Concord 
vines are planted, the people will get grapes; 
and so if Kieffer trees are planted they will 
get pears. The masses of the people go now 
for quantity, and when a better pear with all 
the good qualities of the Kieffer comes along 
they will go for it. 
Let those who can afford it, indulge in 
Seckel Pears, Buerre Bose, Bonne du Pints 
Ansault, Petite Marguerite, and other choice 
varieties which are not to be had in large 
quantities. But pears more easily grown are 
required to supply the large demand for 
home consumption as well as that of exporta¬ 
tion ; and Kieffer’s Hybrid is better calculated 
to fill that position than any other pear that 
has yet come under my notice. 
Respectfully, william parry. 
Parry, N. J. 
-«*» — 
Editor of the Rural New-Yorker: 
Iu answer to yours of the 12th, the old quota¬ 
tion that “ comparisons are odious,” seems 
applicable here. But jesting aside, the 
Duchesse is utterly worthless on our grounds, 
as out of the many trees set out at various 
times we have never yet obtained a good 
fruit. Still it is splendid where it will succeed. 
Beurre d’Anjou is variable, but here rarely 
first-rate. My opinion of the Kieffer is, it is 
somewhat variable, occasionally excellent 
when not allowed to overbear, and properly 
ripened, but mostly' good. Its value cousists 
in its reliability as a popular fruit, and in this 
respect on our soil, a great advance over the 
Vicar, although not quite so late. It is a diffi¬ 
cult matter to compare two varieties of unlike 
character, and should not be attempted. 
Yours truly, josiah hoopks. 
West Chester, Pa. 
-»♦«- 
J. B. Rogers says, under date of November 
13: “KiefferPears better this year than last, 
yet far from good.” 
CRITICISMS ON THE ACTION OF THE 
NATIONAL POMOLOGICAL 
CONVENTION. 
I find under this heading in the Rural of 
October 20, a communication from C. A. 
Green, in which he comments unfavorably, 
but, as 1 imagine, altogether warrantably, 
upon the objectionable location and unfavor¬ 
able acoustic peculiarities of the room assigned 
for the sessions of the American Pomologieal 
Society during its meeting at Philadelphia iu 
September last. 
I refer to the communicatiou, however, more 
on accouut of the strictures found in the 
opening paragraphs, judging from which, the 
writer must have understood the purport and 
intent of certain resolutions offered and dis¬ 
cussed at that, time, quite differently from 
many, if not most of those present and partici¬ 
pating. 
The import of the resolution first offered, I 
think by P. M. Augur, of Connecticut, aud 
not adopted by the meetiug, was to the effect 
that the Society ought not to discuss a new 
fruit (not specifying the Niagara Grape or 
any other particular variety) which is held 
under such restrictions upon its sale that it is 
not obtainable by the members or the people 
generally. 
This, to my apprehension, meant strictly 
that the discussion of such a fruit at the So¬ 
ciety’s meetings is in the highest possible 
sense an advertisement of the same, and that, 
according to the Society’s rales just adopted, 
it should not do the turning to “griud axes” 
for those who refuse, on the customary con¬ 
ditions, to sell the public plants of such va¬ 
rieties. 
It should not be forgotten that, ostensibly, 
this Society is a body of amateurs, whose de¬ 
liberations are intended to assist each other 
and the public generally to judge wisely as to 
the value of such new candidates as shall be 
offered for their patronage, and that the noto¬ 
riety consequent upon a discussion at its 
meetings is much sought after as a most effec¬ 
tive means of inviting the attention of buyere; 
and that several new fruits, altogether unat¬ 
tainable, except, perhaps, by extensive plan¬ 
tations aud under objectionable conditions, 
had been thus advertised, while to those 
whoso opinions were thus sought, they could 
only be known by alleged specimens of their 
fruit, grown under conditions known only to 
those most directly interested in the sale of 
the plants—conditions under which a person 
must necessarily he peculiarly liable to lie 
misled, and consequently to mislead others, 
while the result must inure wholly to the 
benefit of those whose ax he has condescended 
to griud. 
Now, it seems to me the principle involved 
is a correct one, and while, iu the words of the 
writer of the article, “the Niagara Grape is 
as much the property of the owners as their 
horses,” and "they have the right to introduce 
it as they please.” a society such as this owes 
it to itself not to use its prestige and the stand¬ 
ing of its individual members to push a nov¬ 
elty into notoriety upon the merit of the fruit 
merely, while precluded froip the privilege 
of growing it under their own supervision aud 
upon their own grouuds. We can iu no way 
interfere with the processes by which origi¬ 
nators elect to bring their productions before 
the public, but it seems highly proper that we 
consider whether or not, like John China¬ 
man’s bird, we will freely do the fishing while 
precluded from all participation in the re¬ 
sults. 
I have the best possible means of knowing 
that the resolution in question was not aimed 
at the Niagara Grape or at any other novelty 
in particular. And those in attendance will 
recollect that, notwithstanding the refusal of 
the meeting to pass the resolution, the princi¬ 
ple was fully embodied in a resolution repott¬ 
ed by the Committee on Resolutions, and in 
that form adopted without a dissenting voice. 
I very much doubt if the idea of benevolence 
occurred to the drawer of either resolution, 
but I rather imagine that self-protection was 
the inspiring consideration. T. t. lyon. 
ijortiadinuil. 
CRANBERRY CULTURE. 
the plant. 
The cranberry is a low, trailing evergreen 
shrub with very slender branches and erect, 
fruit-bearing stems. It is almost exclusively 
a northern plant. The early settlers in this 
country found it so abundaut, growing wild, 
that there was no necessity for its cultivation, 
aud it has only been within the last half cen¬ 
tury that attention has been directed to its 
culture. For the last 40 or 50 years, however, 
there bus been a steady' increase iu the area 
devoted to it, not only by individuals but also 
by companies with abundant means to culti¬ 
vate it ou a large scale. Like hop-growing 
aud most other special agricultural industries, 
the profits from its cultivation have varied 
considerably; but, on the whole, it has proved 
a profitable crop to growers. Being anti-scor¬ 
butic, the cranberry is perhaps the most health¬ 
ful of all our fruits, aud as it can be cooked in 
many different ways, and is sprightly and 
pleasa nt in all form s, it is one of the greatest 
luxuries of the table. In addition to the bene¬ 
fit of having our markets and tables supplied 
with this fruit, its culture is a source of na¬ 
tional wealth and welfare, inasmuch as the 
land devoted to it was previously' uncultivated, 
enriching neither individuals by its produc¬ 
tions nor the State by its taxes. Moreover, 
by its cultivation mauy low, boggy wastes 
that generated malaria that poisoned the air 
for miles around, have been converted into 
healthful localities aud fruitful fields. There 
are still scattered throughout all parts of the 
Northern States numerous marshes and muck 
beds that are now productive of only weeds, 
briars, underbush and pestilence that could 
be remlily converted into flourishing cranberry 
beds, rich sources of income to their owners. 
location. 
As a cranberry plantation is a permanent 
investment, giving annual returns for a life¬ 
time, It is important that j every' precaution 
should be taken to make It as perfect as pos¬ 
sible. Natnrally the cranberry is a semi- 
aquatic plant, requiring a constant supply of 
water to insure a state of thrift and produc¬ 
tiveness. Experience shows, however, that it 
can be profitably grown on a great variety 
of soils; but the best soil for it is an equal 
mixture of coarse sand and muck. As it is 
seldom that a soil of this composition can be 
found in a state of nature, the best way is to 
form it artificially by covering well decom¬ 
posed muck with a layer of sand. In a few 
years the two become thoroughly incorpo 
rated, making a soil resembling black sand. 
Profitable sites for a cranberry bed are the 
following: heath ponds, or low basins, places 
naturally flooded with water in Winter; swamp 
lards in which deposits of muck or peat are 
found, aud when properly prepared these make 
valuable and lasting plantations; saraunas, or 
low grounds lying between swamps aud up¬ 
lands; bottoms of old mill-ponds from which 
the water has been drawn off, and black sand 
with a clay subsoil; in short, soils formed by 
the deposits of muddy water, or, in other words, 
alluvial formations are suitable for cranberry 
culture. Various modifications of the above 
situations can also be converted into profitable 
plantations. Although there are numerous 
instances of successful cranberry culture on 
alluvial uplands, still such locations are inva¬ 
riably less desirable and profitable than the 
low, damp sites just enumerated, for the cran¬ 
berry is naturally a semi-aquatic plant, requir¬ 
ing a constant supply' of water to insure its 
highest perfection. Water is needed not only to 
supply moisture to the plants, but also to cover 
them iu Winter so as to afford them protec¬ 
tion from severe cold, and to retard blooming 
in Spring, as premature flowers would often 
be injured by early frosts and, moreover, 
flooding destroys the injurious insects and 
their larvae, frequent assailants of plants and 
fruit The moisture should he al ways not far 
below the surface; but staguaut water is tatal 
to the thrift of the plant, and the site of a 
plantation should therefore be such that it can 
always be flooded in Wiuterand, whenever 
needed, irrigated in Summer from a stream, 
lake or spring; yet it should be capable of 
being w ell drained at least one foot below the 
surface. Another important material used iu 
the preparation of cranberry beds, is sand,— 
which is spread over the surface of the ground. 
This sand should be pure, free from any ad¬ 
mixture of clay or loam, and the best test of 
a suitable kind is this:—Take a portion of it 
and compress it tightly' in the hand: if it is 
suitable it wifi fall apart on being released; if 
it adheres together after the pressure has been 
removed, a better article should be sought. 
To save labor and expense, therefore, it is very 
desirable that an abundance of a suitable 
quality of sand should be close to the site of a 
cranberry bed. 
preparation of the bed. 
Having selected a locatiou combining 
water, sand and muck or peat, the next step 
is to prepare the grouud for planting viues. 
The method of doing this varies somewhat iu 
the several locutions mentioned, but here there 
is space for only a general account of the pro¬ 
cess. Usually the first step is to cut a main 
ditch through the lowest liue of the land. 
This should be as straight nud as near the 
middle of the marsh as possible. Iu large 
plantations a second or even a third such ditch 
may be advantageous, the object beiug to 
drain off the surplus water so as make the 
rest of the work easier at the outset, each 
ditch afterwards forming the main drain in 
the plantation. The cutting should therefore 
tie broad and deep enough to carry off the 
water readily. Smaller ditches from 12 to 18 
inches deep should then be cut from 30 to 40 
feet apart, as necessity may demand, at right 
angles to the mains, into w hich they must 
open like lateral drains in ordinary drainage. 
Sometimes tile drains are substituted for open 
ditches. When the water bus been removed, 
then clean off all trees, logs, brush, briars and 
other encumbrances. These may be burnt on 
the ground and the ashes be scattered over the 
surface, provided this cun be done without 
endangering the soil. When the soil is dry, 
a considerable depth of the turf is sometimes 
burned so that the remainder can be more 
easily handled, but if the deposit is dry far 
down, it may burn to too great a depth, so 
that this practice is hardly advisable. If the 
muck is deep enough so that a portion of it 
can be spared (and a depth of two or three 
feet is ample for a cranberry bed) it should 
be carted off for application to the neighbor¬ 
ing uplands, after having been weathered or 
used iu a compost. If a turfed meadow' is 
selected, the surface is either cut iu blocks 
which are packed iu heaps on the dry land 
until they are well rotted, when they are 
spread on the place w hence they were re¬ 
moved; or, better and easier, the surface i 
turned over fiat and left to decompose. A 
savanna, or dry meadow, free of obstructions, 
may be plowed with a plow having a sharp, 
extra-wide share, so as to turn over the fur¬ 
rows flat without lapping in the slightest de¬ 
gree. Indeed, when the soil of any sort of 
bed is sufficiently firm to admit of beiug 
plowed and hurrow'ed, it is best to do so, as 
by this means it cun be prepared better and 
more cheaply thau by hand-work. It is 
always well to prepare the grouud at least 
one season before [flanting, so that all weeds, 
brush and roots may be thoroughly destroyed, 
for, if this is not done at the start, it will be 
a difficult operation after the ground is cov¬ 
ered with plants. The bed having beeu thus 
