The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-08-26
President WIlder's Orchards.

On Monday, May 3, | had the pleas.
ure, for the first time, of visiting the or.
chards and grounds of Col. Marshall =.
Wilder, now and for so long period the
honored President of the American Pomo-
logical Society, and still in the enjoyment
of vigorous health To reach the local..
ty (Dorchester) from Boston, the visitor
must take the street cars, starting from
near the Park.St. Church on fremont
St.; the time required is about fifty min.
utes, and the ride rather a pleasant one
to such as are interested in Boston SUBJ
urban taste and residences. Dorchester,
politically, has been swallowed up by
Boston, but physically retains its distinct.
i've features, of gardens, lawns, orchards,
stone walls, beautiful shade trees, and,
occasionally, bit of rocky waste here
and there. The aggressive spread of the
great city will,howevcr, soon Danish these
excrescences from sight, and to some ex-
tent also, the lawns, orchards, and gar.
dens now the pride of SO many veteran
residents. Another generation will see
those who desire suburban residences
moving farther and farther back, for COM
merce and trade appropriate space where
a tancled need exists,iu way as nexora.
ole as certain.
Col. Wilder's pear orchard numbers
about three thousand trees, varying in
age from forty years down to those plant.
ed only this spring. Some of the earlsest
planted trees came from Madame Par.
mentler's garden in Brooklyn, near the
present site of the Fulton Ferry build.
ings. OF varieties there are between
700 and 500. The purpose in growing
so many varieties was to test them, and
prove to their owners satisfaction which
were and which were not worthy of cult
walton under the varying circumstances
which attend pear culture in the United
States The habits of the trees and their
adaptation to soil and climate constitute
delightful study to some minds, and
elevating to all and to Prest. Wilder it
has been perpetual fountain of enjoy.
ment. The cares of business in the CITY
have not quenched the early tastes for
growing fruits and flowers, and now,
though past three score and ten, he is
still planting, still grating. still testing ;
still finds perennial enjoyment among
his pears and camellins. and "expects to
die with his harness op." and Ill the while
is giving the world the hcreft Of his OK.
perience as fast new fact is demon
strated or an error can hc corrected The
value Of such W. rr, ioimcd hy him
and others-for ir,tatcc. Ellwangrr x
Barry, the DOWN.. Il,vc,-. g. is
iucalculable, and +, csuo'Aint as i, i.
useful. People cal H. ',n.a'cur work .
and it may be in q Certain ,vnsc Int
when amateurs spend icn- 81 ,housa,4l
of dollars to learn whyl are ihc hest anc
most profitable fruits fer given locality
and freely distribute thi, Information tc
all whom it may concern they are emit
tied to more respect and consideration
than is usually given tlca b. the masse
Of cultivators.
The effect, of course, Of instant plant
ing and re-plantiDg in an orchard, Of cut
ting away old and worthles, though i
may often be luxuriant-tops is not t.
produce perfectly Symmetrical orchard
but, instead. one in which there are grea
variations of size and shape, aud some
times of apparent degrees of vigor Ever
the planting is not at all regular Presi
dent Wilder's ground years ago was de
voted to the nursery business, and tree
were left for fruiting and testing at suol
distances as were convenient, without an,
consideration as to exacs measurement
or the spaces usually amended 70
permanent orchard culture. Some oil
trees are as close as six or seven feet
hundreds stand at nine or ten feet, an
all are SO close that much horse cultur
among them is impracticable. At irs
they were trained low, but the lowe
limbs in time becoming unproductiyt
they have generally been cut away. |
orchard culture, however, Mr.. Wilde
recommends low training at first, becaus
1t enables the trees to become better es
tablished than when at once trained I
high crops, which the winds operate upo
with great force. Then, when age an
strength Of root are attained, they can
cut away safely whenever IT shall seer