Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-03-11
whore All the trouble lies.


give some OF my experience with
dwarfs since I came to Iowa, and
Will hereafter quote from some oil
the best authors and pornologists in
the country, and shall refer to none
but men of the largest practical
knowledge.
In the spring of 1856, (19 years ago.
/ procured from reliable nurserymen
fifty dwarf and fifty standard pear
trees, which / planted out in the
grounds where / reside. Also four
dwarf apple trees, three years old.
The dwarf pears and one Of the
dwarf apples / got at Augers, in
France. The standard pears and
three dwarf apples Of Messrs Ell
wanger & Barry, Rochester, n. Y.
In transplanting lost six or eight
Of the pear trees, but the apple trees
all grew and fruited, some the next
year, then four years old. There
were two Minister, one Duchess OF
Oldenburg and one Belle Of Havre.
These are all prolificsorts, grew well
and in three or four years began to
fruit finely. Being well satisfied
with them. l planted out about
thirty more dwarf apples in the
spring of 1850, which were propaga-
ted by myself.
The first four increased in quantity
OF fruit every season, being all annu-
al bearers. In the spring of 1864, j
lost one of the Minister variety, and
In the summer Of 1865, the Belle OF
Havre, both killed by the borers
which took advantage of my absence
during the war. The former yield
ed two and half bushels, and the
latter four bushels as their last crops.
The two remaining ones of the four
are still alive, sound and healthy,
and bear a good average crop. Out
Of the other thirty, four were killed
By the borers in my absence as above
named, but the rest are alive and
giving good satisfaction except the
Lady apple, which absolutely refuses
to fruit with me, either in standard
or dwarf form. / plant eight feet
apart, being at the rate of about six
hundred and eighty per acre.
1t may be proper to remark here
that varieties which are naturally
tardy, or poor bearers as standards,
will be proportionately SO when pro-
pagated on dwarf stocks; that is,
their natural pre-disposition to tard-
mess, poor bearing or precocity, will
remain to greater or less degree
when dwarfed. And in few cases,
as the Yellow Bellfiower, there is no
perceptible change whatever.
OF the hundred pear trees i planted
out in 1856, lost about ten in trans
planting, and the others all except
one died out with the blight within
the first eight or nine years. Most of
the dwarfs fruited, some giving me
three or four crops before they failed.
Only two of the standards lived to
give me specimens, to-wit, Swans
Orange and Oswego Beurre.
In the spring of 1860 planted out
about thirty pears, all dwarfs. OF
these, and about ten others which /
had set out one or two years pre-
viously, 1 have lost none by blight
though by other causes have lost
eight or nine mostly by grubs, the
ounce roots which they are very apt
to attack, being left at or too near the
surface.
The remaining ones, though not in
as good condition as / could wish on
account Of neglect during my absence
several years from home since they
were planted, are still mostly quite
sound, and yielding satisfactory crops
every year. / have now but two
standard pears on my premises and
which | set out in 1862. They are in
fair condition, but have not yet
fruited. One is a Beurre Clairgean,
and the other is a Sickle. I have a
dwarf tree of the former planted two
years before these, which has fruited
regularly from the second year after
transplanting, and noble fruit it is.
The dwarf specimen of my first
transplanting which is still living, a
Doyenne Boussock, is constant
bearer, and l have no doubt has pro-
duced fruit enough to have brought
me seventy-five dollars or more in
the market. Perhaps one hundred
dollars would not be too high an es-
innate.
But enough for the present, shall
pursue the subject hereafter.
JAMES MATTHEW'S.
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