STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 113 



several localities. Where early fruit finds ready sale at remunera- 

 tive prices, there plant or graft with such. In localities where 

 early fruit is unsaleable, grow for winter and spring sales. 



Too often and too long have our orchardists and gardeners been 

 guided in their selection of varieties by the pretty fruit lithographs 

 shown by the smooth-tongued tree jockey, rather than by good 

 sound judgment and common sense. I shall not soon forget a 

 remark made at a meeting of the Board of Agriculture at Wia- 

 throp, by a gentleman of that town. Though spoken, I believe, 

 in reference to another subject, it is equally applicable here, and to 

 the point. This is it : " Tiie people of Maine are the most gullible 

 people in the world." Especially is this remark true, if I inter- 

 pret the word gullible correctly, in our selection of fruit trees, and 

 varieties of the same. Occasionally we may have obtained that 

 which was desirable, — as often by mistake, perhaps, as otherwise. 

 In our fruit catalogue we are outspoken and explicit in our opin- 

 ions with regard to the varieties of fruit best adapted to our 

 climate. Let us be as plain and explicit with regard to the kind 

 of trees we can recommend to grow such fruit upon. I wish to 

 place mj'self upon record here. Buy only Maine grown trees, if 

 they can be obtained ; if not, order directly from some reliable 

 nurseryman as near home as possible. Let no travelling tree 

 pedler receive your order, for however honest he may be, he sel- 

 dom or never knows what he sells you, or where his trees are 

 grown even. If I were to start a new orchard, I would use, 

 principally, seedling trees that had been once or twice trans- 

 planted in the nursery where they were grown, and graft in the 

 stock or top when well established. I say principally, because 

 there are a few varieties that will succeed quite as well grafted at 

 the root, in this climate, and only a few. 



I ought to say before closing, that the grape exhibit from sev- 

 eral States occupied a prominent place. It was too late for plums 

 and peaches except as canned or preserved. 



The Horticultural department, though confessedly meagre at the 

 time of our visit, affords too wide a field for me to enter upon in 

 this report. Horticultural Hall is a magnificent building, and is 

 to remain a permanent fixture in Fairmount Park. In the out-door 

 exhibit were to be seen the representative trees of this and many 

 foreign countries. Here too, were the remains of different meth- 

 ods of ornamental and flower gardening, which were still objects 



of beauty and interest, though disfigured somewhat by early 

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