470 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



NURSERIES. 

 BY J. H. HALE. 



Horticulture, that higher art of agriculture, has been making wondrous 

 strides in this country during the last quarter of a century, and as the 

 foundation of nearly all this great work lies in the little nursery row of 

 seedlings, dormant buds, root grafts, or cuttings, it seemed fitting that the 

 eleventh census of the United States should, for the first time, take account 

 of stock in this particular direction; hence this report upon nurseries, 

 which, though somewhat crude in its way, at least will show, in connection 

 with other special horticultural investigation, the tendency of the people 

 in the way of a more refined agriculture, in the production, not only for 

 home adornment and consumption, but for commercial purposes also, of 

 fruits, flowers, trees, and shrubbery, all so refining and purifying in their 

 influences as to ennoble all who come in daily contact with them. 



While most of the first trees and plants were of necessity brought from 

 the mother country by the early settlers, their production from seeds and 

 by budding, grafting, and layering was begun here early in the seventeenth 

 century, as shown by many of the early colonial records, points of especial 

 interest upon this subject having been gathered by the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural society and published in the introduction of the history of 

 the society as " a sketch of the history of horticulture in the United 

 States up to the year 1829," the date of organization of that society. A 

 memorandum in the records of the Massachusetts Company, March 16, 

 1629, says: 



To provide to send for New EDgland Vyne Planters, Stones of all sorts of fruites, as 

 peaches, pears, plums, filberts, cherries, pear, aple, quince, kernells, pomegranats; also 

 wheat, rye, barley, oates, woad, saffron, liquorice seed and madder rootes, potatoes, hop 

 rootes, currant plants. 



George Fenwick of Saybrook, Connecticut, wrote on May 6, 1641, to 

 Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts: 



I haue receaued the trees yow sent me, for which I hartily thanke yow. If I had any- 

 thing heare that could pleasure yow, yow should frely command it. I am prettie well 

 storred with cherrie & peach trees, & did hope I had had a good nurserie of aples, of 

 the aples yow sent me last yeare, but the wormes haue in a manner distroyed them all 

 as they came up. I pray informe me if yow know anyway to preuent like mischiefe for 

 the future. 



March 5, 1665, John Mason of Saybrook, Connecticut, wrote to Mrs, 

 Elizabeth "Winthrop: 



Haue sent ten apple trees by Goodman Stolyon to yourselfe. I suppose they will 

 most of them be planted in the north end of your orchard. I would haue sent more if 

 I had thought there were a place to receiue them. I haue alsoe sent Thomas Bayley 

 thirty grafted trees as hee desired mee. They are in Goodman Stolyon 's boate. I 

 would entreat you to acquait him with it. Hee told mee hee would put it to Mr. Win- 

 throp's account. They came to thirty shillings. 



Prince's nursery and botanic garden was established at Flushing, Long 

 Isand, about the middle of the last century, by William Prince, and for 

 more than one hundred years was continued by his descendants. 



John Watson established a nursery near Charleston. South Carolina, 

 about 1760. and a botanic garden was established there in 1786. 



