SELECT FRUITS FOR THE NORTH. 



407 



observation. They are gentlemen in whom 

 the utmost confidence may be placed. Hen- 

 ry Corse, Esq., of Montreal, and Joseph 

 PiNNEo, Esq., of Hanover, N. H., are well 

 known. The Hon. Ephradi Goodale, of 

 Orrington, Judge Pond, of Bucksport, and 

 Gen. Herrick, of Hampden, Me., have been 

 cultivators in this vicinity for nearly 40 years. 

 The others are younger men ; but they have 

 given much attention to the subject. 



I herewith forward you a copy of my cir- 

 cular and their several answers, which you 

 are at liberty to make such use of as you 

 may think will be most beneficial to the 

 public. It is very desirable that we should 

 have as much light as possible on a subject 

 of so much importance, and one which is 

 fortunately attracting very general atten- 

 tion, at least in this section of Maine. I 

 therefore hope, that, as several fine orchards 

 and nurseries have lately been commenced 

 in this vicinity, their proprietors will here- 

 after favor the public with pomological 

 communications in publications which cir- 

 culate in this northern section, in order that 

 the example of their laudable enterprise, 

 and the results of their experience, may be 

 extensively known, properl}'' appreciated and 

 practically improved. Some evidence of an 

 increasing interest in one branch of the sub- 

 ject maybe found in the fact, that the num- 

 ber of imported gooseberry plants which 

 have been set in the gardens of Bangor 

 and vicinity within two years past, is at 

 least fifty fold greater than the whole num- 

 ber previously planted. Perhaps the same 

 may be said also of plum trees. It is be- 

 lieved that a still greater supply will be re- 

 quisite to meet the demand for the coming 

 spring ; and large orders have accordingly 

 been sent to England, for the choicest goose- 

 berry plants to be delivered here before the 

 time for planting. It has been the great 

 error of early settlers generally, in all our 



states, to waste their time and labor in 

 raising natural fruit trees of almost worth- 

 less kinds, instead of improving them by 

 the best varieties of grafts. It may be said 

 they did their best, at a period when nei- 

 ther the requisite knowledge nor the best 

 varieties of trees were easily accessible. 

 Let us, then, do our best also, but not like- 

 wise ; for neither of these excuses can 

 be pleaded in our day and generation. 

 Horticultural societies and publications 

 have accumulated and distributed a large 

 amount of knowledge, which has already 

 planted the nursery, set the grafts, and ma- 

 tured the orchard ; thereby rendering ac- 

 cessible to all, through the increased facili- 

 ties of communication, and the easy trans- 

 portation of the present time, both the know- 

 ledge and the ready means of easy improve- 

 ment. 



In Bangor and vicinity, trade and lumber- 

 ing have so completely engrossed the atten- 

 tion of the earl}^ settlers, that, until within 

 a few years, the cultivation both of natural 

 and grafted fruit has been, with rare excep- 

 tions, entirely neglected. Indeed, it has 

 been a common opinion that our climate is 

 wholly unsuitable for fruit cultivation. But 

 on this point experience has, of late, efl!ect- 

 ed a complete revolution of public senti- 

 ment. Many experiments have been tried, 

 and the results are so satisfactory that nu- 

 merous individuals on the Penobscot river 

 are inspired with the same enthusiasm on 

 the subject that prevails in Boston and the 

 vicinity. We may, therefore, reasonably 

 expect, (and, notwithstanding the errone- 

 ous ideas which have generally prevailed 

 in regard to "Down East," we confidently 

 predict,) that in a very few j-ears, the fruit 

 grown in Maine will be found equal to any 

 other, not even excepting that of Massachu- 

 setts or of New-York, particularly for ex- 

 port at ion. 



