STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETr. 121 



partition, one-third cold part and two-thirds warm. In this cold 

 part I have 13,000 cuttings ot evergreens, from twenty to twenty- 

 five varieties. These 13,000 cuttings were put in between the 12th 

 and 14th of December. We have succeeded so far, they are now in 

 a callous condition, just throwing out roots. 



Among other things we have the Andromeda. The little cuttings 

 ;are only about five feet high, and since the 4th day of December 

 they are so firmly rooted, you cannot pull them up and lately they 

 are covered with a tiny white flower ; and that isn't all ; there is a 

 suggestion comes from that. If those little cuttings will flower so 

 beautifully now, when we get the plant to growing it will be glorious. 

 If this should be of any benefit to the gentlemen who represents the 

 college, I shall be glad. But there is no end of instruction in that 

 department. There is a place to begin but no place to leave ofl^. I 

 thought thirty years ago that I knew it all, but now I know that if I 

 put down what I don' I know, it would be much more than what I do 

 know. 



Mr. Gilbert. Mr. Barker has kindly made a most important 

 suggestion, therefore I take courage to make another but in a differ- 

 ent direction in connection with this work. I have learned from 

 experience through a number of years, the importance of testing 

 varieties of fruit. In the introduction of fruit into the State, I think 

 that has been one of the most important matters. Lack of knowl- 

 edge in that direction has been the source of a vast deal of loss 

 through the unproductive results that have come out of this lack of 

 knowledge on our part. Aroostook county is just entering upon the 

 work of fruit growing ; they don't know much about what is adapted 

 to the climate. I will say that the orchard, represented by Mr. 

 Nutting's paper is located at a point farther north than any other 

 orchard in the United States and with a very satisfactory degree of 

 success because he had planted varieties that have proved suited to 

 the locality. 



Here is a matter that the Station may take hold of and assist in 

 that direction and be of great aid to that department of agriculture. 

 Years ago they caught on to the idea of importing fruit trees from 

 Russia. They made a great mistake in setting scions and cuttings 

 in the gardens of Washington when just adapted to Aroostook 

 county. I believe it is a matter that this society has a right and it 

 is their duty to call the attention of the Station to the fact that meas- 

 ures should be taken to test varieties in that locality for the benefit 



