STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 43 



Society began its important career. It was chartered iu 1854 aucl 

 had, as Mr. Sawyer in his first report of the Maine State Ponio- 

 loo-ical Society says, for a "time a direct and powerful influence 

 upon the business of fruit culture in the State. Among its mem- 

 bers, or contributors to its exhibitions, were many of the men whose 

 names are recognized as among the most successful fruit growers 

 of the present day, and many equallj'^ well known who have 

 deceased. In 1855 it made an exhibition at Gardiner, a most !?uc- 

 cessfnl and varied exhibition of fruits. It is doubtful if a better 

 show of apples and pears has since been made in the State, or 

 could be at the present day." 



THE PRESENT ORGANIZATION. 



For some reason unknown to the writer this society gnve up its 

 organization shortly after the Gardiner exhibition referred to, and 

 until several years after the close of the war no .State organization 

 specially interested in pomology existed in Maine. The State 

 Board of Agriculture recognizing the importance to the State of 

 some organization of the kind, frequently had the matter unrler 

 consideration, and largely through its influence the present Fomo- 

 logical Society was organized in 187;!. The expediency of attempt- 

 ing to effect such an organization was considered by the Board at 

 its meeting in Skowhegan the year before. An "Address to the 

 Fruit Growers of Maine" was prepared by a committee, consisting 

 of Messrs. Z. A. Gilbert, J. A. Varney and A. L. S'mps( n, and 

 published in the newspapers. In accordance with this address a 

 prov s onal organization was effected at a subsequent meeting of 

 the Board held in Wiuthrop, January 17, 1873. The officers there 

 designated were as follows : President, Z. A. Gilbert ; Vice Presi- 

 dents, Geo. W. Woodman and A. L. Sampson; Secretary, George 

 B Sawyer; Corresponding Secretary, J. C. West n ; Treasurer, 

 Chas. S. Pope ; Executive Committee with President and Secretary, 

 Samuel Rolfe, James A. Varney and Albert Noyes, with one 

 trustee from each county. 



Another committee was chosen to procure an act of incorpora- 

 tion of the Legislature, which was then in sess'on. The Legisla- 

 ture passed the act, and the corporators met in Augusta, March 

 27, 1873, accepted the act of incorporation and elected as ufflcers 

 of the soc ety those proposed at the Winthrop meeting of the 



