•94 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



WILL THE PRESENT OUTLOOK WARRANT THE ENCOUR- 

 AGEMENT OF FRUIT GROWING IN MAINE? 

 By Hon. RuFus Pkince. 



There are several questions that enter into a paper upon this sub- 

 ject which must be answered in the affirmative if we are to encour- 

 age fruit growinoj to any great extent. 



First. Can fruit be grown with certainty of ripening in this State? 

 All will^doubtless with one accord answer in the affirmative. 



Second. Are our soil and cHmate adapted to fruit growing ? The 

 answer to this may need some qualifications. If we take the hardier 

 varieties of not only apples but pears, cherries, plums, etc., no part 

 .of the civilized world is better adapted to raise them than our Stale. 

 If we are to try fruit growing upon a large scale we must not be 

 captivated by stories told of the excellent qualities of new and un- 

 tried varieties, neither can we expect one variet}' to succeed well in 

 every climate for a variel}' ma}' be without hardly a fault in one 

 locality and be nearly worthless in another ; for instance, the Bald- 

 win is perfectly at home in its native soil of Massachusetts while 

 with us it must have a favorable locality or it will be fouLd to be 

 black hearted and unsound. In the lormer State it has hardly a fault 

 while in our latitude very few trees can be counted as entirely sound, 

 and thousands of dollars' worth are killed outright yearly. Still with 

 us it is, in favorable localities, perhaps, our most valuable apple. 



Downing well says that ''the apple is the world renowned fruit of 

 temperate climates. There is no other fruit that is so universally 

 used or generally esteemed." It is without doubt the last fruit to be 

 spared, it being the best for all purposes raised in the known world. 

 Its keeping qualities, its many forms in which it may be and is used, 

 the many forms it is preserved so that it can be transported to all 

 parts of the world, render it valuable beyond any other fiuit. With 

 a fruit such as this shall we say that we cannot compete favorably with 

 others? Is not Maine better adapted to compete with her sister 

 states in growing late keeping apples than in any other crop? If 

 not what is the crop? I believe that if we cannot compete in this 

 crop we cannot in any. I believe that nature has fitted our State 

 for the purpose of growing late keeping, hardy varieties of apples, 

 and if we compete iu the crops that nature intended we should, we 

 fihall succeed. Cannot we rely upon as good returns for the labor 



