34 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cides was in its infancy, and "sprinkling" was ridiculed. 

 To-day every enterprising orchardist in the State recognizes the 

 importance of the practice. This advance in ideas is in no 

 small degree a direct result of the discussions which have been 

 held in the meetings of the Maine Pomological Society. 



In the past our farmers have been urged to plant more trees 

 and vines. In the present and the future the watchword must 

 be improvement. Instead of investing more money in planting 

 orchards we must now aim to secure greater returns from 

 money already invested. More attention must be given to ferti- 

 lizing the orchard, to culture, to tillage, to pruning, to thinning 

 the fruit and to business methods in handling and 'marketing 

 the product. 



POSSIBILITIES IN AROOSTOOK. 



No part of the State is better adapted for the general opera- 

 tions of agriculture than is Aroostook county — "the Garden of 

 Maine." The winters of northern Maine are so severe, however, 

 that until recently fruit culture has received comparatively little 

 attention. Indeed, less than twenty years ago the positive asser- 

 tion was made by a well-known fruit grower and nurseryman 

 that fruit culture was impossible north of the latitude of 

 Houlton. 



The first settlers on the Aroostook river seem to have made 

 no attempt at fruit raising. About forty years ago a few apple 

 seeds were planted on some of the upland farms, but the results 

 gave little encouragement. Such of the trees as lived bore 

 inferior or worthless fruit. After a few years the tree-peddler 

 found his way into this fertile, but at that time almost inacces- 

 sible region, and in succeeding annual visits introduced many 

 hundred dollars worth of so-called hardy fruits, all of which 

 soon succumbed. 



About 1875 the Duchess of Oldenburgh was introduced from 

 New Brunswick nurseries under the name of "New Bruns- 

 wic'ker," and this was the beginning of a new era in the pomo- 

 logical history of northern Maine. The Duchess was followed 

 by Alexander, Fameuse (the latter being rather uncertain ) and, 

 in 1882, by the Wealthy. A little later Tetofsky, Yellow Trans- 

 parent and Montreal Peach were added to the list, while in 1890 

 Dudley's Winter began to be widely disseminated. The last 



