126 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



highly respected citizens, repeatedly serving his city as treasurer, 

 mayor and member of the legislature. Coming from a stock of 

 sterling integrity and great mental ability on his father's side 

 (his greatgrandfather was William Henry Hoskins, a merchant 

 of Boston, and acting commissary in the Revolutionary War, 

 whose remiains now rest in the vaults of the historic Old South 

 church of that city), his antecedents on his mother's side were 

 no less worthy. She was Mary Green Jewett, and her father, 

 Jesse Jewett, who owned a large farm in Windsor, Me., was for 

 his day a scientific and progressive farmer, and was sheriff of his 

 county to the day of his death at nearly 80 years of age. 



It was on his grandfather's farm that Dr. Hoskins imbibed the 

 love for the soil which he always retained. He early showed a 

 fondness for newspaper work, owning, editing, and printing a 

 little paper of his own at thirteen years of age. He received his 

 academic education at the Gardiner lyceum. In 1849, ^t twenty- 

 one years of age, he started for California in company with other 

 young men of his city, but, not liking the manners of his com- 

 panions, he left them and finally located in Louisville, Ky., where 

 he remained nearly thirteen years. He engaged in the drug 

 business, first as clerk, then as partner, and later studied medicine 

 in the medical department of the University of Louisville, at the 

 same time carrying on a market garden just outside the city. 



Graduating at the head of a large class, he became assistant 

 professor of anatomy, translated French and German works for 

 the university, and practiced his profession until in 1861, just 

 before the war, he removed to Boston. Here he remained sev- 

 eral years, being surgeon to several institutions, one of the 

 physicians of the Boston Dispensary for four years, also engaged 

 as an editorial writer on the Boston Courier, and as a lecturer in 

 Dio Lewis's school. 



In the winter of 1865-66 he received a severe spinal injury by 

 a fall on the icy pavement, which incapacitated him for the 

 further practice of his profession, and for many months, for any 

 work whatsoever. At the instigation of his friends, he went to 

 Newport, Vt., to recuperate his health. He became enamored 

 of the locality and decided to remain and experiment in hardy 

 fruits for the cold regions. He began a nursery at West Dexby, 

 Vt., about 1868, experimenting very carefully with many varie- 

 ties. It required not only money, but courage, patience and 



