4 INTRODUCTION. 



Sweetings in Marshfield is reputed to have been planted more than 

 two hundred years ago. Mr. Otis, whose letter is quoted above, 

 says, that, in many historical researches, he has found that the first 

 settlers in Barnstable and Yarmouth, with scarcely an exception, 

 planted pear trees near their dwellings, and that this fact has 

 enabled him to determine localities which would otherwise have 

 been doubtful. 



The Red Kentish was the only cherry, and the Damson the only 

 plum cultivated. The seeds of these as well as of the other trees 

 were brought by the Pilgrims from England. The " Sugar " pear, 

 probably a French variety, brought, perhaps, from Acadia, was 

 introduced about 1680. The Rhode Island Greening apple was 

 introduced about 1765. Up to 1750, very few apples not originat- 

 ing in the Old Colony were cultivated. All the Hightop Sweetings 

 known were grafted trees. Among the ancient seedling varieties 

 were the Foxwell, Pig Nose, Bachelor's Button, Pearmains, and 

 others. Of seedling pears, the Ewer and Aunt Desire. The poorer 

 sorts of fruit were very early grafted with better kinds. 



The notices of horticultural operations in the history of the 

 Massachusetts Colony are much fuller than in that of Plymouth. 

 The most prominent persons in these operations were Govs. En- 

 dicott and Winthrop, as at Plymouth Gov. Prince. Either the 

 chroniclers did not think it worth while to record the gardening 

 operations of others, or, as was more probably the case, the colo- 

 nists generally were too much occupied in the cultivation of corn 

 and other crops necessary for their subsistence to undertake the 

 cultivation of fruits and other productions which were classed as 

 luxuries. 



The land, new and rich in mould, the accumulation of ages, did 

 not require very careful cultivation to secure an abundant return ; 

 but a few years of constant cropping exhausted its productiveness. 

 The Rev. Francis Higginson, writing in 1629, says, " The aboun- 

 dant encrease of corne proves this countrey to bee a wonderment. 

 Thirtie, fortie, fiftie, sixtie, are ordinarie here: Yea, Joseph's 

 encrease in Egypt is out-stript here with us. Our planters hope to 

 have more then an hundred fould this yere. And all this while I 

 am within compasse. What will you say of two hundred fould and 

 upwards? It is almost incredible what great gaine some of our 

 English planters have had by our Indian corne. . . . There is not 

 such greate and plentifull cares of corne, I suppose anywhere else 



