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Jtonong the varieties of apples which originated in Massachusetts arej 

 Westfield Seek-no-further, Baldwin, Hubbardston, Sutton, Roxbury Russet, 

 Williams, Tolman Sweet, Porter, and Mother. 



In "Downing's Fruits," (Edition of 1866) 643 varieties of apples are 

 discussed, and in 1879 the Anerican Pomological Society endorsed 321 varieties 

 of apples as being vrarthy of planting. 



In 1648 Peregrin IThite, the first European born in New England, 

 planted apple trees in Marshfield. This is the first known record of the 

 planting of an apple tree in Massachusetts. 



The apple appears to be a native of temperate Europe and Asia in the 

 regions south of the Caucasus. Although the apple as we know it has been in- 

 troduced to the United States we have several kinds of native crab apples 

 which grow wild. 



Until the beginning of the 20th Century practically all of our apple 

 varieties originated as chance seedlings. Since that time much progress has 

 been made in the development of new varieties through plant breeding, thereby 

 combining the desirable qualities of two varieties. The Cortland, a cross 

 between Mcintosh and Ben Davis, is an exsimple of this new development. Early 

 Mcintosh, Macoun, and others v^ere also developed in that way. 



The V/estfield Seek-No-Further variety originated in the town of V/est- 

 field at least 150 years ago. In 1846 a comraittee of the New York State 

 Agricultural Society investigated the plantings of this variety in the Con* 

 necticut Valley and reported as follows: "This truly excellent apple origin- 

 ated in ¥/estfield, a beautiful meadov: town about ten miles v^est of Springfield. 

 For many miles up and dovm it is the apple par excellence of that locality. 

 Vfnole orchards are planted to this fruit and nowhere does it flourish in 

 higher luxuriance and perfection." 



The apple is one of the oldest of our cultivated fruits. Carbonized 

 apples have been found in the ancient lake habitations of Switzerland dating 

 back to the Stone Age, but these are small and resemble those which still 

 grow wild in the Swiss forests. These Stone Age people understood the art 

 of drying and made extensive use of dried fruits, v/hich v:ere part of their 

 winter food supply. Apples and pears were usually cut lengthwise and dried. 

 In this drying process some specimens became carbonized. Specimens of these 

 fj*uits are nov/ on display in the National Museum. 



John Chapman, familiarly known as Johnny Appleseed, a native of Leomin- 

 ster, Massachusetts, played a prominent part in the early history of apple 

 growing in the United States. Chapman traveled through the Middle V/est on 

 horseback carrying with him a bag of apple seed for distribution among the 

 pioneers along the Western frontier. He believed that the pioneers would be 

 more contented if they had fruit for home use. From earliest times the apple 

 has been associated with the pioneer in his new home. No other fruit is so 

 universally grown and so universally liked as the apple. A monuraent to the 

 memory of Johnny Appleseed has been erected at his birthplace in Leominster 

 to cofniaemorate his contribution to the apple industry. 



