ON FRUITS. 91 



quire more time and expense than ought to be spared, and more 

 delay. 



It requires but little skill to put a tooth into a rake, some more to 

 put a leg into a wheelbarrow, but both ought to be done, instead of 

 throwing the rake aside, or going a mile or two, to a wheel-wright's, 

 with the wheelbarrow. The time saved, therefore, aside from the ex- 

 pense, will more than compensate for any imperfection of the work. 



For the Committee, 



R. A. MERRIAM. 



Lynn, September 27th, 1848. 



ON FRUITS. 



The Committee on Fruits, Report : 



The exhibition of to-day, both in variety and size, has much sur- 

 ^passed those of former years. The beauty and size of the apples is 

 owing, no doubt, to the assistance rendered to the cultivator, by nu- 

 merous insects, in removing the surperfluous fruit ; and thus not on- 

 ly benefiting the tree, but also improving that which remains. The 

 ifact that the Pears from that venerable tree, perhaps the first import- 

 ed from Europe, (I allude to the Endicott) which were for some 

 ■time considered of superior quality, convinces us at once of the 

 ;great advance of Horticulture in the now existing varieties, vastly 

 superior, indigenous to our own country, without reference to the 

 ■great numbers from abroad. The same may be said in regard to the 

 apple ; for in the year 1630, when John Winthrop with his company 

 of planters reached Charlestown, they found the first orchard in 

 Massachusetts owned by William Blackstone, where originated the 

 Yellow-Sweeting, which, says Hopkins, "is the richest and most de- 

 licious of any fruit." (this is supposed to be the High-top Sweeting 

 of our day.) It is needless to add how much has since been accom- 

 plished in the culture of this wholesome and valuable fruit ; but not. 

 withstanding so much has been done, there still remains much to be 

 learned in regard to the effect of soil, exposure, and temperature, up- 

 on the different qualities and varieties of fruit. 



Your committee would briefly say, that it was hardly possible in 



