THE HORTICULTURAL AWAKENING OF NEW ENGLAND. 

 By John H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Connecticut. 



Delivered before the Society, March 25, 1911. 



The records of this, the oldest horticultural society in America, 

 and of the Massachusetts Historical Society, show a New England 

 interest in horticulture from our earliest settlement, particularly 

 in orchard and vineyard products as a source of food and drink 

 supply for the family. Later and wiser generations have mostly 

 done away with the drink, and fruit as food for both family and 

 market is yearly becoming more and more a very important factor 

 in our agricultural and commercial life. The necessities of New 

 England small farming, with only the help of " the boys" and possi- 

 bly one ' 'hired man " for a portion of the year, resulting only in small 

 cash crops in variety as could be sold in local markets, prevented 

 specialization in orcharding on any extended scale. 



In recent years, however, fruits produced at a distance, so far 

 away that they must be well grown and packed, have been coming 

 into New England in such quantities and of such beautiful appear- 

 ance as to greatly stimulate consumption and cause our most 

 thoughtful horticulturists to take serious notice and many to ask' 

 the reason why with the same care and attention New England 

 orchardists could not produce fruit equally good in appearance 

 and of far better quality. With the agricultural experiment 

 stations and colleges, state and local horticultural and pomological 

 societies, farm institutes and granges, almost with one accord, 

 investigating, experimenting, and talking modern methods of 

 orchard management, as taught by scientists and practised by 

 the few pioneer orchardists in each of the six New England States, 

 there has at last come an awakening to a full realization of the 

 wonderful orchard possibilities so long neglected, while less favored 



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