STATE POMOLOQICAL SOCIETY. 47 



There is a great deal said and written on tlie " Northern limits of 

 the Baldwin," and some writers saj' the southern limits of ISIaine is 

 the northern limits at which it is safe to grow it, but here in the cen- 

 tral part of the State it is doing wonderfulh' well. I commenced 

 setting trees fourteen 3-ears ago, and have set some every year, and 

 grafted as fast as they became large enough. I have grafted to 

 Baldwins, Khode Island Greenings, Koxbury Russets and Talman's 

 Sweet, but more largely to Baldwins than any other variety, and 

 thus far the Baldwin has proved as hardy as any of them and more 

 so than the Russet. 



I have no doulit that in time other varieties may be produced that 

 will be equal to the Baldwin for all purposes, and perhaps take the 

 lead as market apples, but I predict that it will be so far in the 

 future that I am content to acknowledge the Baldwin as the King of 

 apples for tlie present, and should advise Franklin county orchard- 

 ists to be shy of new varieties urged upon them by agents, until their 

 merits are well known and their reputation thoroughly established in 

 the market. 



The raising of pears has not yet proved profitable in this county. 

 The trees seem to make a good growth and stand the winters as 

 well as the apple trees, but they fail to produce good crops of fruit. 

 A well loaded pear tree is rarel}- seen. There are a few small pear 

 orchards in the count}' and almost all the farmers and many of the 

 village residents have a few trees. These are nearly all trees pur- 

 chased of tree agents and of course grafted at the ground when 

 small, which may be the reason why thej- fail to produce. If we 

 would raise our trees from the seed and graft them, when large 

 enough, to such varieties as we liked, perhaps they would produce 

 better — an experiment I am trying, but m}' trees are not old enough 

 yet to report with what success. I am informed that pear trees near 

 the sea coast produce well and perhaps the application of salt to our 

 trees here might cause them to fruit better. 



While I by no means recommend the cultivation of grapes as a 

 source of profit here, I do recommend to ever}- person who has a 

 spot of land large enough, to rear a few vines of the early varieties 

 as a source of health and enjoj'raent. 



