INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 



To the Secretary of the Maine Board of Agriculture : 



The following pages embrace the transactions of the Maine S'tate 

 Pomological Society for the ^ear 1885, including also, in accordance 

 with previous custom, the proceedings of the annual Winter Meeting 

 held on the 17th and 18th of February, 1886. An examination of 

 the papers and essays presented at that meeting will show that they 

 are from some of the best informed and most practical fruit growers 

 in the State, and are upon interesting and timely topics. At the 

 evening session on the first da}' the several essays read were con- 

 tributed by ladies, the subjects being of a nature to specially inter- 

 est them, and I believe the plan of giving an evening to flowers and 

 their culture during our Winter meeting, to be one that should be 

 carried out at future sessions. Small fruits justly occupied consid- 

 erable time ; and the future outlook for the fruit growing interest of 

 the State received consideration in two suggestive papers. I am 

 happy to believe the present report contains many valuable essays, 

 and will worthily occupy a place beside the previous interesting and 

 important Reports of the Society'. 



Samuel L. Boardman, Secretary. 



