16 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



to other fields ; and hence, while trees and vines have been pur- 

 chased and planted every year by hundreds of thousands, the 

 cases are comparatively rare in which they have received that 

 intelligent care which is essential to success. So that although it 

 has been repeatedly demonstrated that fruit can be grown in Maine 

 with as little labor and as great certainty as the average of farm 

 crops, and with vastly more profit — a great majority of our peo- 

 ple do not seem to realize the fact, perhaps do not believe in its 

 possibility. And of the number who do embark to some extent in 

 the business, few have the courage, persistence and faith to over- 

 come all obstacles and make their ventures successful — to act out 

 and live up to the oft quoted injunction of old John Gerarde, 

 " Forward in the name of God, graft, set, plant and nourish up 

 trees in every corner of your ground ; the labor is small, the cost 

 is nothing, the commodities great ; yourselves shall have plenty, 

 the poor shall have somewhat in time of want, to relieve their 

 necessities, and God shall reward your good minds and dilli- 

 gence." 



Efforts of other Societies. 



To the general statement just made, that since the days of the 

 " Maine Pomological and Horticultural Society," there has been 

 a lack of progress in fruit culture in the State, there are notable 

 local exceptions. The Portland Horticultural Society and the 

 Bangor Horticultural Society, each in its respective locality, have 

 given constant and praiseworthy encouragement and attention to 

 this most interesting branch of industry ; so that Cumberland and 

 Penobscot now rank with Kennebec as fruit-growing counties. 

 And each of them has again demonstrated, as did the old State 

 Society, that united and intelligent action, with competetive exhi- 

 bitions and free discussion of theories, experiments and results, 

 will any where produce a higher development than the utmost 

 amount of isolated action and personal proficiency. 



The several county and local agricultural societies and the State 

 Agricultural Society, too, have, within the last score of years, 

 given as much attention to the subject, as the great variety of 

 objects demanding their encouragement would admit of. The 

 Board of Agriculture, also, has by its discussions and published 

 reports, done even more for the promotion of fruit culture than 

 could have been expected from the character of its organization 

 and objects. 



