STATE POMOLOQICAL SOCIETY. 49 



The exercises will be opened by the reading of an essay, to be fol- 

 lowed by discussion, open to all, whether members of the Society 

 or not. The subject for our consideration this afternoon is, " Shall 

 Maine grow her own fruit trees?" And I have the pleasure of 

 introducing to you the Hon. S. L. Goodale of Saco, whom you all 

 doubtless know is well qualified to discuss that subject. 



Mr. Goodale came forward and addressed the Society as fol- 

 lows : 



Gentlemen : — Before submitting to you the remarks which I pro- 

 pose to make on this occasion, I deem it proper to give a word of 

 apology, and of explanation. When I accepted the invitation to 

 be present at this time, I really supposed that I should have the 

 time to prepare something that would be more worthy of your at- 

 . tention than I have ; but circumstances beyond my control have 

 limited my time to a few hours — all I could possibly give to it. I 

 wish also to say, inasmuch as the impression is abroad very gen- 

 erally that I am concerned in the business of raising and selling 

 trees, and that the opinions which I have heretofore expressed in 

 regard to the expediency of growing our own trees in this State 

 in preference to buying them abroad, was influenced more or less 

 by personal interest in the matter, — that it is some eight or ten 

 years since I have grown trees in any way for sale, and for a series 

 of years, I have had no interest in the business whatever, and do 

 not expect to again. 



Mr. Goodale then read the following paper : 



ADDRESS OF HON. S. L. GOODALE. 

 "Shall the State of Maine grow her own Fruit Trees, or buy them 

 from other States?" 



For the purpose of this inquiry no attempt will be made to prove 

 that fruit culture can be made profitable among us. This is as- 

 sumed to be a point settled by the facts of experience. There was 

 a time when it might have been doubted whether we were not too 

 far North, or whether some other diflSculties might not prevent. 

 But results have sufficiently demonstrated that good trees, of vari- 

 eties adapted to our conditions, planted in suitable soils, and cared 

 for with as much skill and diligence as we give to other crops, 

 will, in a series of years, yield satisfactory returns, and a larger 

 net income than the average of other products which are exten- 

 sively grown among us. 

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