STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETr. 35 



I have seen the necessity of fruit culture, but it is only within a 

 few years that I have been so situated that I could give that at- 

 tention to it that its importance demands. I believe that one 

 principal thing that should be attended to by every farmer and fruit 

 culturist is, to plant some fruit trees every year, as regularly as 

 they plant their annual crops. It is in my opinion the only way 

 they can attain to success in growing fruit. I think this branch 

 of industry has been more fully developed here than in most other 

 parts of the State, and that there are parties in this locality whose 

 orchards can hardly be surpassed, and I believe, too, that there is 

 an increased interest in pomology throughout the State, and that 

 that attention which will secure success is very generally given 

 to it. I refer in this, particularly, to that attention to secure 

 trees that are especially adapted to the locality. It has been too 

 often the case that trees have been set out regardless of their 

 adaptation to our climate and soil, and while I believe there are 

 many varieties adapted to our wants, and which we can grow 

 successfully, it is none the less true that of most of the trees 

 which have been set out and have failed, failure has been caused 

 by this want of adaptation to climate and soil. In order to secure 

 success in this direction, knowledge, attention and much experi- 

 ence will be needed before final success is attained. We should 

 not be discouraged when we see what has been done in many 

 localities. I believe Maine to be one of the best localities for 

 raising apples in the United States. I presume, though I am not 

 able to speak from personal experience, that other varieties of 

 fruits will succeed in Maine. I am happy to know that there are 

 those among us who are devoting their time to this branch of 

 industry, and I hope to see the time when every one who has an 

 acre of land will engage more or less in fruit culture. 



I reside on the old homestead in this city, where my father 

 planted fruit trees years ago. I have no doubt that they grew at 

 that time with little attention. I have been told by him that all 

 that it was necessary to do was to put a tree into the virgin soil 

 and it would grow and bear fruit. One of these trees was meas- 

 ured the other day by a gentleman from Iowa and myself, and 

 found to be more than eight feet in circumference, at about a foot 

 from the ground. It is a tree of enormous size, but though the 

 fruit is very good indeed, it is an indifferent bearer. It only shows 

 to me that if I had given my attention the last twenty years to 

 fruit culture — to the putting out of trees, I might have added 



