130 STATE POMOLOQICAL SOCIETY. 



For the encouragement of nursery and orchard culture, the 

 Lincoln Agricultural Society have the past two years ofiFered lib- 

 eral premiums. A large number of young trees are set out yearly 

 in this county, and until last spring a large portion of these trees 

 were from New York, but the trees set in 1876 were mostly grown 

 in Maine. Experience is teaching fruit growers that acclimated 

 fruit trees are the best for Maine. We have no doubt in regard to 

 this, as we have repeatedly tried the New York trees upon the 

 same soil, and with equal culture with our Maine trees, and our 

 trees are hardier, more thrifty and better bearers, and in every 

 way superior to imported trees. 



The fruit raised in this county is mostly marketed in Lincoln 

 and Knox counties, and it does not supply the demand, as large 

 quantities of fruit are brought here from Massachusetts and the 

 West yearly. Apples were very cheap through the past summer 

 and autumn, being worth from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel. 

 The leading varieties of apples grown for market in this vicinity 

 are as follows : Summer varieties, — Red Astrachan, Williams' Fa- 

 vorite, Sops of Wine, Early Harvest, Sweet Bough. Autumn 

 varieties, — Gravenstein, lligh Top Sweet, Jewett's Red, Porter, 

 Lady Ilaley, Fall Pippin, Winthrop Greening, Foundling. Winter 

 varieties, — Baldwin, Ilurlbut, Late Baldwin, English Russet, 

 Rhode Island Greening, Minister, Northern Spy, French Russet, 

 Sweet Porter, Sweet Russet, Golden Russet, Yellow Bellflower, 

 Uubbardston Nonsuch, Canada Red. 



Respectfully yours, 



n. J. A. Simmons. 



NoBLEBORo', January 25, 1877. 

 Mr. Sawyer: 



Dear Sir : — I received your letter in due time, but owing to 

 sickness and urgent business have neglected to answer it until 

 now. 



I am a beginner in the fruit-growing business, having set my 

 first lot of eighty trees six years ago last spring. Some of these 

 I raised from the seeds ; the remainder 1 bought of Mr. John Cur- 

 rier of Waldoboro'. With the exception of a very few which 

 winter-killed the third winter after setting, (these being R. I. 

 Greening and Gravenstein), they have all done well. Some of 

 them are now more than five inches in diameter, and from which I 



