176 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



April, 1921. 



Albert County, and the Merritt Nursery at Houlton, 

 Maine. In 1875 they were shipping trees to Massa- 

 chusetts. In 1879, two carloads went to Manitoba, and 

 about the same time their trees fomid their way into 

 orchards in New Jersey, New York and Ontario. 



In 1885 or 1886 Sharp took his son Franklin into 

 partnership and in 1887 made over to him the Wood- 

 stock Nurseries. At that time an inventory showed 

 600,000 apple and plum trees in various stages of pro- 

 pagation. It is to be noted that while their lists show 

 different varieties from time to time, the list of trees 

 recommended was never large, and contained only 

 those varieties which they had tested fully in orchard. 

 It is interesting to note that Mcintosh Red were re- 

 commended in 1882, at the same time as Wealthy. The 

 Dudley apple was introduced shortly after it was orig- 

 inated near Presque Isle, Maine. This apple was a 

 seedling obtained from seeds planted by the little 

 daughter of John W. Dudley out of a New Brunswick 

 apple tree presented to her by one of Sharp's agents. 

 When a Rochester firm bought the tree and exploited 

 it under the name of "North Star", it Avas Sharp who 

 sent his son to Dudley's place and proved the right 

 name to be Dudley. The American Pomologieal Society 

 took action accordingly by rejecting "North Star" as 

 the name of this fine apple. We also find such native 

 varieties as Peabody Greening, Honey Pink, Summer 

 Harvey, and Kennebec Sweeting, and later several of 

 the Sharp hybrids. 



Franklin Sharp displayed exceptional talent for 

 horticulture, and would have made a high mark in put- 

 ting into practice his father's discoveries, had not his 

 untimely death occurred in 1892. By direction of his 

 will the nursery business was then closed out, ending 

 the work of propagation and introduction of varieties 

 along the lines of tests employed by the Sharps. 



The earliest records we have of apples going to market 

 are in 1859. About this date Sharp was shipping to 

 Grand Falls and St. John, and there was an order from 

 Ireland. These were for Fameuse, in part, if not wholly. 

 In the local newspapers, prior to this date, were to be 

 found advertisements of "New York Apples" on sale 

 at Fredericton. The first strictly commercial orchard 

 consisted of an acre of New Brunswiekers on the rear 

 of the river slope of the Adam Sharp place in Upper 

 Woodstock. This orchard, planted before 1860, is still 

 producing annually. 



The success of the New Brunswicker in the Sharp 

 orchard led to other orchards being established near 

 Woodstock. Three of these in particular, known as 

 the Fisher, Winslow and Stoddard orchards respect- 

 ively, were planted by Sharp under a rental system 

 and are said to have proved immense producers. The 

 Fi.sher orchard of two acres planted in 1863, produced 

 in its fifth year 100 barrels per acre, and from its 7th 

 to 17th year averaged 150 barrels per acre. These trees 

 are now 16x16 ft., but may have been closer at the 

 start. However, the Winslow orchard, of one acre, 

 was set very close, 6x6 ft., and for 15 years was kept 

 in place by repressive summer pruning. The Stoddard 

 orchard, 2 acres, was planted about 1870. 6x6 

 ft., and similarly pruned. These close set orchards 

 were fenced close to the trees, a roadway along one or 

 two sides being left, and the fruit when packed was 

 hauled by horse and drag to. the road. They were re- 

 markably productive orchards, but required that at- 

 tention in pruning which Sharp himself confessed only 

 those having a talent for horticulture were qualified 



to give. But 16 feet apart he did recommend as the 

 maximum distance, since he found the apple inclined 

 to dwarf in cold countries and the varieties such as 

 fall into very early permanent bearing. Nor were the 

 successful orchards confined to those thus controlled 

 by Sharp. The Raymond Orchard, near Woodstock, 

 consisting of 3 acres of New Brunswiekers, is still pro- 

 ducing. The Hon. David Irvine, of Knoxford, in the 

 extreme north of Carleton County, had several acres 

 of New Brunswiekers, Alexander, Fameuse and 

 Wealthy that were very profitable. By the year 1887 

 the county alone was producing sufficient for an export 

 of upwards of 18,000 barrels, practically all of which 

 the Sharps handled. 



Franklin Sharp's first work was the establishment 

 of an orchard of 18.000 apples, consisting of 12,000 

 Crimson Beauty, nearly 6,000 Wealthj-, and the renuiin- 

 der of trial varieties with some of the earlier produc- 

 tions of his father. These covered about 60 acres and 

 were planted 8 feet apart, in rows 24 feet apart. Later 

 he doubled up many of the orcjhard rows, making 

 groups of three rows 12 feet apart, with alternate 

 spaces 24 feet. Under the system intended, these trees, 

 although very free growing in nature, would never 

 ,have crowded. This was to have been, indeed, a great 

 model orchard. After his death, the father being now 

 out of active orcharding, conditions were unfavorable 

 for the carrying out of any but ordinary modes of cul- 

 ture, and some years later, after the orchard was be- 

 ginning to produce upwards of 3,000 barrels, the larger 

 portion of it passed into other hands, and right 

 methods not being applied, the orchard, although of 

 the hardiest varieties, went to pieces, at a. time when 

 with the proper care, it should have been producing 

 10,000 barrels a year. 



After the Sharps thus went, as it were, out of exten- 

 sive orcharding, the business of handling fruit in the ' 

 county pass.ed into other hands that did not maintain 

 the former high standards of packing, and the business 

 declined accordingly. 



This brings us to what may be called the second 

 stage of the history of apple culture in New Brunswick 

 — a period marked by a feeling that commercial apple 

 growing, in such a northern climate, was not a practic- 

 able proposition. It is easy to see how this belief orig- 

 inated and gained strength. With the advanced age 

 of ]\Ir. Sharp and the death of his son, Franklin, there 

 no longer vemained the neee^ssary knowledge and 

 skill to bring to a successful issue such intensive 

 methods of apple growing as they had originated and 

 practised. The orchards which they themselves had 

 planted and controlled fell victims to neglect and 

 wrong handling, while throughout the middle and 

 southern portions of the province these closely planted 

 orchards of early varieties, which had had their source 

 in che Sharp nurseries, came into bearing with no pro- 

 vision for co-oi)erative handling or cold storage ship- 

 ping facilities to dispose of the perishable product. The 

 resulting large gluts on the small local markets so 

 lowered prices that there M-as little if any profit in 

 nmrketing their apples or earing for their orchards 

 aiul this fact, coujiled with the unsuitability of Sharp's 

 niethcwls of intensive pruning aiul culture to applica- 

 tion by the average farmer, led to their neglect. Many 

 of the orchards have passed out of existence but some 

 yet remain, still bearing fruit and are evidence of the 

 facts and conditions as stated above. 



Following tlie closing out of the Sharp nurseries. 



