THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
i43 
EDITORIAL WANDERINGS 
BAY STATE HORTICULTURISTS. 
It is especially interesting to visit a region which at one 
time represented the beginnings of fruit culture in the New 
World. It is fair to say that Massachusetts is the cradle of 
amateur fruit growing in this country. Long before the 
commercial orchards which now reflect credit and bring 
large revenue to western New York were planted, Massa¬ 
chusetts horticulturists were holding fruit exhibitions in 
Boston, where great collections of pears, apples and grapes 
were displayed. These exhibitions were under the direction 
and largely due to the stimulus and influence of that grand 
old amateur fruit grower, Marshall P. Wilder. 
The history of the 
Massachusetts Horti¬ 
cultural Society is in¬ 
terwoven in large 
measure with the de¬ 
velopment of com¬ 
mercial fruit growing 
in this country. This 
is peculiar inasmuch 
as the commercial 
aspects of fruit grow¬ 
ing have never become 
prominent in the Bay 
State. There are few 
people who recognize 
the fact that apple 
growing w r as made 
possible to a consid¬ 
erable extent in the 
north-west states by 
reason of the efforts of 
this New England 
society. Few people 
recognize that the first public experiment station 
devoted to the study of fruit adaptations in this country 
was that under the guidance and direction of the Massachu¬ 
setts Horticultural Society at Salem. The first report of 
this society by its secretary, Mr. Manning, recorded the 
introduction of three or four varieties of hardy apples, which 
afterwards and up to the present time have exerted and are 
still exerting a tremendous influence on the fruit growing of 
the colder regions of this country. The Massachusetts 
Horticultural Society, as far back as 1837, was in close 
touch with the London Horticultural Society, and this 
parent organization was an introducing association having 
connections in all parts of the then comparatively unknown 
eastern American lands. Through the London Horticul¬ 
tural Society, Duchess, Alexander, Astrachan and Tetofsky 
were brought into England, and through the agency of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society they were introduced 
into America. From Massachusetts they drifted westward 
with the opening of the north-west country, and soon 
found their special place of usefulness which is in the 
rigorous regions of the prairie states. It is interesting to 
note that now after a quarter of a century or more, some of 
these varieties, notably the Duchess, is coming back to the 
east where it is being used as a “filler” under the new com¬ 
mercial systems of planting. At the time of introduction 
its qualities did not appeal to the pomologist of the east, for 
cold storage was not then developed and summer apples 
were altogether too numerous. 
There are now three important horticultural societies in 
Massachusetts. These are the society just mentioned,— 
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society—with headquar¬ 
ters in Boston, owning its own hall and holding meetings 
throughout the year 
and frequent exhibi¬ 
tions; the Worcester 
County Horticultural 
Society, mentioned 
second because it 
ranks with the Mass¬ 
achusetts Horticul¬ 
tural Society as a 
pioneer, and like that 
organization owns its 
own hall and holds 
frequent meetings; 
and finally the Mass¬ 
achusetts Fruit Grow¬ 
ers Association, an 
organization of the 
fruit , growers of the 
state in distinction to 
the other two associ¬ 
ations which are now 
somewhat local in 
character. 
It was our pleasure recently to attend a meeting of the 
last named society. The subjects presented at the meeting 
were those relating to improved methods of growing and 
grading fruit. A good deal of attention was also given to 
the matter of co-operation. The main difficulty seems to 
be that there are not enough orchards distributed over the 
state to properly represent the commercial ideal in orchard¬ 
ing. These demonstration orchards are needed. If they 
were established, undoubtedly capital would be diverted to 
fruit growdng as a safe and profitable industry; but now 
interest is being awakened, new ideals will be developed, 
and we feel sure that a new era in New England fruit gtou - 
ing is approaching. 
The meeting of the Massachusetts State Society was held 
in the rooms of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. 
It proved to be one of the most interesting horticultural 
conventions which it has been our pleasure to attend. 
The social side was pleasantly emphasized. We received 
the following invitation. “The Worcester County Horti¬ 
cultural Society will hold its annual reunion and banquet 
Strong-two-year-"grape-vines in ihe Arlington Nurseries, Marshall Bros. 
