Apple Varieties in Maine Frederick Charles Bradford
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library 6-1911 Apple Varieties in Maine Frederick Charles Bradford Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd Part of the Agriculture Commons Recommended Citation Bradford, Frederick Charles, "Apple Varieties in Maine" (1911). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2384. http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2384 This Open-Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Maine in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE by FREDERICK CHARLES BRADFORD, B. S . Orono, Maine. June, 1911. 8 2 8 5 INTRODUCTION The following pages represent an effort to trace the causes of the changing procession of varieties of apples grown in Maine. To this end the history of fruit growing in Maine has been carefully studied, largely through the Agricultural Reports from 1850 to 1909 and the columns of the Maine Farmer fran 1838 to 1875. The inquiry has been confined as rigidly as possible to this state, out side sources being referred to only for sake of compari son. Rather incidentally, soil influences, modifications due to climate, etc., have been considered. Naturally* since the inquiry was limited to printed record, nothing new has been discovered in this study. Perhaps a somewhat new point of view has been achieved. And, since early Maine pomological literature has been rather neglected by our leading writers, some few forgot ten facts have been exhumed. A small amount of informa tion has been collected in regard to Honey Pink; a little has been added to the commonly known history of the High- top Sweet; notices of Winthrop Greening and of Hunt Russet prior to any recorded in standard literature have been found and authenticated histories of Hubbardston and of Tolman Sweet have been carried back a little further. F. C . B. T HISTORICAL NOTES. x Apples have been grown in Maine probably since a bout 1650 for in the contemporary accounts of early settlements occasional references are made to apple orchards (M.P.S. 1875: III ff). These orchards were, undoubtedly, like those of Massachusetts Bay at that time, composed of trees grown from seed brought from Europe. There is, however, an occasional tradition of apple trees brought across the ocean in tubs and grown in what is now Maine. Though settlements were made along the seacoast and the navigable rivers almost as early as were those of Massachusetts, it was not until the last of the eighteenth century that the interior received any number of immigrants. Following the Revolution, great numbers of farmers from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, with their families, cattle and household goods, made their way into Maine and took up farms. Many of these brought apple seeds with them and, in a few years, seedling orchards were common through out the state. There was, at this time, practically no market for apples, but there was a great demand for cider. The making of cider, in Maine never attained the degree’of fineness where special varieties were required, and, for this pur pose > the seedling orchard served well enough. In the plant ing of numerous seeds the operation of the laws of chance usually produced an occasional tree bearing apples suit able for kitchen or table use. After the apples for the house had been selected and enough cider had been made the surplus was fed to the live stock. Little or no attention was given to pruning or feeding the trees and grafting was an almost unknown art. Our first record of named varieties in the state dates to about 1773 when Hightop Sweet was brought from the Old Colony in Massachusetts to Bristol (M.P.S. 1873: 10). The same variety, with Rhode Island Greening, was brought, probably in 1788, to Winthrop from the Old Colon y (Ag. Me. 1853: 414). About the same time Dr. Vaughan, an English gentleman, settled in Hallowell and soon after made extensive importations of the favorite apples of England. Among the varieties thus introduced was Eibston (Horticulturist, June, 1851: 292)’. What was said to be the first importation of Baldwin was made in 1804 when Thomas Coolidge, son-in-law of Loami Baldwin, brought scions which were set in trees at Hallowell (M.F. Dec. 21, 1872). Between 1810 and 1814 Samuel Chamberlain, a settler in Foxcroft, grafted into seedlings on his farm scions received from his native place, Charlton, Massa chusetts. Among the varieties thus introduced were Hubbard* ston, then unnamed but of local repute at Charlton, and Tolman Sweet (Ag. Me. 1883: 377). At Bucketown, now Orrington, near Bangor, the first commercial nursery in the state was established, some,time between 1804 and 1812, by Ephraim Goodale. The trees were brought from Goodale's nursery at home, in Massa chusetts. A reproduction of Goodale's catalog of apple and pear trees issued at this time is included in the proceedings of the Maine Pomological Society for 1873. Among the varieties here offered were Roxbury and Sops of Wine, under their respective synonyms, Warren Russet and Bell's Early. As early as 1830 Prince's nurseries at Flushing, Long Island, N. Y., were sending trees to Maine. N. Foster of East Winthrop imported Green and Yellow Newtown Pip pins from this source (M.F. March 18, 1846). Porter was . introduced to Penobscot county in 1828 by Col. Little (Proc. 2nd Cong. Fruit Growers, N.Y., 1849: 28). In general, however, there was little grafted fruit grown, its culture being confined mostly to gentlemen's gardens. But a few years later itinerant grafters began to travel through the country topworking trees on a large scale. Prominent among the men engaged in this work were Captain Salmon Holmes and Moses Sears of Winthrop and the latter's pupil, Calvin Chamberlain (M.P.S. 1894: 74). Markets for apples were gradually developed as the local towns grew and roads and shipping facilities were improved. As early as 1822 we have a record of several thousand bushels of "New York Russets" being teamed from Livermore and Turner to Hallowell from which town they were sent by boat toNew Orleans (N.E.F. Nov. 16, 1822). Calvin Chamberlain, in a letter (M.P.S• 1894: 74), told of teaming apples from Foxcroft to Bangor about 1840. In 1850 we find apples quoted at from $0.55 to $1.25 per bushel in Waldo County (Pat. Off. Kept. 1850: 315). In 1856 one firm in Hallowell had shipped one thousand barrels by the first of Hovember and was "still shipping by the wholesale". These were to meet the "foreign de mand" (M.F. Kov. 6, 1856). Boston, Baltimore, Phila delphia, Mobile and other southern ports also took large quantities (M.F. Apr. 22, 1852). About this time com plaints appear against Maine apples in Boston markets because of "deaconing" (M.F. Feb. 25, 1858). The fifties were years of great expansion in fruit growing in the state. Great quantities of trees were imported from the Connecticut and New York nurseries. The succession of severe winters preceding 1860, kill ing thousands of trees, and the Civil War, taking away a large part of the male population and closing the south ern markets, followed by the westward emigration, com bined to turn attention from fruit growing for a short period. Interest soon revived, however, and resulted in the organization of the Maine Pomological Society in 1873. This society is the successor of an earlier one, formed at Augusta in 1847 and existing for some years, but never of state-wide influence. Two other horticultural societies had existed for brief periods, the Bangor Horticultural Society, formed in 1849, living for a number of years and giving several exhibitions, and the Portland Horti cultural Society, formed in 1859, with about one hundred and fifty members (M.F. Feb. 23, 1860). The work of these earlier societies was directed mainly to the testing of varieties and, indeed, this work seems to have engrossed a large part of the attention of the present society dur ing its first few years. In the history of the earlier days of fruit growing in Maine a few names stand out prominently. Perhaps the first name, chronologically, is that of Dr. Vaughan of Hallowell,. for his importations from England. Ephraim Goodale, with his nursery near Bangor, exerted a long felt influence in Penobscot, Hancock and Lincoln counties. Ezekiel Holmes, friend of all agricultural effort, ran- dered efficient aid to fruit growing through the columns of the Maine Farmer, beginning in 1836, and was instru mental in forming the Maine Pomological Society in 1847. Moses Wood and Moses Bears of Winthrop were prominent as itinerant grafters and by virtue of their occupation ex erted great influence on the composition of many Maine orchards. Nathan Foster of Winthrop and Gardiner, and the Tabers, - Daniel and S. N.,- of Vassalboro1, main tained rather extensive nurseries in the early forties. Galvin Chamberlain commenced itinerant grafting through Piscataquis and Penobscot counties about 1840* He maintained for a time a nursery at Poxcroft - though its output was limited - , did much test ing of varieties and was a frequent correspondent to the Maine Parmer. D. A. Fairbanks and J. Hart well of Augusta, active members of the Maine Pom ological Society, introduced new varieties and contributed to the agricultural press. Henry Little was long one of the most prominent fruit growers in Penobscot county and was connected with the Bangor Horticultural Society.