The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-09-28
Twenty-Five Years OF Orchard Expert
ence In the "COld North"

seven years since the agricultural
county, aud twenty-five years since he
began the attempt to establish an or
chard on his farm on Lake Memphrema-
cog, near the village of Newport. Re-
moving from Massachusetts, where, in
the city of Boston, as practcing ply
stefan, his health had become seriously
impaired, he was astonisbed to learn
that the growing of any of the common
tree fruits of New England was re-
garded as practically impossible in that
county. A few crabapples were
planted; and few chance seedlings
were known, here and there, to be pro-
ducing fruit; but there were no or
chards of any considerable extent, and
nursery trees were universally reported
to be failure.
AS the north line of Vermont, ex-
tended eastward, crosses a part of
Maine where all the different species
of orchard fruit are successfully grown
in some of their leading varieties, this
fact seemed very remarkable. But, in
this, account failed to be taken of the
factor of elevation in northeastern Ver-
mont. While Lake Champlain lies less
than 100 feet above the sea, Lake Mem
phremagog is upwards of 500 feet above
that level, and the surrounding coun-
try is from 200 to 1000 feet higher
still. At Bangor, in Maine, on the
same parallel, the elevation is less,
even, than at Lake amplain-and at
both localities all the tree fruits of New
England thrive, and can be grown with
profit for market.
1t was a wide and deep problem
which had to be met and solved, with
very few data to go upon. But it was
an interesting and important study. A
section of country where tree fruits
cannot be grown, however fertile and
otherwise desirable it may be, stands at
a decided disadvantage. Northeastern
Vermont Constituting with the Cham
plain valley that portion of New Eng
land whose waters are tributary to the
st. Lawrence river) is, aside from its
elevation, which intensifies the cold of
its winters, not inferior to any portion
of the Eastern States in its agricultural
advantages. AS dairy region it is I'M
surpassed. Its forests are still extern
sive and magnificent in growth. The
sugar maple, especially, has here its
most perfect development, and the for
ests of this noble tree which are found
everywhere, upon the hills and in the
valleys, are probably freer from admix-
ture with other species than in any
other part of New England. The sea-
son of sugaring is also longer here than
elsewhere, and the average product per
tree is nowhere exceeded.
Now it seemed evident that region
so naturally arboreal-so suited to the
growth of trees-ought to be superior
orchard region. The only problem that
faced the orchardist was where to find
the varieties of tree fruits which could
resist the severity of its winter climate
Those who thought only of its rela-
tive Misunderstanding to regard also
its altitude-failed to understand how
it could be that the fruit-trees which
grew well and were productive in the
northeastern counties of New York,
the southwestern counties of Quebec,
and the Champlain valley, were killed
almost invariably before reaching
bearing age in Orleans, Essex and Gale
donia counties of Vermont, and the adj
joining eastern townships of Canada.
But experiments carefully tried, ex-
tending over many years, gave no other
result. The famous Fameuse apple of
the island of Montreal, planted in very
favorable exposures in the least ele-
waited localities near Lake Memphre-
magog, will thrive for time while
young, and produce good crops; but
these same trees, when after bearing
heavy crop they encountered one OF
the "test winters" in which the mer-
curry, congealing in the bulb of the
thermometer, failed to further indicate
the decline of temperature, persisted
miserably; and these, being the hardi-
est known variety, having thus failed,
it seemed self-evident that all thoughts
of profitable orcharding must be given
up. 1t was just when this conclusion
had seemingly to be accepted that a
very unexpected concurrence of Cir
cumstances brought the writer as per-
manent resident to the shores of Lake
Memphremagog. Only few years be-
fore, he had remarked to friend that
he had visited every state east of the
Rocky Mountains save only Vermont
and Florida, and he doubted if he
should ever enter either of these, as
they were out of the general course of