A striking characteristic of the agriculture of the present time, as compared with that of a former period, is the much greater attention now paid to the cultivation of fruit The early settlers made some attempts to introduce the best varieties of Apples and Pears known in the mother country when they left it For this purpose, some brought with them the seeds of these fruits, but, to their astonishment, they found that the product of the trees which sprung from them was very different from what they expected, and in many instances inferior to the fruit from which the seed had been taken. They did not understand how this could be, as they did not know that the seedling is often inferior to the fruit whose seed is sown.+

* From the First Annval of the Secretry of the Masschusetts Board of Argicultre.

+ The first fruit raised, was on Governor's Island, In the harbor of Boston, from which, on the 10th of October, 1639, ten fair Pippins were brought,there being not one Apple nor Pear tree planted in any part of the country, bat unon that Island".

Their progress in this department, as might have been expected, was slow; indeed we can hardly say that fruit was cultivated at all as a part of the produce of the farm, and with a view to profit, till a comparatively recent date. Half a century ago it would have been impossible to find the number of varieties of good fruit in the whole State, which may now be found in a single town. There were orchards, it is true, and some of them were better than none; but this is all that can be said. Cider Apples occupied a very prominent place in the list The Hubbardston Nonesuch, the Minuter, the Porter, and other favorite varieties, had then no existence. Not a nursery containing trees for sale, was to be found in the State. Here and there was an instance of grafting, but it was rare, and generally no thought was given to the subject. It was regarded as absurd for any but a young man to set out trees. An incident in the life of the venerable Mr. Cobb, of Kingston, not inaptly illustrates the feeling which formerly prevailed to a great extent throughout the State. At the age of seventy years, he began the work ofdsetting an orchard. The idea was so ludicrous as to subject him to the ridicule of the neighborhood.

He lived to the age of one hundred and seven, and died in 1801, having enjoyed many years the fruits of his labors. Grafted trees were now and then obtained from another State, where somewhat greater attention had been paid to raising them; and a few orchards, nearly fifty years old, now bear some good fruit, notwithstanding the neglect and abuse of subsequent owners.

In the cultivation of fruit on the farms of this State, with reference to profit, the few great staple varieties are mostly relied on, while the choicer and more delicate kinds, which require much time and care to bring them to perfection, are left, for the most part, to the horticulturist, who is fully able to supply the limited demand for them.

To make such fruits profitable to the farmer, he should deal directly with the consumer. As things are, the producer often gets less than his proportion of the price paid, while the consumer, on the other hand, frequently pays far more than he ought.

It is the more common varieties of fruit, therefore, (for which there is, and always will be, a good demand,) that are grown on the farm.

Fortunately, the habits and character of these varieties are now pretty well known, and the farmer can judge which of them it is most for his interest to grow. He knows for instance, that certain Apples, as the Baldwin, produce in alternate years, and then very abundantly; so much so, indeed, that the market is overstocked, and prices fall. The intelligent farmer would naturally make his calculations with reference to these facts, and avoid such casualties by selecting for his orchards such Apples as the Hub-bardston Nonesuch, the Minister, or others of equal value, which will find a ready sale when the Baldwin and similar varieties are selling at the lowest prices.

The fact that these things sometimes occur, does not prove that fruit is not profitable, as is sometimes argued. If any one fails to make by it, he should rather consider it as an indication of some want of prudence or foresight on his part, and though he may not be willing to see or acknowledge it himself, it will still be evident to all who look on with a full knowledge of the fruit market.

To show how great attention is now devoted to this pleasant branch of rural econo.

An intelligent former of Franklin County, writes as follows: - "The cultivation of fruit is prospectively most important to the farmer's interest, and the farmers are just beginning to learn it; there is no other way by which land can be made so profitable as by raising fruit, and our land is well adapted to the cultivation".

The same may be said of some parts of the county of Worcester, where "fruit of all kinds has, within the last fifteen years, received great attention, and been attended with most beneficial results, yielding to the farmer the most net profit of anything that he could cultivate. Choice Apples are raised in great abundance - except this year, the new edition of worms has produced almost an entire failure".

Another from the same county, writes: - "Great attention has been paid to the cultivation of fruit, particularly the Apple, within the last few years. The soil is peculiarly adapted to fruit of all kinds, it being a deep yellow loam, and the surface greatly diversified. Peaches are generally, and in some instances extensively cultivated Pear culture is receiving very much attention, and Quinces are raised, more or less, by every body. With many farmers the profits of the farm have doubled within the last ten years".

In the county of Middlessex, also, the farmers are paying greatly increased attention to this subject, and find it profitable to do so. A correspondent writes as follows: -

"Considerable attention is given to the cultivation of fruit. There are some valuable old orchards, producing the Baldwin and Hunt Russet in abundance. Great numbers of young Apple trees have been set within the last six years, and are receiving excellent care by careful pruning and the constant cultivation of the ground. Garden fruits, such as Peaches, Pears, Plums, Currant3, Gooseberries, Blackberries and Raspberries have also recently received a degree of attention unknown here, until within a few years. There is no doubt among our cultivators but that these fruits materially increase the profits of the farm".

From another town of the same county, the following return was made, showing also the great attention which this subject is receiving: -

"More attention is paid to fruit culture, than any other branch of agriculture, and with great success - -especially Peaches, which thrive exceedingly well here; about 6,000 bushels were raised the past season. Apples, and other fruits do well. It is generally considered, that fruit trees pay for themselves, including care, cost of trees, etc, in about twelve years; and I think a great part of the time bestowed on an orchard is clear gain. All should plant an orchard who have land; I can assure them more profit thereby, than from any other branch of agriculture".

In the county of Hampden, though less interest is felt in fruit than in some other counties, it is now beginning to excite attention. One practical farmer writes from there, as follows: - "People have paid considerable attention to the cultivation of fruit, for a few years past, and I think with pretty good success. I have done as much in the way of raising fruit, as any man in out town, and I can say that I get more net profit from my fruit, considering the labor, than from any other products of my farm. We are seventy miles from Boston; we can pick our Apples one day, and have them in Boston market the next"

The county of Norfolk is peculiarly adapted to the raising of fruit, from the nature of its soil, its vicinity to the best of markets, and the facilities which it has for selecting the finest varieties. An intelligent, practical farmer, writes thus: - "Much attention is given to the cultivation of fruit. A good orchard of Apples, in full bearing, would probably increase the profits of a farm one-third; and where a variety of fruit is successfully cultivated, the increase of profits would be one-half, perhaps more".

Another in Middlessex County, says: - "Considerable attention has been paid to the cultivation of fruit, particularly Apples and Peaches. We send to the Boston and Lowell markets about six thousand bushels of Peaches, and, in bearing years, about six thousand barrels of Apples. We consider hay, fruit and wood, more profitable than anything we can raise".

In Essex County, fruit has received "much attention. The best kinds of Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, and Quinces, are raised in abundance".

In this county, the cultivation of fruit is of early date. The oldest Pear tree in the State still stands a constant bearer, having been imported from England by the celebrated Governor Endicott. Importations were then very rare, most trees being propagated by the seed. This tree is now more than two hundred years old. It is a Bon Chretien, though of inferior quality. The exact date at which it was set out is not known. The grant of the land on which it stands, was made to Governor Endicott n 1632; and, not many years after that, he had a nursery of young trees not far from the spot where this tree now stands. Some of these trees he is known to. have sold to his neighbors, who generally paid in land, the price being sometimes, two acres a tree.

The St. Michael's, St. Germain, Brown Beurre, and some other fine foreign Pears were known and esteemed in this county many years ago. These varieties were probably far better when first introduced into this county, than they are at present. In new lands and mild climates, they are ordinarily better than in other soils and colder climates, where they are apt to be inferior.