A Fruit Growing Family History

 James P. Hobbs front row second from right, Everett N. Hobbs back right

 

James P. Hobbs (1838-1904)

James was the first of my family to live on the homestead we currently steward at the north end of Hobbs Pond. He was the grandson of one of the original settlers of the town of Hope (Micah Hobbs 1777-1842).

 

James (my great-great-great grandfather, yes that’s 3 greats) wore many hats, as was common in that time, but one of his money making ventures was that of canvassing for a Geneva, NY based fruit tree nursery. Canvassing was the act of traveling a given assigned region, talking to farmers and landowners trying to sell nursery stock (in this case fruit trees). When an order was acquired, James would send a letter to his Geneva contact, the order would be packed and shipped via train or boat to one of the pick up locations (Camden or Rockland were the major hubs) and it was James’ responsibility to pick up the shipments and deliver them to the proper persons inland. He would then receive a percentage of the sale as payment from the nursery. This was essentially how early mail order nursery businesses were run before rural people had door to door mail service available. 

 

An example of an order James received while canvassing:

 

On top of his canvassing, James was also an orchardist and respected member of the North Knox Agricultural and Horticultural Society which organized and judged the agricultural entries at the North Knox Fair (this would eventually become the modern day Union fair). 

 

He was often a judge in the fruit category at the fair as seen below:

 

James also sold barrels of apples to the European markets. In the late 19th century American apples had gained quite a following among Europeans and Boston harbor shipped tons across the Atlantic over the years. Some came from the Hobbs farm, as evidenced by the following receipt for 6 barrels of Northern Spy apples (he made $4.35 after freight charges):

 

 

Everett N. Hobbs (1877-1965)

Like his father before him, Everett (my great great grandfather) had his hands in many affairs (he served in the state legislature, postmaster, town government etc.) but he was most known for his agricultural prowess and took fruit growing on the Hobbs farm to a whole new level. 

Locally, he was well known in the agricultural scene. He served as the president and chairman of agricultural economics of the Knox-Lincoln County Farm Bureau, and was often seen taking home best apple displays at the local Knox and Lincolnville fairs. 

 

At the state level, he took home the best apple display at the State pomological show in Portland as well as first place for the quality of his St. Lawrence apples. He also won a statewide competition held by the state pomological society called the Gregory contest. This competition called for “the orchardist who could show to a committee the most excellent orchard of one acre or more grown on his own land, of trees of his own selection (the Ben Davis excepted) five years from setting”. 178 farmers and orchardists from around the state took part in the competition.  Everett was the winner and was awarded a hefty sum of $600 for his impressive efforts.

 

Everett wasn’t just an impressive apple grower, he was also one of (if not the) first Maine farmers to grow peaches successfully in the state of Maine. He worked with many nurseries to try different rootstock/cultivar combinations and eventually found some that would survive the harsh winters with the right horticultural techniques. This work would eventually catch the attention of other fruit breeders in the north east, and Everett would often travel to Geneva for conferences to talk with others in the field. The most notable was Richard Wellington, professor emeritus of pomology at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, New York. He was famed for working at the Geneva research station for 47 years, 24 of those as department head, breeding new fruit varieties (Macoun, Lodi, Early Mcintosh, Gorham pear and Stanley prune just to name a few). Professor Wellington took time out of his sabbatical to travel to Hope and visit Everett and the farm. He was particularly interested in the peaches and his comments can be seen below:

 

 

Everett W. Smith Jr. (1989 - Present) Owner of Hobbs Horticulture LLC

Fast forward 3 generations and that brings us to me. The 8th generation born and raised in the town of Hope and the 6th to steward this particular piece of land. I spent my childhood roaming along the north shore of Hobbs Pond (named after my ancestors previously mentioned) and playing amongst (and eating from) the few remaining apple and pear trees left by James and Everett. I always found it fascinating that these trees were left by generations past and here I was a hundred years later literally eating the fruits of their labor. I never met these people as they passed long before my time, but in a way I felt like I had, thanks to those trees. My wife and I moved to the homestead in 2017 and started cleanup and restoration efforts shortly after. The fields had been managed for a time as a conventional vegetable operation with a small honors system roadside stand. There was also a greenhouse operation (opened in 1999 by my father and grandmother) that grew various flowers and annuals and eventually morphed into a specialized mail order business offering rare geranium selections. They also had a small peach and plum planting. Those greenhouses were sold before we moved in and the footprint and surrounding areas cleaned up. The fields were allowed to lay dormant for a few seasons to regenerate the soil and microbiome. The orchards planted by James and Everett Hobbs were mostly gone at this point (a few apples remain on adjacent properties, original parts of the farm, long sold off) and in 2020 the first new orchard plantings were begun. I felt a strong desire to return the farm to its former fruit growing glory. The overall goal being a hardy, low maintenance, diverse, long lived planting that would be there for many more generations of the family to come. Also, it is to serve as a genetically diverse bank of plant material for my future propagation and breeding efforts. Many of the heirloom varieties that once thrived on the farm have been regrafted and returned to the property. Propagation and the idea for opening Hobbs Horticulture began in 2022 and the first plants, seeds and cuttings offered for sale on our website in the fall of 2023. My hope is that my efforts honor those who came before me and continue to provide for those who come after.