Show I I I MEMORIAL TO APPLE TREE Probably the Baldwin apple Is th the best known variety In existence For over a n century It has been widely eaten and In spite ot ol the fact act that scores of other sorts have come into the market to dispute Its Us popularity It Is still tile the favorite among it a- great eat many ers roi arid and consumers consume There has long been a e. dispute about the discovery of the original tree and the controversy has not yet et been settled set tied to the tile satisfaction of or all con Con- The fact seems to be however how bO ever er that a certain Williams Butters DuSters living Hiving In the tho town of ot Wilmington Mass about fourteen miles north of or Boston Doston found a prolific tree growing In the tho woods and transplanted it to tolila his lila farm That was long before the Revolutionary war Y Years Vears ears afterward Samuel Thompson a revolutionary veteran veteranS came across the tree while on ona a surveying expedition At that time it 11 had been made the home of a family of woodpeckers and the birds had flad pecked a row ot or holes around It For Kor t reason Colonel Thompson often referred to It as us the pecker tree He lie carried some of ot the fruit home bottle and the tho members of his family were so 60 pleased with the apples that he tie visited the tree again and cut a number of oC scions which were grafted onto trees In lila his orchard these trees began began be be- gan to bear fruit truit some of or the apples were given to Col Baldwin a anel nel neighbor who tho was so much Impressed with the Site quality and flavor that he cut many scions from the old tree and bean began be be- began gan an propagating new stock on on- ona a large scale caie This stock was spread broadcast broadcast broad cast In Massachusetts and as a compliment com corn to Colonel Baldwin his friends gave his Ills name to this apple The Butters farm house s still II stands I and a depression in the ground not far tar faraway away Is 18 pointed out as tho the place where the father of all Baldwin apple trees formerly stood the original tree Itself having been blown down in a terrific gale early In the last century In 1895 tho Rumford Historical association as as- erected a monument to mark the site of the tho old tree The rhe square granite shaft Is surmounted by a great great stone apple to represent a perfect specimen specimen ape ape- of the We Baldwin variety The Tho nato jato of tho the discovery of oC the pecker I tr tree e la Is given ghen on the monument as II 1793 but there Is la considerable doubt I as is to tho the correctness of this date I There is la little question however as a. to the tile location being the proper one although at one time no less than six towns near Boston and one in Maine were claiming the honor bonor of having pOSese pos pOSe se sed the original Baldwin tree As AsIt AsIt Asit it Is the surviving members of or the Butters flutters family believe they should not be Ignored as It was a Butters who first domesticated this variety and the Thompsons naturally think that the apple should really bear their name as a Thompson was first to start It on its road Toad to fame The whole thole question as to the origin of ot the apple had bad become such an Involved In one that the state legislature took a hand band in lU t the fifties and appoint appoint- appointed appointed ed a committee to Investigate the mat mat- ter This committee determined what It believed to be the exact location of or the original tree on the Butters farm farmand farmand arm armand and marked it iron iton on the state map of or Wilmington |