History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

for the purpose of " shoeing the family." If an
exact " fit " was not obtained, it was compensated
for by a durability that might instruct the present
age. From the hand-looms were furnished the
articles of clothing.
In 176-i a mill was owned and used by Samuel
Jaques for the purpose of crushing cornstalks and
pressing out the juice, which was converted into
sugar. How far this was successful we have no
means of knowing. This early enterprise is characteristic
of Jaques' numerous descendants, among
whom may be mentioned the late Samuel Jaques,
of Somerville, who was a native of Wilmington.
He was for many years an inspector of hops, also
a distinguished breeder of horses and cattle. He
owned and lived during tlie latter part of his life
on the well-known Ten Hills Farm, in Somer-
ville.
During the last fifty years of the past century
the cultivation of hops began to engage the atten-
tion of the people here, and was soon so perfected
as to demonstrate that, with requisite care, they
could be successfully grown in Wilmington. As the
demand for this production increased, the growers
prospered to such an extent that there was scarcely a
farmer in the town who had not a hop-yard, to which
he gave attention as being his principal source of
income and ultimate wealth.
The high prices and ready money received for
hops soon attracted general notice, and the hop-
fever became epidemic. The people of the neigh-
boring towns were soon applying here for hop-
roots, which for a time was another source of
profit to the producers. Tiie business was con-
tinued, and carried on to such an extent here that
the place was long called Hoptown. At length the
culture became so extensively introduced into
the New England States and New York that the
production greatly- exceeded the demand, and the
price went down from twenty-five to four cents per
pound, so that for the last fifty years this business
has been almost entirely given up.
We have alluded to the extensive meadows in
Wilmington. Some of them have long been cele-
brated for their spontaneous production of cran-
berries, which had little or no market value previous
to 1790, as we learn by an article from the pen of
James Walker, of Fryeburg, Maine, who was born
in Wilmington, January 3, 1772. He speaks of
some experienced marketmen of North Woburn,
who in 1785 carried some six bushels of tlie tempt-
ing fruit to Boston, but could find no one to buy.
WILMINGTON.
509
After trying in vain until sundown the berry mer-
chants went quietly down to the dock, threw their
berries into the water, and went home. He also
relates that when a lad he took half a bushel with
him to Boston, and ottered the berries for sale, but
no one would buy, until at length he went into a
shop kept by a woman, who oft'ered eightpence in
barter.
Mr. Walker's article continues " : In 1790 I had
two brothers living in Duxbury who were interested
in Navigation ; they owned a sloop of some sixty
tons burden, and chartered her for Baltimore. Tiie
Captain was from some town on Cape Cod, a middle-
aged man who seemed to understand his business,
and learning that there were cranberries in Wilmington,
applied to us to buy the fruit. Having
a brother older than myself at home, we gave out
word that we would buy cranberries at twenty
cents per bushel. The people thought- it rather
low, but they gathered and brought them in at that
price, until we were obliged to stop buying. And
when they were ready to take them on board, we
had two four-ox teams fully loaded with cranber-
ries. The vessel went, and made a good voyage of
it. And from this single shipment grew the im-
mense trade and culture of cranberries."
The planting and rearing of apple-trees of the
native kind received attention during the last cen-
tury, for the purpose maiidy of making cider. If
we can rely on the testimony that comes down to
us, the trees of that period were not only greater
bearers, but vastly more hardy and long-lived than
any we have known for the last fifty years. It is
also well known that in this natural fruit there was
found a great variety in respect to flavor, size, and
quality. The celebrated Baldwin apple furnishes
an instance. The original tree was found and
stood on land owned by James Butters, in the
south part of Wilmington, and early attracted
some attention, — so much so that it was given the
distinct name of Woodpecker, by reason of its
being much visited by birds of that species. Colo-
nel Loammi Baldwin, of Woburn, who owned land
near this tree, fortunately became interested in the
propagation of this variety of fruit, for which pur-
pose he frequently cut scions from this tree, with
such success as to prefix his name to the Baldwin
apple.
In 1798 Captain Joseph Bond, a practical baker,
came to Wilmington and established a bakery. All
tiie surrounding towns and country were open to
him for a market. The business was successfully