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that it is not a real decline in the quality of the fruit, 

 but in the tree, owing either to want of health, the 

 feafon, the foil, the mode of planting, or to the 

 (lock which they are grafted on, being too often 

 raifed from the feed of apples in the fame place or 

 county : it appears from the ablefl men in my pnp- 

 fefiion, that they never found a real decline in any 

 one kind of fruit, but from the above caufes. 



To make a fair experiment, I mould be much 

 obliged to any gentleman that will take the trouble 

 to fend me a few cuttings, from thofe very trees, the 

 fruit of which is fuppofed to be degenerated from 

 the original goodnefs. I would graft them on the 

 real crab-flock, and fome alfo on the (lock raifed 

 from the apple-pips in this county ; then fend the 

 trees to the place where the cuttings came from j — 

 by which means (though the procefs is tedious) we 

 mall be able to afcertain, whether the change of (lock 

 will not reftore the fruit to its original goodnefs. 



I have not a doubt in my own mind, but that the 

 trees which are grafted on the (locks raifed from the 

 apple-pips, are more tender than thofe grafted on 

 the real crab-dock; and the feafons in this country 

 have for many years pad been unfavourable for 

 fruits, which add much to the fuppofed degeneracy 

 of the apple. It is my opinion, that if planters of 



orchards 



