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Thefe confiderations make me view with concern 

 the prefent neglect of orchards, where the old trees 

 are decaying without proper provifion being made 

 for the fucceeding age: for if a farmer plants frefh 

 trees, (which does not frequently happen) there 

 is feldom any care taken to propagate the better 

 forts, as his grafts are ulually taken promifcuoufly 

 from any ordinary kind, mod eafily procured in 

 his neighbourhood.* Hence arife the numberlefs 

 apple-trees, wich may almoft be faid to incumber 

 the ground, and occupy the room which a valuable 

 tree might poflefs. 



I have heard it frequently remarked, that a good 

 apple is hardly ever to be procured but near large 

 towns; and in general I have found the obfervation 

 juft, owing, I conceive, principally to the inatten- 

 tion of the farmer, and fometimes to the difficulty 

 he finds in obtaining the bed forts. 



* We hope For the credit of common fenfe, this is not literally the 

 cafe j few people would take the trouble of grafting without a view 

 to fome improvement j and in country places, the belt apple-trees 

 of the neighbourhood are fufficiently noted ; but if the f'pirit of im- 

 provement prevailed as it ought in this article, the owners of or- 

 chards would not only propagate the belt forts occasionally, but con- 

 itantly reduce their young apple-trees which were found to bear 

 ordinary fruit, to grafting ftocks for the moft valuable forts. By 

 fach a practice, git..: • >n would be made. 



R 2 Could 



