TRANSACTIONS OF ALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 321 



Slow was the progress of making new heads to old trees, and slower 

 still the growing of new ones in the stony and unfertile soil of New 

 England. In those early days, the best of seedling apples were worth 

 twenty-five cents per bushel ; improved fruit, from twenty-five to forty 

 cents. These prices continued to as late a period as 1831 (when I left 

 that region for the West), and the farmers seemed satisfied. Cider was 

 worth seventy-five cents to one dollar per barrel of thirty-two gallons. I 

 speak of this part of the farmer's business rather as a matter of encour- 

 agement to those engaged in tilling the soil of Illinois, and particularly 

 of our region. The idea that I wish to be considered prominent is the 

 facility of raising trees and the worth of fruit here. In the East, ground 

 was prepared and trees planted at a great outlay, and a season of from 

 eight toitwelve years' growth from the graft to the bearing period, with 

 constant attention, and the price of fruit (selected) as above. Here we 

 plant our trees, one or two years from the graft, in land ready to receive 

 them while in the natural state, which may then be cultivated with profit- 

 able cereal or root crops, the proceeds of which will repay all the expenses 

 of culture, and in four to six years we may expect the fruit of our labor 

 from the trees, and a fair remunerative price in market for our surplusage, 

 and, as in the East, we may expect prices to continue about the same. 

 Hence, we see the cultivation and success are in our favor, difference 

 being attributable to soil and climate. New England being too far north, 

 while Southern Illinois, geographically, is well situated for the apple crop. 

 Great improvements have been made in the culture of the apple, and 

 still there is room for advancement. There has been enough said on cul- 

 tivating the tree to assist any one, who takes pains to improve himself, 

 how to grow an orchard successfully. One fact, however, has been gen- 

 erally unobserved, and that is, seedling trees are much longer-lived than 

 most of engrafted or budded fruit, but less thrifty. 



I have planted four orchards of my own, commencing in 1832 and 

 closing in 1848. Of the trees planted in 1832, not one of the Gilpin, 

 August Pippin, American Russet and Spiced Sweeting is now living. 

 Pennock is in a diseased condition, or rather dying with old age, and so 

 of some other kinds. Orchard planted in 1834: most of the Gilpin dead, 

 and decay marks several other kinds, such as those above named, the 

 Newtown Pippin, Pryor's Red, Twenty-ounce Pippin, Rawles' Janet, 

 Roxbury Russet, Rhode Island Greening, etc. Orchard planted in 1839: 

 Gilpin decaying rapidly, Roxbury Russet, and other kinds as above, 

 showing signs of old age. From facts like these I am led to repeat what 

 I have heretofore expressed to you, that every tree has its lifetime, and 

 that though we may prolong that existence for a time, by propagating 

 from it, and giving it additional life by connecting it with a young and 

 vigorous plant, nevertheless the tree is old and stricken in years, and, as 

 the servants of King David sought for him a fair damsel to cherish the 

 King, and m.inister to him, so we may do in the matter of continuing the 

 life of a tree, but it will be only for a short season; and as his life was 

 only prolonged to choose his successor and give him a charge, so we 

 may propagate the old plant, and continue the excellency of the fruit by 

 22 



