32 ORIGIN OF THE APPLE TREE. 



allow the distinction of nature ; and they imagine, that, in the 

 act of engrafting or multiplying, they give new life ; whereas 

 they are only continuing the existence of the same tree, stick or 

 bud. Observe what I said before ; the seed of the apple, 

 when placed in the earth, germinates, and unfolds itself into 

 a new plant, which successively passes through the stages of 

 infancy, maturity and decay, like its predecessors. I might 

 say all created nature is similar in this respect ; though from 

 the circumstance that varieties are much longer lived than 

 man, the plants have appeared to be possessed of eternal 

 powers of duration ; nothing sublunary, however, which pos- 

 sesses either animal or vegetable life, is exempt from age 

 and death. 



" Within the last tw^enty years I have travelled many hun- 

 dred miles, and conversed with the most intelligent men in each 

 country ; and I now want to convince mankind for no other 

 reason than because it is their interest so to believe, that 

 there is in creation an order of beings (engrafted fruits) so 

 formed, that we have the power of multiplying a single vari- 

 ety, to what number of trees we please ; that the first sets 

 arise from a small seed ; that the next and descendant sets 

 are propagated by engraftings or from cuttings, layers, &c. ; 

 and, although these trees may amount to millions, yet, on the 

 death of the primo-genus or parent stock, merely from old 

 age, or nihility of growth, each individual shall decline, in 

 whatever country they may be, or however endued with youth 

 and health. I say they shall gradually begin to decline ; and 

 in the course of time, or of centuries, to those who would 

 prefer that expression, the ^vhole variety will scarcely have a 

 single tree remaining to show what the fruit was. Let those 

 who are not disposed to assent to the statement, ask them- 

 selves what has become of the old lost varieties ? did they die, 

 or did malicious men cut them up ? 



" I, who am firmly convinced of the truth of what I have 

 advanced on this subject, have no doubt but that the same 

 would happen by engrafting on the oak or beach, if the mast 

 raised from the engrafted tree did not produce the like ; for 

 there the question turns. 



