Gi: SO aah 
sewer aent 
On Apple Trees and Grafting. 
Read November 9th, 1809. 
Stockport Wayne County, August 22d, 1809. 
Respected Friend, 
Thy acceptable favour of the 26th June last, came 
duly to hand; the various cares of a large harvest, and. 
this very uncommonly wet season, bath diverted my at- 
tention from a more timely answer. 
My only object in corresponding on the subject at this 
advanced period of a laborious life, is to endeavour to 
afford some hints and observations to be improved upon 
by others, for public benefit. 
American agriculture I consider as yet in the cradle ; 
and perhaps Aorticulture or the raising trees hath been 
the branch most neglected, although deemed an honour- 
able study amongst the ancients: we read that king So- 
lomon when in his greatest wisdom and glory, ‘‘ spake 
of trees from the cedars of Lebanon, to the hysop that 
springeth out of the wall.” 
Chronologists suppose Homer to have been much 
older than Solomon, and in the most beautiful episode 
of all his works, when Ulysses went to make himself 
known to his father, Homer describes the venerable old 
king Laertes, busily employed in cultivating his trees, 
The fertile genius of Homer on this occasion, had a free 
and full choice of all kinds of employment for the ancient 
VOL, 11s M 
