90 On Apple Trees and Grafting. 
king. Yet he chose the cultivating of fruit trees as most 
honourable. 
Then why is the subject so much neglected in our 
young and rising empire ; the sinews and wealth, if not 
support thereof, is agriculture or cultivating our mother 
earth, and such was the first employment of original 
man. 
I consider that he who raises a valuable fruit tree for 
the benefit and repast of succeeding ages, erects an ho- 
nourable mausoleum to his memory. 
I am free to say, that I fully believe the apple tree to 
have been a native of America, well known and used by 
the Indians before the discovery of Columbus : this idea 
may perhaps be new to many, and I think worthy of the 
most accurate investigation ; and perhaps in this age 
since the decease of the original settlers, may be more 
difficult to ascertain : the longer therefore the subject is 
delayed, the greater the difficulty, and I feel a kind of 
American desire, to have it fully investigated before our 
present more aged citizens depart. 
I wish to give a candid statement of facts that have 
come to my knowledge, to shew why I have formed the 
opinion of the apple tree being a real native of America. 
I was born and bred in Bucks county in this state, 
and almost fifty years ago, I remember the far famed 
Townsend apple tree ;—it was then by far much larger 
in diameter, height, its limbs extended further than any 
apple tree that ] have ever seen :—at the time of my 
acquaintance with it I was young, and used to pass near 
it when going to mill, as it stood alone in a field. 
Perhaps it is now near 40 years since I saw that tree, 
in which time so many objects have floated in succes- 
