The Apples of New York. 7 



Primitive Orchards. As the early settlements gradually ex- 

 tended back from the Atlantic coast region the pioneers who over- 

 spread the interior of New York, hewing farms out of the forests, 

 planted around their new homes apple seeds brought from the older 

 settlements or from Europe. It is commonly known that the culti- 

 vated varieties of the apple seldom, if ever, reproduce true from 

 seed. For example, seedlings of large apples may bear very small 

 fruit, seedlings of red apples may bear green or yellow fruit, seed- 

 lings of sour apples may bear sweet fruit. In fact, not often does 

 the fruit of a seedling apple resemble the fruit of the parent closely 

 enough to indicate its parentage clearly. The exceptions to this 

 general statement will be considered later. It appears at first 

 thought that it would be better for the fruit grower if the different 

 kinds of apples came true from seed, as garden vegetables do. Then 

 he could supply himself with as many trees of a kind as he liked by 

 simply growing seedlings of that kind instead of propagating the 

 variety by budding or grafting, as is now done. But from another 

 point of view the great variability of the apple seedlings is a most 

 valuable feature. It has made possible more rapid progress than 

 could otherwise have been made in develop'ng varieties especially 

 well adapted to succeed in the new world. Large numbers of Euro- 

 pean apples have been tried in America, but the great majority have 

 failed to maintain themselves alongside of American varieties, and 

 soon have been discarded from American orchards and nurseries. 

 But among the innumerable seedlings of infinite variety which have 

 been grown on this continent during the last three hundred vears 

 certain ones have been found from time to time that succeed better 

 in this country than those kinds do which have been brought in 

 from Europe. So also in the region west of the Great Lakes the 

 varieties which are succeeding best are selections from seedlings 

 which have been originated in that region. This is in accordance 

 with what appears to be a general rule, that the varieties originating 

 in any section, probably because they have been selected on account 

 of their capacity to fit the conditions, gradually supersede those 

 brought in from outside. This holds true with regard to dififerent 

 sections of this country, and. as v/e shall see later, even of different 

 regions within New York state. 



