INTRODUCTION OF THE APPLE INTO AMERICA 749 



the Indians in 171)5. It was then in bearing and probably thirty 

 or forty years old. 



Orchards in Hudson River Valley Section 



The introduction and growth of the apple industry was influ- 

 enced by settlers in two distinct sections of New York State in 

 the eastern part, or Hudson River Valley section, and in the 

 western part, or the Lake Section. The earliest apple orchard in 

 the state dates back to the Dutch, and from the data available 

 one may say that the beginning of the apple industry in New York 

 was made by the Dutch, which leads us to a consideration of the 

 Hudson Valley section first. A little further up the Hudson at 

 Kinderhook, apples were planted by the Dutch over two hundred 

 years ago, shortly after the country was settled. The majority 

 were natural fruits and were used for making cider. They did not 

 come into use for eating, cooking, and drying purposes until about 

 1830 to 1840. 



Colonists from New England, settling on Long Island as early 

 as 1640, set out their first apple trees about 1698, and within a few 

 yours some of these trees were still in existence and in fairly good 

 condition. Later, in 1735, at this same section, the settlers planted 

 orchards of Yellow Sweetings, Greenings, Russettspand Pippins, 

 which in all probability came from New England. Up along the 

 Hudson, small orchards were planted by the English, who came 

 from Long Island as early as 1750, and by 1770 there were settlers 

 who were starting apple orchards near Amsterdam, but whether 

 they came across from Connecticut or up from New York remains 

 uncertain. A little later, about 1780, Thomas McClumphia set- 

 tled at what is now Scotch Bush, just across the Mohawk River, 

 south of Amsterdam, and planted an orchard there. Ten years 

 later, the apple was introduced a little farther west along the Mo- 

 hawk River near Clinton and New Hartford, which was at that 

 time unbroken forest land. It is also recorded that in 1792 or 

 1793 an orchard was planted by D. S. Kirkland near Clinton, 

 with seed that was brought from Connecticut. The original trees 

 were seedlings that in 1820 were grafted to the improved varieties. 

 Coming down to the present time, we find that the more recent 

 orchards in the Hudson River Valley district developed from a 



