86 ON FRUIT TREES. 



tions of old age. If three fourths of its period is past and 

 gone, might we not expect some indications of approaching 

 decay ? 



The Baldwin, the most popular and most valuable of all our 

 Massachusetts apples, has now been known for more than one 

 hundred years. Never was it in more vigorous condition than 

 the present season, — yielding more than all other sorts com- 

 bined. Whether the original tree, that was marked by the 

 woodpecker, at Wilmington, County of Middlesex, and taken 

 into the care of Col. Baldwin, is still living, we are not advis- 

 ed ; but if it be not, and has already gone down fully ripe, if 

 this theory be true, it is important to cultivators to be distinct- 

 ly informed, before they set out trees, whose days are number- 

 ed. When Ave took our pen in hand, we hoped to have been 

 able to throw some light on this subject, but the more we in- 

 vestigate, the less confident are our impressions.* We will 

 not presume to deny the assertion of our Chairman, who 

 brought it forward, nor can we yield entire assent to the theo- 

 ry. In considering the causes of the decline, or ruiming out, 

 of particular kinds of fruit, the exhaustion of the fruit bearing 



* The oldest fruit tree, we have ever seen, and probably the oldest to bo 

 found in New England, whose history can be authentically traced, is the En- 

 dicott Pear Tree, (so called,) on the flirm now owned by one of the committee. 

 It can be certainly traced two hundred and twenty years. Many others were 

 then set, in what was called the orchard, all of which are now gone. On the 

 same farm, there are now many trees, bearing what is called the Endicott ap- 

 ple, probably produced by scions taken from the same orchard. The history of 

 the apple trees is less certainly known than the pear tree. Eighty years since 

 the pear tree is remembered to have been quite large and productive. An 

 accident then happened to a boy, who fell from its upper branches to the ground, 

 who sixty years afterwards, was accustomed to speak of his adventure with 

 much sensibility. This pear tree has made wood the present season, on its 

 principal branches, from six to twelve inches. These scions have a healthy and 

 vigorous appearance, and offer an opportunity to those, who believe the varie- 

 ty can be prolonged another hundred years, to test the experiment ; as did the 

 philosopher, who having heard that a crow would live a hundred years, bought 

 one to try the experiment. 



Apples were exhibited at the show in Salem, this year, that grew on a tree 

 in Marshfield, Plymouth County, said to be two hundred years old. Their ap- 

 pearance was fair and sound. They were too hard to be tasted. Pears were 

 exhibited that grew on a tree in Salem two hundred and ten years old. 



