88 ON FRUIT TREES. 



culture upon which the trees stand, on which I have engrafted 

 old varieties of the apple, and I find that the same kinds of 

 fruit bear the same marks of old age, notwithstanding the ad- 

 vantage some of them have had of soil and culture. Most of 

 the stocks on which these old kinds are now growing, or rath- 

 er decaying, appear to be vigorous, and in many instances to 

 send out new shoots, but unless a new top can be grown from 

 the trunk, it must finally expire, as does man in youth, or mid- 

 dle age, by diseased lungs, when all other parts of the system 

 are perfect. 



The seed for a nursery ought not to be taken from grafted 

 fruit, but from a seedling, that has arrived at maturity, or to a 

 state of strength and vigor, which is in accordance with the 

 laws of nature, — for the progeny of early youth or old age are 

 inferior to the productions of middle age. 



That our orchards are deteriorating very fast, in consequence 

 of our anxiety to obtain an early harvest of fruit, by budding 

 or engrafting, must be apparent ; in consequence of which our 

 orchards bear the marks of premature old age, and there seems 

 to me to be no alternative, but to raise new varieties from the 

 seed. 



I think there can be no doubt of the utility of offering large 

 premiums for new varieties of seedlings. If one thousand dol- 

 lars were offered for six, eight, or ten kinds, to be paid in ten 

 or twelve years hence, that should be equal or nearly so to the 

 same number of the best kinds we now have, I would be bound 

 to pay the premiums, if I might have the profits to be derived 

 from the buds or grafts of those trees for ten years. 



November 15, 1850. 



AMOS GOULD'S STATEMENT. 



I enter for premium seventy-nine apple trees, set out on my 



premises three years ago this fall ; seventy-three of the trees 



being in one enclosure, and the other six in an adjoining lot. 



They were procured all at the same time, nearly all of which 



