NEW YORK 



1415 



concerned this does not hold true of any 

 01 the orchard fruits. Some of the na- 

 tive plums are cultivated in the north- 

 ern counties to a very limited extent, 

 but generally speaking, New York or- 

 chard fruits are all of old world spe- 

 cies. 



Introduction of the Apple 



"In view of the primitive character of 

 our native fruits, it is but natural that 

 when the Europeans began to form set- 

 tlements on this continent they should 

 bring their favorite fruits with them from 

 the old world. This they did. Some few 

 brought trees or scions of choice varie- 

 ties, but more followed the less expen- 

 sive plan of bringing seeds of selected 

 fruits to plant about their new homes 

 in America, just as their descendants of 

 recent times have continued to do when 

 leaving the older settlements of the 

 East to take up pioneer life along the 

 frontier of civilization. 



"The introduction of the apple Into 

 New York, along with other old world 

 fruits began nearly 300 years ago. In the 

 following years at one time or another, 

 very many of the cultivated varieties of 

 Western Europe were brought here and 

 this importation has been kept up with 

 each succeeding generation till the pres- 

 ent time. In the earliest settlements 

 doubtless the first varieties which were 

 brought into New York were mostly 

 from Holland. Later some came from 

 France, Germany and other continental 

 countries and many from the British 

 Isles, either directly or through neigh- 

 boring colonies. 



The Early Dissemination of (he .Vpjile 



"When once the apple was introduced 

 its dissemination kept pace with the 

 progress of the settlement of the country. 

 In fact it was carried by Indians, trad- 

 ers and white missionaries far into the 

 wilderness beyond the uttermost white 

 settlements. Reports of General Sulli- 

 van's expedition in 1779 against the Cay- 

 ugas and Senecas, in describing the In- 

 dian villages which were then destroy- 

 ed, make frequent mention of peach and 

 apple orchards that were found bending 

 with fruit. Within sight of the Geneva 



Experiment Station are tv/o very old ap- 

 ple trees, the only ones in this vicinity 

 now left of the many hundreds which 

 the Indians were growing in the clear- 

 ings about their town of Kanadesaga, 

 which was located there. 



The Apple Now Grows ^M\A in New 

 York 



"The apple is notably abundant along 

 fence rows and in hill pastures in South- 

 ern and Southeastern New York, and on 

 the Onondaga limestone formations in 

 Onondaga and Madison counties. Some 

 of these are superior to some of the cul- 

 tivated varieties now grown for com- 

 mercial purposes. 



Primitive Orchards 



"As the early settlements gradually ex- 

 tended back from the Atlantic coast reg- 

 ion, the pioneers who overspread the in- 

 terior of New York, hewing farms out of 

 the forest, planted around their new 

 homes apple seeds brought from the old- 

 er settlements or from Europe. 



"In many parts of New York, espe- 

 cially in the eastern two-thirds of the 

 state, there are still seen portions of 

 the primitive seedling orchards varying 

 in age from 50 to 100 years, possibly 

 more. The old trees having outlived 

 their companions stand as silent remind- 

 ers of the stage coach, hand loom, spin- 

 ning wheel, the paring bee, and of the 

 time when the farmer generally consid- 

 ered his winter supplies incomplete un- 

 less there were several barrels of cider 

 stored in the cellar. Peter W. Yates 

 writing in 1803, says: 



" 'The practice of grafting and inocu- 

 lating fruit trees in America is but of 

 modern date. It was introduced by Mr. 

 Prince, a native of New York, who erect- 

 ed a nursery in its neighborhood about 

 1760. But since the American Revolu- 

 tion, others have been instituted in this 

 and some other parts of the United 

 States. Mr. Livingstone has lately estab- 

 lished one, not far from the city of New 

 York, which can vie with some of the 

 most celebrated ones in Europe.' 



"Although this idea that grafting and 

 budding were introduced into America 



