322 Western Orchards. 



Sources of our Fruits. — By a well-established law of population, now 

 generally acknowledged by statists, though pointed out many years ago 

 by our own Mansfield,* emigration moves very nearly along the parallels 

 of latitude. With the immigration of men, there came, of course, the mi- 

 gration of fruits ; for the settler would very naturally desire to bring along 

 with him as many of the home-comforts of his former residence as possible. 

 This fact and its results are so well understood by intelligent pomologists, 

 that the origin of the population of a county or township is not unfrequently 

 predicated upon the observation of certain leading varieties of fruits in 

 their orchards. 



As with the lines of migration of men, however, there are often observed 

 some marked deflexions from the parallels of latitude, so also do w'e find 

 departures from these in the western progress of fruits ; and thus, as we 

 pass toward the great Father of Waters, we often see these lines converging, 

 and sometimes even crossing each other. 



Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina, 

 have furnished the most reliable and satisfactory varieties of our orchard- 

 fruits ; and we are now seeking to extend our lists by fresh importations 

 from the Southern States, encouraged by the happy results that have fol- 

 lowed previous introductions. It need not be expected that these will all 

 prove satisfactoiy : the lists must be sifted again and again. On the 

 other hand, some of our extremely hardy kinds of apples are from the North 

 of Europe and from Canada ; while beside them some Southern varieties 

 continue to brave successfully the hyperborean winters of Northern Illinois, 

 Iowa and Wisconsin. 



Besides the little collections of fruit trees brought by the early settlers, 

 there very soon arose in every neighborhood some provident individual 

 who was engaged in the useful occupation of multiplying the best varieties 

 of fruits, and producing trees for others to plant. He was the primitive 

 nursery-man. Another individual soon followed him, and too often eclipsed 

 him, and drove him from the field by the grander display and more voluble 

 eloquence with which he approached his credulous customers : this was 

 the tree-peddler; and to this class of adventurers the Western farmers owe a 

 grudge for the evils they have committed. Long after the home-nurser}^- 



• E. D. Mansfield, Commissioner of Statistics for Ohio. 



