90 On Apple Trees and Grafting, 



king. Yet he chose the cultivating of fruit trees as most 

 honourable. 



Then why is the subject so much neglected in our 

 young and rising empire ; the sinews and wealth, if not 

 support thereof, is agriculture or cultivating our mother 

 earth, and such was the first employment of original 

 man. 



I consider that he who raises a valuable fruit tree for 

 the benefit and repast of succeeding ages, erects an ho- 

 nourable mausoleum to his memory. 



I am free to say, that I fully believe the apple tree to 

 have been a native of America, well known and used by 

 the Indians before the discovery of Columbus : this idea 

 may perhaps be new to many, and I think worthy of the 

 most accurate investigation ; and perhaps in this age 

 since the decease of the original settlers, may be more 

 difficult to ascertain : the longer therefore the subject is 

 delayed, the greater the difficulty, and I feel a kind of 

 American desire, to have it fully investigated before our 

 present more aged citizens depart. 



I wish to give a candid statement of facts that have 

 come to my knowledge, to shew why I have formed the 

 opinion of the apple tree being a real native of America. 



I was bom and bred in Bucks county in this state, 

 and almost fifty years ago, I remember the far famed 

 Toivnseyid apple tree ; — it was then by far much larger 

 in diameter, height, its limbs extended further than any 

 apple tree that I have ever seen : — at the time of my 

 acquaintance with it I was young, and used to pass near 

 it when going to mill, as it stood alone in a field. 



Perhaps it is now near 40 years since I saw that tree, 

 in which time so many objects have floated in succes- 



