O?! Apple Trees and Grafting. 93 



idea, that a graft from an old tree makes a short lived 

 tree. However late in the season, he sent me some 

 cions, and I proceeded next day to graft them, all of 

 which grew and are yet growing ; they have for several 

 years borne apples, and are the genuine ancient Town- 

 send apple, I graft from them every year, and had in- 

 tended to do it before I received thy kind information, 

 lest that valuable kind of apple should again be in 

 danger of being lost. 



My second reason for thinking the apple grew spon- 

 taneously in America, is, that the next largest apple 

 trees that I ever saw in my travels, was on the old In- 

 dian settlements in Menesink above the blue mountains, 

 viz. at Nicholas Depuis, Paquarry^ Shappanack^ and se- 

 veral other old towns. 



John Lukens^ the former surveyor general, imder 

 whom I acted as deputy, near the latter part of his time, 

 made an enquiry of me respecting the large old apple 

 trees in Menesink opposite Depui*s large island, and I 

 well remember, he said, that when a small boy, he ac- 

 companied Nicholas Scull there to make the first sur- 

 veys above the mountain : — and that Nicholas Scull ad- 

 mired the very large and ancient apple trees, and then 

 gave it as his opinion that they were much older than 

 the European settlements, as there were none in all the 

 vicinity of Philadelphia near their age or size. 



The observations of men of such sense and under- 

 standing as Nicholas Scull and John Lukens, are cer- 

 tainly worthy of weight. 



I also remember that Nicholas Depuis Esquire de- 

 ceased, the former proprietor of those ancient trees, ex- 

 pressed to me as his opinion, that the native Indians 



