ADVANCEMENT OF FRUITS, ETC. 17 



siderable introduction and planting of "grafted fruits " in the north 

 part of the State. At that time the nursery of William Coxe, Esq., 

 Burlington, New Jersey, seemed the nearest from which to obtain 

 trees ; and therefore from thence came most of the first plantations 

 of good fruits. Later, the nurseries of Prince, Kenrick, and Buel, 

 supplied our northern pioneers ; and from these, with the liberal 

 hand which always characterizes a fruit culturist, a lover of the Cre- 

 ator's best gifts, grafts were distributed freely to whoever would. 

 As early as 1796 or 1797, Israel Putnam introduced and propa- 

 gated many of/the older and best eastern varieties on the borders 

 of the Ohio river, and there cultivated both trees and fruits, from 

 whence most of the older orchards of southern Ohio, and probably 

 Indiana, were procured. Gov. Worthington, at an early day, 1803, 

 or previous, introduced many fine varieties of fruits into central Ohio. 

 In 1820, Prof. Kirtland imported, from New Jersey to Trumbull 

 County, Ohio, some two hundred sorts of the best fruits then 

 known; and in 1827, or '28 Geo. Hoadley, Esq., sent about one 

 hundred kinds to Cleveland. Alfred Kelly also introduced many 

 fine eastern varieties; and, as before mentioned, grafts from all 

 these were liberally distributed, followed by additional introductions 

 of new varieties, in succeeding years. Add to these, that nearly every 

 pioneer brought with him seeds of the best fruits known in the vicinity 

 of his former residence East, which he planted and grew with care, and 

 we have the heads of the principal introduction of varieties up to 

 about 1832. Since that period, not only have importations of 

 extended varieties been largely made and planted from eastern nur- 

 series, but the nurseries of trees grown for sale have so multiplied 

 in the whole West, that millions of trees are now annually grown 

 and planted. 



For the history that follows, relating to Illinois and Wisconsin, we 

 are indebted to the zeal, enthusiasm, and courtesy of Doctor J. A. 

 Kennicott : 



" The Grove, Northfield, Cook Co., Illinois, 

 October, 4, 1853. 



" The first permanent settlements in Illinois were made by the 

 French about 1682, in and about Kaskaskia and Cahokla ; and it is 

 said, that ' the first generation of fruit trees, there planted, had done 

 good service, and gone the way of all the living,' long before the ad- 

 vent of the present race who people ' Lower Egypt.' The Rev. John 

 M. Peck (whom I quote from memory) affirms, that he ate most 

 luscious fruits, some twenty or thirty years ago, the product of the 

 second generation of these old French trees, even then of almost 

 forest size. 



From many sources I gather the fact, that among these old trees 

 were, and still are, perhaps, individuals producing very desirable 



