4 



COMMON APPLE. 



rieties of the apple have heen, here or elsewhere, 

 obtained. For it is to be observed, that the culti- 

 vated apple is not the produce of any soil or climate, 

 but owes its existence to human art and industry. 



How long before the reign of Henry the Eighth 

 apples had been cultivated in England, cannot be 

 determined ; but it was during that king's reign that 

 pippins are first mentioned ; since which time the 

 varieties have increased rapidly, more especially 

 during these last thirty years. About the beginning 

 of the present century, a nurseryman of the name of 

 Dredge (of whom but little notice has been taken, 

 though entitled to great praise), was particularly 

 successful ill raising new varieties of apples from 

 seed, seven or eight of which still go by his name. 

 But these were few compared with the numbers since 

 brought into repute, principally through the inde- 

 fatigable exertions of T. A. Knight, Esq., the re- 

 spectable President of the Horticultural Society of 

 London. This gentleman possessing a great fund of 

 sound practical knowledge, and aided by profound 

 physiological science, has given to the country a 

 number of v^ery fine varieties of fruits. Two other 

 gentlemen, J. Williams, Esq., of Pitmaston, and the 



lute Braddick, Esq., of Bury Hill, prompted 



by the advice and success of Mr. Knight, and follow- 

 ing his processes of cross impregnation, have also 

 succeeded in originating some valuable kinds of fruit, 

 as well as establishing some rules of practical garden- 

 ing which are very generally adopted. 



Here a remark may be made in passing, that, not- 



