Since my arrival my Time has been so much occupied by public Concerns, as that neither my Friends nor private affairs have recd. from me the Degree of attention that was due to them. Accept my thanks for the Letters and Papers with which you have favored me. They shall be the Subject of another Letter—1

You may remember my mentioning to you that common Salt had been used with Success as a manure for Flax, and my promising to procure and transmit to You more particular Information respecting the Quantity or Proportion of Salt which was found to be most proper.

I have taken some Pains to ascertain this, but from the Result of my Inquiries there is Reason to presume that further Experiments accurately made, are necessary to afford a satisfactory answer to the Question, and the more so, as the nature of the Soil, and perhaps the Season, do not appear to me to have been sufficiently regarded; and which may possibly account for certain proportions of Salt succeeding much better in some Instances than in others. A Gentleman in New England has published some Facts, from which it appears that the Subject merits attention— he says

“In June 1786 I salted one Bed of my onions, one Bed of my Carrots, and one Bed of my early Turnips—laying the Salt under the Surface, in the Centers of the Intervals between the Rows, at some Distance from the Roots; that the Salt might have Time to be dissolved and altered before the fibrous Roots should reach it. The Carrots of the salted Bed evidently grew much larger and better than the Rest; but I could not percieve that the Salt was at all beneficial to the onions, or to the Turnips. … According to Mr. Ford’s Experiment in salting Flax Ground, Salt seems to be highly beneficial to that Crop. He spreads the Salt at the Time of sowing the Seed; and thinks that the Quantity of Salt should be double to that of the Seed. From three acres in Flax salted, he had fifty Bushells of Seed, and an excellent Crop of Flax. Mr. Elliot tells us of five Bushells of Salt being applied to one acre of Flax, which is a much larger Proportion; and that it had an extraordinary Effect; and also of a crop of wheat being encreased by Salt.”2

A Gentleman from Dutches County in this State passed last Evening with me. Speaking of apples, the one half part of each of which was sweet, and the other half part tart or sour, he told me there were Trees which produced such apples in or near his neighbourhood— that he had examined and tasted the apples, and that many others had done the same. He told me that on Inquiry he had been informed that the method of obtaining such apples was as follows vizt.

Take two Scions or Grafts, one from a sour, and the other from a sweet apple Tree— divide or split with a sharp Knife each Graft into two parts or halfs, taking Care to pass the Knife thro’ the centre or middle of as many Buds as were in a Line with each other— then take one half of the sweet Graft and join it to a half of the sour Graft; in such a manner that two or more of the half Buds in each do exactly meet and fit each other. Then carefully wind round them woorsted or woolen Thread to keep them together, and having thus become one Graft, cut it so as that the Bark of the Wedge part of it, which enters the Stock or Tree engrafted, being partly of both kinds, may recieve the Sap of the Stock on both Sides. If this artificial Graft takes and grows, which frequently happens, the two parts of which it consists will gradually unite and incorporate & become a Tree whose Fruit on the Branches shooting from the united Buds partaking of both natures, will be on one Side sweet and on the other sour.

He particularly examined an apple of this kind, which on one Side exactly resembled a winter apple called here the Rhode Island Greening, but on the opposite Side was of a different Color and appearance. He was assured that this apple was from a Tree composed in the manner before mentioned, of Grafts from a Rhode Island Greening, & a common sweet apple Tree.—3

You will recieve herewith enclosed the first volume of the memoirs of the american academy. In the 386 page you will find an account of an apple Tree which produced Fruit of this singular kind, so that however marvelous the Story of these apples may seem, you will see that I do not speake without Book—4

With the best wishes for the Success of your excellent Institution and for your personal welfare, I have the Honor to be Dear Sir your most obt. & hble Servt