William Coxe was undoubtedly the pioneer
American pomologist. He belonged to one of the most refined familied in
Philadelphia but his education was limited because of the Revolutionary
War. He was known for his extensive library and pronounced interests in
cultivars. He was made an honorary member of the Horticultural Society
of London because he made known the merits of the Seckel pear cultivar.
Most of the horticultural authorities of the day closely followed European
methods of culture, which were often not adapted to this country. Coxe
showed remarkable originality and had an inquiring mind. He wrote the first
American book on pomology entitled A View of the Cultivation of Fruit
Trees and the Management of Orchards and Cider (1817). In this he recorded
the results secured in the first experimental orchard in America. Grapes
and small fruits were not included in his book but he was acquainted with
many grape cultivars. His book was a standard text until the time of the
Downings and was freely used by other authors. The illustrations were excellent
for their time but show only the size and outline of a fruit and whether
it was dotted, splashed or streaked. In 1804 he offered for sale "eighty
kinds of apples, ninety of pears and fifty one of cherries, nearly all
imported and one hundred varieties of peaches." The early development
of fruit growing in southeastern Pennsylvania is attributed very larely
to the enthusiasm engendered by William Coxe.
