h. --/f/- .. ' li ti!^ %Mi H)''' /9'^-^^^ O.C.II LIBRA \ Pomology Library .^1/ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007.with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/amfruitculturistOOthomrich TENTH THOUSAND. THE AMERICAI FRaiT CULTUEIST, CONTUNINO DIRECTIONS FOR THS PSOPAGATiON AND CULTDRE OF FRUIT TREKS NURSERY, ORCHARD AND GARDEN. WITH UKSCRIPTIOXS OF TH« PRINCIPAL ilMERICAN AND FOREIGN VARIETIES CULTIVATED IN THE UNITED STATES. BY JOHN J. THOMAS. ILL03TRATED WITH THBKB UtTXDBED ACCUEATE FIGURES, NEW YOEK: MILLER, ORTON & MULLIGAN, 25 PARK. ROW, OPPOSITE ASTOR HOUSE. AUBURN: 107 GENESEE STREET. 1855. U.CD. LISRARY Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1349, by BY JOHN J. THOMAS, In tlie Clerk's Office for the Northern District of New York. THIS REVISED EDITION Contains Forty pages of New Matter, with full directions for the Pruning and Management of Dwarfs and Pyramids, and with some hundreds of smaller additions, and many New Engravings. auburn: MILLER, ORTON A MULLIGAN, STKEK0TYPKR3 A.ND PEtNTEES. PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION. An eminent pomologist lately remarked to the author, that " to give a complete description of fruits, one should live a hundred years, and spend his whole time in examina- tions in all parts of the country." But fruit-raisers are un- willing to wait so long, and desire at once the best informa- tion to be had, that they may keep pace with the astonish- ing progress made of late years in fruit culture. The book now before the reader is an attempt to supply in some de- gree this demand. Its object is two-fold — first, to furnish such rules for cul- tivation and management as shall enable every one to secure the highest excellence and the most abundant crops ; and secondly, to give distinct descriptions of the hundreds of sorts which have been widely and profusely scattered through the country, and to point out the good from the bad, and the genuine from the spurious. In the description of varieties, the attempt has been made to supply a deficiency existing in other works, by enabling the reader to perceive at a glance the character and value of each sort, by means of the kind of tj^e used for the name. All valuable fruits are printed in large or small capitals or in italics ; while those which are decidedly inferior or worth- less, are given in Roman type. Some of the latter may, however, prove worthy of cultivation in particular localities ; but experience, so far, is generally against them. In designating the quality or flavor of fruits, the terms " good," " fine," and " excellent " or " very fine," are sy- nonymous with the terms good, very good, and best, adopted by the American Pomological Congress. But it is the general value, and not the flavor merely, that is exhibited 4 PREFACE. by the kind of type. For example, the Rhode Island Green ing, with a quality at least one notch below the highest, is given in large capitals on account of its productiveness, value, and wide reputation. On the other hand, the Dyer, greatly its superior in flavor, but deficient in bearing quali- ties, is in small capitals. Again, the Amire Joannet pear is marked in italics, for its unequalled earliness, while the Rousselet de Rheims, far excelling it in quality, but ripen- ing in the thickest of the pear season, is rejected as value- less. These distinctions are more particularly pointed out on pages 112 and 115. No little embarrassment arose in deciding upon the pre- cise character to assign to some sorts, more especially with those doubtful fruits which seemed to approach or rest upon the boundary lines between these successive classes. In this difficulty, however, the author has been freely and generously assisted by several of the most eminent and skilful pomologists in different parts of the Union ; and the variations wrought in fruits by soil, climate, culture, and even by the time of gathering and mode of ripening, have not been overlooked. The author cannot close these prefatory remarks without offering his grateful acknowledgments to those who have at difl^erent times so liberally aided him in this work, and whose names are referred to upon its pages ; among whom more especially he feels bound to mention the names of Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston; Samuel Walker, of Roxbury; Robert Manning, of Salem ; Charles Downing, of Newburgh ; Dr. William D. Brinckle, of Philadelphia ; Thomas S. Pleasants, of Petersburgh, Va. ; A. H. Ernst, of Cincinnati ; and Dr. John A. Kennicott, of Northfield, Illinois. He is also eminently indebted to his father David Thomas, of Aurora, N. Y. INDEX. Part i. General Principles and Practices. CHAPTER I. Introductory remarks, 15— Profits and advantages of Fruit Culture, 16 — Markets, 17— Beneficial effects, 19. CHAPTER n. Leading principles in growth, 20. CHAPTER HI. Production of new varieties, 24— Van Mons' experiraent«, 26— Knight's, 27— Mod© of crossing, 28. CHAPTER IV. Propagation of sorts, 30— Cuttings, 32— Eyes, 34— Layers, 34— Grafting, 36— Budding, 42— Limits of Budding and Grafting, 46— Best stocks, 47. CHAPTER V. Changes wrought in fruits by external causes, 50 — Climate, 51 — Sorts declining by old age, 51— Influence of culture, 52— Soil and Stock, 53— Productiveaess, 56. CHAPTER VI. Soils, 57— Manures, 57 — Special manures, 58 — Situation, 62— Enclosures, 66— Fruit stealing, 67. CHAPTER Vll. Transplanting, 68— Shortening-in, 69— Preparing the ground, 72— Preparing the roots, 73— Settuig, 74— Watering, 75— Mulching, 76 — Season for transplantuiig, 77. CHAPTER VIII. Cultivation of the soil, 80 — Experiments, 81 — How performed, 82. CHAPTER IX. Distances for planting trees, 86. CHAPTER X. Pruning, 83— Pyramids, 90— To promote fruitfulness, 92. CHAPTER XI. Implements— pruning-knife, saws, chisels, 95— Budding knife, grafting tools, 8ft— Shears, ladders, 97— Trellis, 98— Labels, 99. CHAPTER XIL Terms used in describing fruits, 101—112. TI INDEX — ^APPLES. Part II. The different kinds of fruits. Introductory Remarks^ 115. CHAPTER I. The Apple.— Profits, 117— Propapiion— Budding, 118— Root Grafting, 119— Planting orchards, 121 — Renovating old orchards, 124 — Gathering and preserving, 126 — Insects, 128. Varirties *— Albemarle Pippin, 177. Alexander, 146. Alfriston, 177. American Golden Russet, 178, 190 American Pippin, 163. American Red Juneating, 139. American Summer Pearraain, 136, 190. Autumnal Swaar, 145. Bailey Swe«>t, 159, 191. Baldwin, 160, 163. Beauty of Kent, 146. Beauty of the West. 144. Bedfordshire Foundling, 177. Belmont, 177, 176. Ben, 167. Benoni, 136. Bevan's Favorite, 136. Black Apple, 163. Black Coal, 164. Black Detroit, 164. Black Giiliflower, 1G4 Blenheim Pippin, 144. Blue Pearmain, 164. Borovitsky, 137. Borsdorff, 178. Bough, 135, 142. Bourassa, 173. Brabant Bellflower, 164. Bracken, 144. Broadwell, 161. Buffington's Early, 142. Bullock's Pippin, 178, 190 Canada Reinette, 178. Cane, 150. Cann, 161. Carthouse 164, 189 Cathead, 179. Chandler, 164. Cole, 137. Cooper, 147. Cornish Aromatic, 147. Cornish Giiliflower, 165. Cos, 165. Court of Wick, 179. Court Pendu, 165. Cranberry Pippin, 179. Cumberland Spice, 179, 188. Danvers Sweet, 161. Detroit, 164, 183. Devonshire Quarrenden, 137, Dewitt, 147. Doctor, 147 Domme, 165. Downton Pippin, 153. Dowse, 156. Drap d'Or, 153. Dumelow's Seedling, 165 Dutch Codlin, 153. Dutch Mignonne, 165. Dutchess of Oldenburgh, 147 Dyer, 153, 154 Early Chandler, 137. Early Harvest. 142. Early Joe, 137. 138. Early Red Margaret, 137, 189. Early Strawberry, 139, 140. English Codlin, 155. English Golden Russett, 179. English Russett, 180, 190. English Summer Pearmain, 147. Esten, 155. Eustis, 167. Fallawater, 180. Fall Cheese, 155. Fall Harvey, 155. Fall Orange, 155. Fall Pippin, 155, 18S. ^ Fameuse, 147, 189. Fenouillet Gris, 180. Fenouillet Jaune, 180. Fenouillet Rouge, 180. Fort Miami, 181. Franklin Golden Pippin, 155. Garden Royal, 139, 190. Gate, 177. Gilpin, 164. Gloria Mundi, 182. Gloucester Cheese, 149. Golden Ball, 181. Golden Harvey, 181. Golden Pippin, 181, 189, Golden Reinette, 167. Golden Russet, 179, 178, Golden Sweet, 136. Golden Noble, 156. Gravenstein, 149, 148. Graniwinkle, 145. Green Seek-no-further, 181, 191. Green Sweet, 162. Greening, 184. Hagloe, 141. Hartford Sweeting, 159. Haskell Sweet, 145, 192. Hawley, 156, 154. Hawthornden, 156, 191. Herefordshire Pearmain, 167, 188. Holland Pippin, 155. 156, 188. Hoary Morning, 167. Hubbardston Nonsuch, 166, 167. Hunter, 149. * The standard names are in Roman letters^ synomyms in Italics. INDEX — APPLES. TO Ingestrie, Red, 151. Ingestrie, Yellow, 159. Irish Peach, 139. Jeffries, 149. Jersey Greening^ 183. Jersey Sweeting, 145, 190. Jewell's Red, 149. Jonathan, 167,. 189. July Branch, 142. June Apple, 139. Juneating, 137, 139. Kane, 150. Kenrick's Autumn, 150. Kentish Filbasket, 168. Kerry Pippin, 150. Keswick Codlin, 156. Kilham Hill, 150. King of the Pippins, 150. Kirk's Lord Nelson, 168. Ladies' Sweeting, 159, 160. Lady Apple, 181, 182, 189. Laquier, 168. Large Yellow Bough, 1.35. Late Strawberry, 150, 190. Leland Spice, 151, 190. Lemon Pippin, 157. Limber Twig, 168. Loudon Pippin, 182. LoweU, 157. Lucombe's Seedling, 168. Lyman's Large Summer, 142. Lyman's Puriipkin Sweet, 145. Lyscom, 151. Maiden's Blush, 157, 191. Male Carle, 157. Mank's Codlin, 143. Margin, 168. Marston's Red Winter, 168. May Apple, 144. McLellan, 169. Melon, 151. Menagere, 157. Michael Henry Pippin, 182. Minister, 169. Monstrous Pippin. 182. Moose, 182. Mother, 169, 192. Mouse, 182. Murphy, 169. Newark King, 183. Newark Pippin, 183. Newtown Pippin, 182, 187, 172. Nonsuch, 151, 171. Norfolk Beaufin, 169. Northern Spy, 169, 174. Old Nonpareil. 183. Old-Town Crab, 162. Orange, 157, 155. Orne's Early, 157. Ortley, 183, 188. Oslin, 143. Patterson Sweet, 159. Peach Pond Sweet, 145, 190. Pearmain, 167, 175. Peck's Pleasant, 33. Pennock, 170. Phillips' Sweeting, 161. Pickman, 184. Pomme de Neige, 147. Pomme Grise, 184. Pomme Royale, 153. Porter, 157, 148. Pound, 170. Priestly, 170. Pryor's Red, 170. Pumpkin Russet, 146. Putnam Russet, 185. Quince, 158. Rambo, 151. Rambourd^Ete, 141. RamsdelPs Sweeting, 161. Rawle's Jannet, 170. Red and Green Sweet, 135. Red Ashmore, 158. Red Astrachan, 143. Red Panada 171, 166. Rome Beaujy, 171. Red Juneating, 137. Red Quarrenden, 137. Redstreak, 171 Republican Pippm, 151. Rhode Island lireening, 184 Ribston Pippin, 152. River, 139. Romanite, 151, 164. Roman Stem, 185. Ross Nonpareil, 152, 189. Roxbury Russet, 185, 190. Saint Lawrence, 152. Sam Young, 185. Scarlet Nonpareil, 171. Scarlet Pearmain, 152. Seeknofurtker, 175, 181, 186, 191 Sliippen's Russet, 185. Siberian Crab, 158. Sine Qua Non, 143. Smokehouse, 152. Sops of Wine, 141. Spencer Sweeting, 159. Spice Apple, 162 Spice Sweeting, 136. Spitzenburgh, Esopus, 171, 173; Spitzenburgh, Flushing, 173. Spitzenburgh, Newtown, 173. Spitzenburgh, Kaighn's, 173. Strawberry, 139, 150, 190. Stroat, 158. Sugar-loaf Pippin, 144. Summer Bellflower, 143. Summer Golden Pippin, 144. Summer Hagloe, 141. Summer Queen, 141. Summer Rambour, 141. Summer Rose, 1.38, 141. Summer Sweet Paradise, 146, 19& Surprise, 158. Swaar, 176, 185. Sweet Baldwin, 161, 192 Sweet and Sour, 186. Sweet Rough, 135. Sweet Pearmain, 161. S-vreet Russet, 146, 163. rnx INDEX — APPLES — PEARS. StDeet Stcaar, 145. Tallman Sweeting, 162. Tart Bough, 142. Tetofsky, 141. Tewksbury Blush, 180. Tifft Sweeting, 146. Tompkins, 158. Twenty Ounce, 153. Vandevere, 173. Victorious Reinette, 186. Victuals and Drink, 163. Wagener, 173, 174. Warner Russet, 185, Watson's Dumpling, 173. Waxen, 177. Wells Apple, 173. Wells Sweeting, 162. Westfield Seeknofurther, 175, 191. White Juneating, 144, 189. Figures of comparative White Pippin. 178. White Seeknofurlher, 186, 19L White Winter Calville, 186. Williams' Favorite, 142, 138. Willow Twig, 175. Wine, 175. Winesap, 175. Winter Cheese, 187. Winter Pearmain, 175, 188. Winter Queeiij 177. Wood's Greenmg, 187. Woodstock Pippin, 144. Woolman^s Early, 141. Wormsley Pippin, 159. Yellow Bellflower, 187. Yellow Harvest, 142. Yellow Newtown Pippin, 187. Yorkshire Greening, 777. forms of apples, 188, 192. CHAPTER II. The Pear.— Propngation, 193— Seedlings, 194— Dwarfs, 196— Pyramidal 199— Gatheringand Keeping the Fruit, 200— Diseases, 201. Varieties.— Abbott, 233. Alpha, -23i. Althorpe Crassane, 249. Amande Double, 226, Ambrosia, 234. Amire Joannet, 214. 215. Andrews, 226. Ananas. 234 Angleterre, 226. Aston Town, 251. Autumn Colmar, 227. Bartlett, 206, 207. Belle et Bonne, 247. Belle of Brussels, 207. Belle Lucrative, 234, 268. Bellisime (V Ete, 208. Belmont, 234. Bergamot, Autumn, 251. Bergamot, Early, 217. Bergamot, Hampden's, 217. Bergamot, Large Summer, 217. Bergamot, Summer, 219 Bergamotte Cadette, 234, 249, 270. Bergamotte d'Automne, 251. Beurre Bosc, 218, 219. Beurre Bronzee, 265. Beurre d'Amalis, 231. Beurre d'Anjou, 231, 238. Beurre d'Aremberg, 253. Beurre Colmar, 2.35. Beurre Crapaud, 2.35, Beurre de Beaumont, 235, Beurre Diel, 220, 270. Beurre Duval, 227, Beurre Gris d'Hiver Nouveau, 260, Beurre Kenrick, 235. Beurre Knox. 231. Beurre Preble, 235, Beurre Ranee, 257. Beurre Romain, 234. Beurre Van Marura, 297. Beurre Van Mons, 227. Bezi de la Motte, 248, Bezi de Montigny, 235, Bezi d'Heri, 265, Bezi Vaet, 260. Bilboa, Golden Beurre of, 238, 330. Bishop's Thumb, 220, Black Worcester, 254. Bleeker's Meadow, 251. Bloodgood, 206, 210. Bon Chretien Fondantc, 238. Boucquia, 236. Braiide's St. Germain, 260. Brandywine, 208, 263. Broompark, 265. Brown Beurre, 231, 269. Buffum, 236. Burnett, 220. Btitter Peary 240, 241 Cabot, 236. Caen du France, 260, 970l Calebasse, 227. Calhoun, 249. Capiaumont. 227. Capsheaf, 245. Capucin, 232. Catillac, 254. Chapman, 232. Chancellor, 232. Charles of Austria, 948. Chaumontel, 254. Chelmsford, 220. Citron, 217. Citron des Carmes, 211. Clara, 228. Colmar, 258. Colmar d'Aremberg, 220- Columbia, 259. Commodore, 236. Comprette, 228. INDEX — PEARS. Compte de Laray, 289. Comstock, 260. Copia, 232. Coter, 260, 270. Countess of Lunay, 228. Crassane, 248. Crawford, 210. Croft Castle, 251. Cross, 266. Cumberland, 220. Cushing, 237. Dallas, 237. Dearborn's Seedling-, 214, 215. Delices d'Hardenpout, 2:^. De Louvain, 237 Dix, 221, 270. Doyenne Boussock, 237, 240. Doyenne, Gray, 240, 241. Doyenne. Summer, 216. Doyenne, White, 240, 244. Duchesse d'Angouleme, 221, 270. Duchesae de Mars, 237. Duchesse d'Orleans, 221, 269. Dumortier, 245. Dundas, 237. Dun more, 232. Early Catherine, 209. Early Rousselet, 209. Easter Bergamot, 261. Easter Beurre, 259, 264. Echassery, 261. Edward's Elizabeth, 239. Edwards' Henrietta, 215. Edwards' William, 22S. Emerald, 261. Enfant Prodigue, 239. Epine d^Ete, 208. Epine Rose, 217. Eye wood. 251, 268. Figue, 228, 269. Fig of Naples, 239, 269. Fine Gold of Summer, 217. Flemish Beauty, 222, 232. Flemish Bonoretien, 261. Fondante d'Automne, 234. Fondante du Bois, 261. Forme de Delices, 239. Forelle, 229. Fortunee, 266. Franc Real d'Hiver, 266. Frederick of Wurlemburgh, 221 Fulton, 252, 268. Gansel's Bergamot, 248. Gendesheim, 221. Gilogil, 265. Glout Morceaux, 353, 255. Great Citron of Bohemia, 233 Green Chisel, 211, 215. Green Yair, 241. Hacon's Incomparable, 248. Haddington, 262. Harvard, 229. Heaihcot, 241, 288. Henkel, 241. HenrylV., 246, 268. Hericart 241. Hessel, 216. Holland Bergamot, 265, Howell, 213. Huge not, 250. Hull, 242. Jalousie, 233. Jalousie Fontenay, 242, 260. Jaminette, 258. Jargonelle, 207, 267. Jargonelle, French, 208, 267 Jersey Gratioli, 229 Johonnot, 246. Jones, 239. Josephine, 258. Julienne, 210. Kirtland, 246. Knight's Monarch, 259. Knight's Seedling, 242. Las Canas, 258. Lawrence, 269. Leech's Kingsessing, 210, 908. Leon le Clerc, 262. Lewis, 263. Limon, 211. Little Musk, 216. Locke, 262. Lodge, 229. Long Green, 223. Louise Bonne, 255. Louise Bonne of Jersey, 222, 293. Louise d'Orleans, 242. Madeleine, 211, 214. Madoite, 223. Manning's Elizabeth, 216, 267* Marie Louise, 224, 270. McLaughlin, 262. Messire Jean, 242. Michaux, 250. Moccas, 262. Moor-fowl Egg, 251 Mouthtoater, 223. Muscadine, 211. Muscat Robert, 216. Napoleon, 229, 269. Naumkeag, 250. Neill, 224. Ne Plus Meuris, 266. Oliver's Russet, 242. Onondaga, 224, 267. Osband's Summer, 211, 21& Oswego Beurre, 242, 289. Ott, 216, 267. Pailleau, 229. Paquency, 243. Paradise d'Automne, 218, fiSJl* Passans du Portugal, 219. Passe Colmar, 258. Pennsylvania, 243. Petre, -243, 268. Piquerv, 226. Pitt's Prolific, 230. Plumbgastel, 225. Pope's Quaker, 230. Pope's Scarlet Major, 243 Pound, 255. Pralt, 243, 267. A* INDEX— PEARS — QUINCES — PEACHES. Primitive, 216. Prince's 8t. Germain, 256, 263. Princess of Orange, 252. Queen Caroline, 230. Queen of the Low Countries, 225 Quillette, 252. Rostiezer, 212, 213. Rousselet de Meester, 250. Rousselet de Rheims, 246, 268. Sanspeau, 209. Seckel, 246, 268. Shenks, 233 Sieulle, 250, 270. Skinless, 209, 267. Smith's Moyamensingr, 210, 268." Soldat Laboreur, 254. Spanish Bonchretien, 255. Stevens' Genesee, 249. St. Germain, 257. St. Ghislain, 230. St. Michael, 244. Styrian, 2.30. Sugar of Hoyerswerda, 213. Sugar Top, 213. Sullivan, 230. Summer Bell, 208. Summer Bonchretien, 225. Summer Doyenne, 214, 216. Summer Frankreal, 212, 213. Summer Portugal, 219. Summer Rose, 217. Figures of Comparative Summer St. Germain, 213. Summer Thorn, 208. Swan's Egg, 2-17. Swan's Orang^e, 224, 267. Sylvange, 250. St. Andre, Thompsons, 244- Triomphe de Jodigne, 226. Tyson, 209, 212. Trbaniste, 226, 269. Vallee I'ranche, 215. Van Assene, 233. Van Buren, 233. Van Mons' Leon Le Clerc, 226, STOl Vicar of Winkfield, 256, 257. Vicompte de Spoelberch, 25a Virgalieu, 244. Virgouleuse, 263. Washington, 238, 244. Wesicott, 244. White Doyenne, 240. 244. Wilbur, 245. Wilkinson, 245. Wvliams^ Bonchretien, 207. Williams' Early, 219, 247. Windsor, 208. Winship's Seedling, 209. Winter Bell, 255. Winter Crai?sane, 266. Winter Nelis, 263, 264. Yat, 230. forms of Pears, 267—271. CHAPTER m. The Qthnck.— Propagation— Soils, 272— Pruning, 273— Enemies, 274— Varieties, 275. CHAPTER IV. The Peach.— Extent of culture, 276— Budding, 277— Stocks, 279— Orchards, 279— Transplanting, 280— Pruning, 281— Training, 282— Drying and Preserving, 283— Insects, 284— Arrangement, 288. Varieties.— Acton Scott, 292. AMor, 293. Baltimore Beauty, 300. Barrington, 293. Belle de Vitry. 291. Bellegarde, 293. Bergen's Yellow, 302. Blood Clingstone, 305. Brevoort, 298. Catherine Cling, 303. Chancellor, 298. Clinton. 293. Cole's Early Red, 294. Cole's White Melocoton, 299 Cooledge's Favorite, 294. Columbia, 302. Crawford's Early, 300. Crawford's Late, 300. Double Mountain, 289. Druid Hill, 294. Early Admirable, 293. Early Anne, 289. Early Barnard, 301. Early Newington Freestone, 208 Early Purple, 298. Early Tillotson, 291. Early York, 290, 295. Emperor of Russia, 2921 Favorite, 294. Fox's Seedling, 294. Garlande, 293. George IV., 294. Green Catherine, 295. 6rosse Mignonne, 293. Heath Cling, 303. Inromparablcj 304. Jaques' Rareripe, 300. Kenrick's Heath, 299. La Grange, 299. Large Early York, 295. Large Red Rareripe, 292. Large White Clingstone, 303. Late Admirable. 295. Late Red Rareripe, 295. INDEX — PEACHES — NECTARINES — APRICOTS — PLUMS. XI Late Yellow Al barge, 304. Lemon Clingstone, 304. Magdalen of Courson, 289. Malta, 290. Morris Red Rareripe, 296. Morris White, 299. Morrissania Pound, 296. New- York Rareripe, 295. Wivette, 296. Oldtnixon Clingstone, 304. Oldmixon Freestone, 296. Old Newington, 302. Orange Clingstone, 304. Pavie Admirable, 304. President, 290. Red Cheek Melocoton, 300. Red Rareripe, 292. Rosanna, 301. Royal Charlotte, 292. Royal George, 292. Scott's Early Red, 296. Scott's Nonpareil, 301. Serrate Earlv York, 290, Smith's Newington, 302. Snow, 299. Strawberry, 299. Sweetwater, 291. Teton de Ve7tus, 295. Tippecanoe, 304. Van Zandt's Superb, 297, Walter's Early, 297. Ward's Late Free, 297. Washington, 297. Washington Clinrstone, 304. White Blossomed fncomparable, I White Imperial, 297, White Nutmeg, 290. Yellow Admirable, 301. Yellow Alberge, 301. Yellow Rareripe, 301. Nectarines. — Varieties, 305. Boston, 307. Broomfield, 308. Downton, 306. Due de Telliers, 306. Early Newington, 308. Early Violet, 306. Elruge, 306. FairchUd's, 307. Golden, 308. Hardwicke Seedling, 30ft. Hunt's Tawny, 307. Murray, 300. Newington, 308. New White, 305. Peterborough, 307. Pitmaston Orange, 307. Red Roman, 308. CHAPTER V. The Abkicot —Culture, 309. Varikties, 310— Alberge, 313. Musch, 311. Orange, 310. Black, 310. Breda, 310. Brussels, 312. Dubois, 311. Early Golden, 311. Hemskirke, 311. Large Early, 312. Moorpark, 311. Peach, 312. Red Masculine, 313. Roman, 313. Royal, 312.. Shipley's, 312. Turkey, 310. White Masculine, S13 CHAPTER VI. Thb Plum.— Raising the young trees, 314— Soil and manure, 315— Inacctfl-^liirea- Uo, 315— Black excrescences, 320 — Drying prunes, 322. 'Varieties. — Albany Beauty, 327. American Wheat, 346. Apricot, 327. Autumn Gage, 327. Bingham, 331. Bleecker's Gage, 326, 328. Bleecker^s Scarlet, 345. Blue Gage, 341. Blue Imperatrice, 344. Blue Perdrigon, 344. Brevoort's Purple, 343. Buel's Favorite, 331. Byfield, a-M. Cherry, 346. '^beston, 341. ChioKasaw, .^7. Coe's Golden Drop, 332. Coe'« Late Red, 336, 337 Columbia, 334. Corse's Admiral, 345. Corse's Field Marshal, 345. Corse's Nota Bene, 337. Cruger's Scarlet, 337. Damson, 342. Dana's Yellow, 333. Denniston's Ked, 337. Denniston's Superb, 329. Diamond, 335. Domine Dull, 345. Downton Imporatrice, 333. Drap d'Or, 329. Duane's Purple, 343. Sarly Scarlet. 346, Early Tours, 347. Elfrey, 342. Emerald Drop, 333. xn INDEX — PLUMS — CHERRIES. Flushing Gage, 325. Fotheringham, 337. Frost Gage, 347. German Prune, 335, 345. Ghiston's Early, 325. Goliath, 343. Green Gage, 326, 329. Gwalsh, 343. Holland, 338. Horse plum, 333. Howell's Early, 342. Hudson Gage, 329. Huling's Superb, 332. Ickworth Imperatrice, 345. Imperial Gage, 325, 326. Imperial Ottoman, 325, 330 Isabella, 338. Italian Damask 338. Jaune Native, 330. Jefferson, 325, 326. Judson, 342. Kirke's, 338. Large Green Drying, 332. La Royaie, 341. Lawrence's Favorite, 325, 326. Lombard, 345. Long Scarlet, 346. liucombe's Nonsuch, 333. Manning's Long Blue, 335. McLaughlin, 332. Mirabelle, 330. Morocco, 338. Mulberry, 332. Nectarine 344. Orleans, 339. Orleans, Early, 339. Peach Plum, 335. Peoly's Early Blue, 348. Pond's Seedling, 339. Priraordian, 330. Prince of Wales, 339. Prune d'Agen, 339. Purple Favorite, 339. Purple Gage, 339. Queen Mother, 342. Quetsche, 335. Ked Apricot, 340. Red Diaper, 335, 336. Red Egg, 336. Red Gage, 340. Red Magnum Bonum, 336. Red Perdrjgon, 341. Red St. Martin, 33V. Reine Claude de Bavay, 328. Royale, 341. Royale Hative, 341 Royal Tours, 344. Schenectady Catherine. 342. Schuyler's Gage, 330. ' Semiana, 344. Sharp's Emperor, 336. Smith's Orleans, 343. St. Catherine, 333. St. Martin's Quetsche, 328. Suisse, 346, Thomas, 338. Washington, 326, 327. White or Yellow Damson, 334. White Egg, 333. White Imperatrice, 329. White Perdrigon, 334. Wild Plum, 348. Yellow Gage, 329, 330. CHAPTER VII. Thu Cherry.— Propagation— Stocks, 349— Budding, 350— Dwarf cherries, Vi* Birds excluded by nets, 352— Diseases and insects, 353. Varikties. — Amber Gean, 36 American Amber, 359. American Heart, 366. Arch Duke, 368. Belle de Choisy, 368. Belle Magnifique, 368. Bigarreau, 363. Bigarreau Gros Cauret, 362. Black Bigarreau, 363. Black Corone, 358. Black Eagle, 356. Black Heart, 357, Black Mazzard, 358. Black Tartarian, 357. Bleeding Heart, 358. Burr's Seedling, 366. Butmer's Yellow, 367. Carnation, 370. China Bigarreau, 367. Cleveland Bigarreau, 364. Cluster, 371. Coe'g Transparent, 359. Doctor, 359. Downer's Late, 360. Downing's Red Cheek, 367. Downton, 359. Early May, 371. Early Purple Guigne, 858. Early White Heart, 360. Elkhorn, 363. Elliot's Favorite, 361. Elton, 364. Florence. 365. Gascoine's Heart, 358. Gridley, 363. Graffion, 363. Hildesheim, 367. Holland Bigarreau, 365. Honey, 362. Hyde's Red Heart, 361. Jeffrey's Duke, 370. Kentish, 371. Kirtland's Mary, 365. Knight's Early Black, 357 INDEX — CHERRIES— GOOSEBERRIES — RASPBERRIES, ETC. Xn Lady Southampton's Yellow, 367. Large Heart-shaped Bigarreau, 362. Large Red Bigarreau, 365. Late Duke, 369. Le Mercier, 369. Madison Bigarreau, 367. Manning's Late Black, 362. Manning's Mottled, 361. May Bigareaii, 338. Miiyduke, 369. Morello, 370. Napoleon Bigarreau, 365, 366. Ohio Beauty, 359. Oxhean, 357. Pie Cherry, 371. Plumstone Morello, 370, Remington, 367. Robert's Red Heart, 359. Rockport Bigarreau, 365, 366. Royal Duke, 369. Rumsey's Late Morello, 370. Sparhawk's Honey, 361. Sweet Montmorency, 361. Transparent Guigne, 362. Waterloo, 357. Wendell's Bigarreau, 363. White Tartarian, 361. CHAPTER Vin. The Gooseberry and CtTRRANi. — The Currant, 372— Propagation and ODltvre^ 372— preservmg fresh, 373. Varieties.— Black Naples, 374. May's Victoria, 373. Champagne, 373. Red Dutch, 373. Cherry, 373. Striped Fruited, 373. Common Black, 374. White Grape, 373. Knight's Early Red, 373. White Dutch, 37a Knight's Sweet Red, 37,3. The Gooseberry, 374— Productiveness, 374— Propagation, 375. VARrETiEs.— Crown Bob, 376. Roaring Lion, 376. Houghton's Seedlini, 377. Willington's Glory, 377. Parkinson's Laurel, 377. Whitesmith, 376. Red Warrington, 376. CHAPTER IX. The Raspberry.— Propagation and culture, 378— Pruning and training, 3T9. Varieties.— American Black, 380. American Red, 3S0- American White, 380 Barnet, 380. Black Cap, 380. Col. Wilder, 380 Cretan Red, 38a Fastolff, 380. Franconia, 380. Ohio Everbearing, 381 Red Antwerp, 381. Thimble-berry, 380. Yellow Antwerp, 381. CHAPTER X. The Strawberry.— Soil and culture, 382— Alternate strips, 383— Produclivenest, 384— Staminate and pistillate flowers, 384. Varieties. — Austrian Scarlet, 386. Bishop's Orange, 387. Black Prince, 389. Boston Pine, 388. Brewer's Emperor, 388. British Queen, 3S9. Burr's New Pine, 390. Burr's Staminate Seedling, 387. Bush Alpine, 391. Crimson Cone, 388. Deptford Pine, 389. Duke of Kent, 386. Dundee, 388. Elton, 387. Grove End Scarlet, 337. Hovey's Seedling, 390. Hudson, 388. Keene's Seedling, 339. Large Early Scarlet, 387. Melhven, 388. Myatt's Eliza, 389. Neck Pine, 390. Old Pine, 389. Prince Albert, 389. Prolific Hautbois, 391. Red Alpine, 391. Red Wood, 391. Roseberry, 388. Ross Phoenix, 389. Swainstone Seedling, 3S9. White Alpine, 391. White Wood, 391. Willey, 388. Wilraot'« Superb, 301. XIV INDEX — GRAPES. CHAPTER XI. The Grape.— Propagation— Soil, 392— Pruning, 393— Grape houses, 394— Manag* ment, 395. ■Varieties .—Alexander, 396. American Muscadine, 398. Black Cluster, 398. Black Hamburg, 398. Black Portugal, 399. Black Prince. 399. Black St. Peter's, 399. Bland, 396. Burgundy, 398. Cambridge Black, 399. Cannon-Hall Muscat, 400. Cape Grape, 396. Catawba, 396. Charlesworth Tokay, 399. Chasselas de Bar Sur Aube, 4001 Clinton, 397. Diana, 397. Early Black July, 399. Early Sweetwater, 401. Early White Malvasia, 399. * Elsinborough, 397. Blsinburgh, 397. Grizzly Frontignan, 401. Herbemont, 397. Hyde's Eliza, 397. Isabella, 397. July, 3!,.9. Lenoir, 397. Missouri, 897. Norton's, 397. Ohio, 398. Pitmaston White Cluster, 399. PoweU, 396. Bed Hamburgh, 398. Royal Muscadine, 399. Scuppernong, 398. Syrian, 400. Tottenham Park Muscat, 400. White Frontignan, 401. White Muscadine, 401. While Muscat of Alexandria, 400 White Nice, 401. White .Sweetwater, 401. White Tokay, 401. CHAPTER XII. Select Lists of Fruits, adapted to different localities, 402. Trees to supply a family with fruit, 409. Glos.sary of terms used in Fruit Culture, 406. Appendix. Additional notes, 411. Notices of new fruits, 418. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORy REMARKS. The climate and soil of our country afford unequalled fa cilities for the cultivation of fruit. A rich treasure lies within the reach of its inhabitants, in the profusion of de- licious kinds, which successive months may be made to sup- ply. Yet, a small portion have availed themselves fully of these advantages. Even the existence of most of the finer va- rieties, are but partially known. The rapid increase of fruit culture within the past few years, has but thinly spread its bounties over a widely expanded and thickly peopled territory. In traversing the country, neat cottages and comfortable farm-houses are seen everywhere interspersed, and plenty is indicated by loaded orchards and abundant harvests. But how many of the prosperous owners are aware of the rare delicacies their fertile lands are capable of yielding ? How many of them, for instance, are familiar with that perfumed, golden, midsummer fruit, the apricot ? What portion cul- tivate enough of the best peaches to obtain " from the loaded bough the mellow shower," for ten successive weeks? What number know that plums, rich, juicy, and bloom- dusted, may be had fresh from the tree, from early wheat harvest till the ground freezes in autumn ? Who among them partake of the twenty best melting pears, out of the thousand varieties which have borne fruit in this country? And especially, who practically knows, that a whole yearly circle of fruits is within his reach, beginning with the most refreshing strawberries, raspberries, and cherries, for early summer ; including the richest plums, apricots, peaches, and nectarines, for summer and autumn ; and closing with high- flavored pears and apples, extending their season of ripen- ing through all autumn and winter, and far into the sue- 16 PROFITS OF FRUIT CtTLTURE. ceeding year ? Happily, the number of cultivators is rapidly increasing, who may place upon their tables many delicious sorts, on almost any day of the entire year. The cultivation of fruit has been retarded by a mistaken estimate of the time required for young trees to come into bearing. But this error is fast disappearing before skilful culture. It is become well known, that he who plants trees, plants for himself, as well as for his children. Bad treat- ment may long retard the growth and bearing of a tree. Enveloped in weeds and grass, what young plant could flourish ? What farmer would think a moment of raising good corn in the thick and tall grass of a meadow ? No wonder, then, that a young tree, similarly treated, lingers in feebleness and disease. But give it for a few years a mellow, clean, and fertile soil, and vigorous shoots, and ex- panding branches, will soon bend under copious loads of fruit. To adduce instances, — in a single garden, apple trees, the fifth year from setting out, yielded a bushel each ; peach trees, the third summer, bore three pecks ; and a Bartlett pear, two years from transplanting, gave a peck of superb fruit ; none of them were an inch in diameter when transplanted, nor was their treatment better than that which every good farmer gives his carrots and potatoes. PROFITS. It can be hardly necessary, with our present rapidly in- creasing commerce in fruit, to point out the pecuniary pro- fits resulting from its culture. But those who have only raised the more common, or second-rate sorts, can hardly appreciate the heavy returns from the finest, under the best culture. To such, a few examples may be interesting. C. A. Cable, of Cleveland, Ohio, obtained in 1845, from an orchard of one hundred cherry trees, twenty years old, more than one thousand dollars. The trees were twenty- five feet apart, and no other crop occupied the ground, which was enriched and kept well cultivated. Hill Pennell, of Darby, Pa., sold in 1846, two hundred and twenty-five dollars worth of early apples, from half an acre. A farmer near Fishkill, N. Y. sold fifteen hundred dol- lars worth of plums in a single season. Richard I. Hand PROFITS OF FRUIT CULTURE. 17 of Mendon, Monroe county, N. Y., sold in 1845, four hun- dred and forty dollars worth of Roxbury Russet and Nor- thern Spy apples from one acre of orchard. James Laws, of Philadelphia, sold three hundred dollars worth of Isabella and Catawba grapes, the fourth year from planting, from three-eighths of an acre, or at the rate of eight hundred dollars* per acre. Hugh Hatch, of Camden, N. J., obtained from four trees of the Tewksbury Blush, one hundred and forty bushels of apples, or thirty-five from each tree ; of these ninety baskets (of about three pecks each) sold late in the following spring for one dollar per basket. Examples almost beyond number may be given where sin- gle trees have yielded from five to ten dollars a year in fruit and many instances where twenty or thirty dollars have been obtained. An acre of such would be equal to any of the preceding instances. If one tree of the Rhode Island Green- ing will afford forty bushels of fruit, at a quarter of a dollar per bushel, which has often occurred, forty such trees on an acre would yield a crop worth four hundred dollars. But taking but one quarter of this amount as a low average for all seasons and with imperfect cultivation, one hundred dol lars would still be equal to the interest on fifteen hundred per acre. Now, this estimate is based upon the price of good winter apples for the past thirty years, in our most pro- ductive districts ; let a similar calculation be made with fruits rarer and of a more delicious character. Apricots, and the finer varieties of the plum, are often sold for three to six dollars per bushel ; the best early peaches from one to three dollars ; and pears, from hardy and productive trees, for an equal amount. Of the three former kinds, tv/o to five bushels per tree, with good management, is a frequent crop ; and on large pear trees five times this quantity. An acquain- tance received eight dollars for a crop grown on two fine young cherry trees, and twenty-four dollars from four young peach trees, of only six years growth from the bud. In western New-York, single trees of the Doyenne or Virgalieu pear have often afforded a return of twenty dollars or more, after being sent hundreds of miles to market. An acre oi such trees, well managed, would far exceed irs profits a fim hundred-acre farm. 2 18 PROFITS OF FRUIT CULTURE. But the anxious inquiry is suggested, " Will not our mar- kets be surfeited with fruit?" This will depend upon the judgment and discretion of cultivators. With the excep- tion of the peaches of Philadelphia, and the strawberries of Cincinnati, a great deficiency is still felt in all our large cities. Of these two fruits, large plantations are brought rapidly into full bearing. The fruit, when ripe, quickly perishes, and cannot be kept a week ; yet thousands of acres in peach trees, bending under their heavy crops, are needed for the consumption of the one city, and broad fifty-acre fields, reddened with enormous products, send many hundred bush- els of strawberries daily into the other. If, instead of keep- ing but three days, sorts were now added which would keep three months, many times the amount would be needed. But the market would not be confined to large cities. Rail- roads and steamboats would open new channels of distribu- tion throughout the country, for increased supplies. Nor would the business stop here. Large portions of the eastern continent would gladly become purchasers, as soon as suffi- cient quantities should create facilities for a resonable sup- ply. Our best apples are already eagerly bought in London and Liverpool, where nine dollars per barrel is not an unu- sual price for the best Newtown pippins. And by packing in ice, Doyenne pears, gathered early in autumn in New- York, have been sold at mid-winter in Calcutta — peaches have been safely sent to Jamaica — and strawberries to Bar- badoes. The Baldwin apple has been furnished in good condition in the East Indies, two months after it is entirely gone at Boston. Good winter apples always command a market. For the past thirty years such fine varieties as the Swaar, Rhode Island Greening, and Esopus Spitzenburgh, have scarcely varied from twenty-five cents a bushel in some of the most productive portions of the country, remote from market. Late keepers are sold early in the summer for more than triple that sum. An acre of forty trees, with good culture, will average through all seasons not less than two hundred bushels, or fifty dollars a year. Instances are frequent of thrice this amount. The farmer, then, who sets out twenty acres of good apple orchard, and takes care of it, may expect PROFITS OF FRUIT CULTURE. 19 U no remote period a yearly return of five to fifteen hundred dollars a year, and even more, if a considerable portion is occupied with late keepers. This is, it is true, much more than the majority obtain; but the majority wholly neglect cultivating and enriching the soils of their orchards. ' It is not, however, merely as a source of income, that the cultivation of the finer kinds become profitable. The family which is at all times supplied with delicious and refreshing fruit from its own gardens, has within its reach not only a very important means of economy, but of real domestic com- fort. An influence is thus introduced of an exalted charac- ter ; a tendency is directly exerted towards the improvement of the manners of the people. Every addition to the at- tractions of home, has a salutary bearing on a rising family of children. The difference between a dwelling with well planted grounds, and well furnished with every rural enjoy- ment, and another where scarcely a single fruit tree softens the face of bleakness and desolation, may, in many instances, and to many a young man just approaching active life, serve as the guiding influence between a useful life on the one hand, or a roving and unprofitable one on the other — be- tween a life of virtue and refinement from early and favora- ble influences, or one of dissipation and ruin from the over- balancing effects of a repulsive home. Nor can any man, even in the noon or approaching evening of life, scarcely fail to enjoy a higher happiness, with at least an occasional intercourse with the blossoming and loaded trees which his own hand has planted and pruned, than in the noise of th« crowd and tumult of the busy world. CHAPTER IL LEADING PRINCIPLES IN THE GROWTH OF TREES — CIRCULATION OF THE SAP. During the growth of a tree, a most interesting process is going on, which should be well understood by every one engaged in cultivation. The sap enters from the soil into the spongioles, or the minute spongy extremities of the finely-branched fibres ;* it passes up these fibres or fine roots, through the thousands of minute tubes or sap vessels, (which are minuter than the smallest hair,) until united into the larger roots ; the union of these little currents of sap some- what resembling that of the innumerable rills which con- stitute a large river. On reaching the trunk or stem, it flows upward through the myriads of little vessels in the alburnum or sap-wood, and reaching the branches, becomes again subdivided through them, and is sent out into all the ex- tremities of the smallest shoots. A young apple tree an inch in diameter, consists of about one million of these little sap-tubes united together, and a single one- year shoot contains more than ten thousand. The annexed figure represents a greatly magnified cross-section of a small portion of a peach-shoot, showing the sap vessels. Passing up the leaf-stalks from the shoots, the sap emerges for the Cross-section of the sap- vessels of a first time to the light, through the jra";5fi?d-«:baStrw^j?pi£ innumerable microscopic veins * For a magnified representation of a spongelet. see p. 31. CIRCULATION OF THE SAP. 0| all over the leaves, and is exposed to the full action of the sun's rays and to the air, in these thin and broad organs. It here undergoes a great change. A large portion evaporates through the pores of the leaf, (which are so small that 30,000 are found on a square inch of the pear or apple leaf;) the remainder absorbs carbonic acid from the air, which is decomposed, the oxygen being given off again, and the carbon retained for Pores in the under the manufacture of the solid substance of the KaffgreaUy mag- wood. The light of the sun is necessary to *^'^"*' effect this decomposition, — for in the dark it will not take place ; hence the reason that the branches of trees grow feebly or cease growing when their leaves are densely shaded- This newly formed juice, greatly reduced in bulk, but enriched with materials for the new wood, now begins to descend. It flows downward, not again through the say- mood^ but through the tubes in the inner hark^ and in its passage deposites on the outer surface of the wood, next to the bark, a soft, mucilaginous substance, called camhium^ which gradually hardens into new wood. This commences in spring as soon as the Leaves open, and continues till the cessation of growth in autumn, by which time a new layer of wood has been deposited.*" The distinct successive por- tions thus laid on by each season's growth, indicate with accuracy the age of the tree, when cut across and counted. This may be proved by the simple and interesting experi- ment of slitting down the bark of a hardy young tree, care- fully loosening the bark back from the wood, and slipping in around the freshly stripped stem a sheet of tin-foil, and again replacing the bark without injury. The cambium is then deposited outside the tin-foil; the new wood forms around it ; and at any subsequent year, by cutting down the tree, the number of concentric layers outside the foil will be found to indicate with precision the number of years since the operation. The ages of large forest trees are thus in- delibly recorded, and the author has counted the rings of a * All ordinary trees in temperate climates, known as exogenous^ (which meana growing outside) are formed m this way; hut palms and other endogenous trees, or tnside growers, havo their uew wood deposited at the centre, which swells out tha exterior. 1B2 CIRCITLATION OF THE SAP. gigantic tulip tree in Western New- York, which was found •to be ninety years old at the discovery of Columbus. The pines on the Californian coast, which attain such enormous dimensions, have in some instances numbered nine hundred rings. Consequently, they would have served as bean-poles as far back as the time of Genghis Khan, and must have been towering forest trees of two hundred years of age during the conquests of Tamerlane. The reader will perceive that the roots and leaves perform each a most important part in the growth of the tree — ope- rating as they do at the opposite extremes of this wonderful piece of machinery. The roots are indispensible in receiving and furnishing the liquid portions, — the crude material, — from the soil ; the leaves are the manufactory, equally ne- cessary, for working up this crude material into the new wood; while the microscopic tubes become the carrying agents for conveying first the material to the leaves, and afterwards to the store-house along down the branches and stem where it is deposited. Hence, neither of these organs can be destroyed or re- moved without the destruction of the plant or tree. The roots, however, being placed beneath the soil, are safe from ordinary accident ; but unless properly supplied with moist- ure, with the minute portions of the soil, as potash, lime, &c., in solution, so essential to growth, they cannot furnish the leaves with what they need. This explains the reason that in a good bed of mellow earth, which receives and holds a due quantity of water, and admits the free extension of the minute and delicate roots, any tree will flourish so much better than in a hard soil, overcharged perhaps at one time and destitute of water at another, or in grassy and weedy ground where the soil is robbed of a large portion of the necessary materials before the tree can get its due sup- ply. If destitute of leaves, nourishment, however abundantly furnished by the roots, cannot be manufactured for the growth of the wood nor of the fruit. Hence, trees kept simply stripped of their foliage for a length of time, perish ; leaf-eating insects in this way do great injury ; and leaf- blight, or any other disease of these organs, is always more or less detrimental to growth, if not fatal to the tree. Seve- CIRCULATION OF THE SAP. 23 ral interesting cases in illustration of this principle, will be found in the marginal note on page 32. The perspiration of leaves, or the evaporation of the sap from their surfaces, has been already alluded to. The de- gree of this perspiration may be very readily shown by cut- ting off tAvo small branches from a tree at midsummer, and throwing them down in the sun's rays after having stripped one of its leaves. The branch furnished with foliage will become sensibly shrivelled in a few minutes, while the other will remain unchanged for a long time. For this reason watering should be given to trees but sparingly while yet only in bud, but copiously when in full leaf and in vigorous growth. For the same reason a tree losing most of its roots in digging up for transplanting, may continue apparently fresh and healthy till in full leaf, Avhen the few remaining roots cannot supply with moisture the entire crop of leaves, which soon drop and wither, and the tree perishes. A cor- responding reduction of the buds when the tree is set out would prevent this disaster. After the fall of the leaf in autumn, all action in the tree is nearly suspended, and every part stationary. On the approach of warm weather, however, the roots begin to drink in the moisture from the earth ; but having yet no escape through the leaves, every part is filled. While in this state, cutting into the wood causes an instant flow of the sap from the distended vessels. But as soon as the leaves open, they form a rapid drain on this superabundant water, and the regular circulation as before explained com merices. CHAPTER III. PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES. The tendency is more or less common with all plants, when successively produced from seed, to depart from the charac- ter first stamped upon them. These departures give rise to new varieties. In their native forests, many trees and plants do not exhibit these changes, either because they are slight and obscure, or in consequence of the inflexible nature of the species. With others, varieties are conspicuous ; examples of which may be seen in the White Spruce, a part of the trees presenting rigid, erect branches, in contrast with the drooping aspect of others ; in the American Elm, the branches, in rare instances, being as pendant as the weeping willow ; in the more brilliant glow of red flowers on some trees of the Red Maple ; and in the diversity ol size, form, and flavor of the wild plum of the woods. This tendency to vary is increased as plants are removed from their native localities ; and in an eminent degree by cultivation. Planted in gardens, and subjected to high culture, repeated and successive sowings often develope striking changes from the appearances which for previous centuries had remained unchanged. By a constant selec- tion of seeds from the best, a gradual improvement on the original is eflTected. Most of our finest fruits, doubtless owe their existence to this improving process.* " If," says Downing, " we sow a quantity of seed in gar- * The distinction between species awd vmieiiss should Ive vreli understood, A single gpecies, or originnl, distinct, individual plnnt, often, includes many varieties. All the varieties of oiie species, are from the same original plant; the thousands which have been named of the single species, the apple, are but a small portion of the m5Ti- ads which have bet-n actually produced. Successive plantings have given us sorts as different in size as the Monstrous Pippin and the minute Lady Apple ; or as remote in flavor as the harsh and astringent Hewes Crab, and the rich and honied Bough. But widely different as these may be, they can never pass the boundary of the species — an apple can never be changed to a pear, a cherry to u plum, nor a gooseberry to a currant. . HISTORY, IMPROVEMENT, AND NOMENCLATURE. 25 den soil, of the common black mazzard cherr}^, we shall find that, in the leaves and habit of growth, many of the seedlings do not entirely resemble the original. When they come into bearing, it is probable we shall also find as great a diversity m the size, color, and flavor of the fruit, though only a few, perhaps only one, may be superior to the origi- nal species. " Exactly in proportion as this reproduction is frequently repeated, is the change to a great variety of forms, or new sorts, increased. It is likely, indeed, that to gather the seeds from the wild mazzard of the woods, the instances oi departure from the form of the original species would be very few ; while if gathered from a garden tree, itself some- time cultivated, or several removes from a wild state, though Btill a mazzard, the seedlings will show great variety oi character. " Once in the possession of a variety which has moved out of the natural into a more domesticated form, we have in our hands the best material for the improving process. The fixed original habit of the species is broken in upon, and this variety which we have created, has always afterwards some tendency to make further departures from the original form. It is true that all or most of its seedlings will still retain a likeness to the parent, but a few will differ in some respects, and it is by seizing upon those which show symptoms of variation, that the improver of vegetable races founds his hopes." While a few of the seedlings from such improved variety, may become still further improved, a far greater number will probably approach towards the original or wild state. The more highly improved the fruit, the greater the diffi- culty to find one of its progeny which shall excel or equal the parent. In ten thousand seedlings from those high- flavored apples, the Swaar and Esopus Spitzenburgh, it may be quite doubtful if any shall equal in quality those fruits themselves, while most may fall considerably below them. The improvements effected in former ages were doubtless the result of accident, as the ancients were ignorant of the means for their systematic accomplishment. The greatest progress in the art made in modern times, was effected by Van Mons in Belgium, and Knight in England. B 56 HISTOEY, IMPROVEMENT, AND NOMENCLATURE. - Van Mons, who directed his labors chiefly to the pear, pro- duced many new and excellent varieties, by a constant and successive selection of the best seedlings. He first made a large collection of natural stocks, or wild pears, choosing those which, from the appearance of the wood and leaf, he had reason to believe, would be most likely to produce the best fruit. As soon as the first of these bore, he selected the best, and planted the seeds. Selections were again made, from the first, of these, and so on in continued succession ; the best and soonest in bearing were uniformly chosen. He thus obtained fruit from the eighth generation ; each suc- cessive experiment yielding an improved result on the pre- ceding. At the fourth generation many of the fruits were good, several excellent, but a smaller number still bad. He had, in the early part of this series of experiments, no less than eighty thousand trees ; hence in selecting from so large a number, his chance for fine sorts was far greater than from a small collection ; and hence too the reason why, after sev- en or eight improving generations, he had obtained so many good varieties. In the early stages of his operations, he found " that twelve or fifteen years was the mean term of time, from the moment of planting the first seed of an an- cient variety of the domestic pear, to the first fructification of the trees which sprung from them. The trees from the second sowing, yielded their first fruit at an age of from ten to twelve years ; those of the third generation, at an age of from eight to ten years ; those of the fourth generation, at an age of from six to eight ; and those of the fifth genera- tion at the age of six years. Van Mons, being actually at the eighth generation, has informed me that he has obtain- ed several pear trees which f?- ait ed at the age offouryears.^^* When his seedlings were at the age of three or four years, he was able to judge of their appearances, though they had not as yet borne ; such only were taken for further trial, as enhibited the strongest probability of excellence. It is hard- ly necessary to remark that in all these trials, the young trees were kept in the highest state of cultivation. Van Mons maintained that by selecting and planting th« seeds of the first crop on the young tree, the product would be less liable to run back to the original variety, than wher« • Poiteau. NEW VARIETIES BY CROSSING. 27 the seeds were taken from the fruit of an old bearing or graft- ed tree ; and to this practice he chiefly ascribed his success. The many instances, however, of fine seedlings from old grafted sorts, throw a shade of doubt over this theory. NEW VARIETIES BY CROSSING. A familiar instance of cross-impregnation in plants occurs in the Indian corn. The pistillate or seed-bearing flowers covering the young ear, are remotely situated on the plant from the staminate or fertilizing flowers on the summits or tassels. Hence, from this remote position, the pollen or fer- tilizing dust from the summits may not certainly fall on the ear ; and if different sorts grow near, a mixture will proba- bly result. It is well known to farmers, that if different sorts, as white, yellow, and purple, are planted in the same field ; or, if common and sweet corn are planted together, each sort no longer remains distinct, but each ear the second year is speckled with a promiscuous assemblage of white, yellow, and purple, and of common and sweet corn, of various grades. In frait trees, the stamens and pistils are in the same flower, and the chances of accidental mixture from other trees, be- come very small, unless affected by insects, which, becoming thickly dusted with powder from one flower, plunge into the recesses of another, and effect a cross-fertilization. Where many varieties grow in one garden, in close proximity, cases of promiscuous intermixture are constantly occurring, which can be developed only by raising fruit from the seedlings. In the annexed figure of the pear blossom, (fig. 1,) the '■e five central organs, a, are the pistils ; the upper- extremity of each is the stigma. The surrounding thread-like organs, h, are the stamens, surmount- ed by the anthers. The anthers are little bags or cases filled with the pollen or fertilizing dust. When the flowers open, the anthers burst, and ^'o- ^' discharge the pollen on the stigma, which operates on the embryo fruit at its base. The production of new varieties is greatly facilitated by cross-impregnation, or by fertilizing the pistil of one variety with the pollen of another. This was performed with great 28 NEW VARIETIES BY CROSSING. '^i success by Knight. Selecting two varieties, while yet ear- ly in flower, and before the anthers had burst and discharged the pollen, he cut out with a fine pair of scissors ail the stamens, leaving the pistils untouched, (fig. 2.) When the stigma became sufficiently mature, which was indica ted by its glutinous surface, he trans ferred the pollen of the other sort, on the point of a camel's-hair pencil. The fruit, thus yielded, was unchanged ; but its seeds partook variously of the nature of both parents, and the trees growing from them bore new and intermediate varieties. For the success of such experiments, several precautions are requisite. The flower must be deprived of its stamens before it has fully expanded, or before the anthers have already burst and scattered their dust ; the pollen must be procured from a bursting or fully matured anther, when it will be dry and powdery ; the stigma must be inoculated as soon as it becomes adhesive or glutinous, otherwise it may be fertilized from another source, and then the intend- ed pollen cannot possibly take efiect. For a stigma once inoculated, cannot be inoculated again. It is safest, where practicable, to force the trees by artificial heat into flower- ing a few days earlier than others, so as to be secure from accidental inoculations of pollen floating in the air ; and to prevent its spread by bees, to apply a temporary covering of gauze. A want of attention to these minutiag, has led some experimenters to fancy they had obtained crosses, when they had only natural seedlings.*' To obtain new varieties of certain desired qualities, select two which possess those qualities separately, and seedlings from crossing will be likely to exhibit these qualities com- bined. Thus, a very early pear deficient in flavor, as the Amire Joannet, might furnish one of superior quality by a cross with a bettei and later sort, as Dearborn's Seedling. Or, a small and very rich pear, as the Seckel, might give us one of the larger size by fertilizing the Bartlett. A slow- growing and tender peach, as the Early Anne, might be rendered hardier and more vigorous by an intermixture with ♦ PoUeji may be kept witlio-jt injury for mouths, if sealed air-tight in a small vial. PRODTTCTION OF NEW VARIETIES. 2*J che Early York or Cooledge's Favorite. But it must bf remembered, that there is a tendency in such highly im- proved sorts to deteriorate, and that out of a large numbe/ jf seedlings, perhaps only one or two may be equal in fla vor to the original. Some of our best fruits have resulted from artificial cross- ng. Coe's Golden Drop plum was obtained by plantino seed of the Green Gage, impregnated with pollen from the White Magnum Bonum ; the Elton cherry, from the Graffion )r Bigarreau, fertilized with the White Heart ; and Knight's Early Black and Waterloo, from the Mayduke and Graffion. The first crop of a young seedling is not always suffi- :iently developed to exhibit its true character. Some years ^f bearing are often essential. Thus, the Black Eagle, one jf the finest cherries, when exhibited the first time before the London Horticultural Society, was pronounced worthless. When a cross is obtained between two different species, instead of between mere varieties, it is termed a hybrid. But while varieties of the same species intermingle freely, the operation rarely succeeds between fruits of different species. The gooseberry, currant, and black currant, species of the same genus, and nearly related, have never produced a hy- brid. Neither have any ever been obtained between the ap- ple and the pear, or the pear and the quince. But different species of other plants, as the Heaths, and some of the Cacti, intermingle freely. The Rhododendron will fertilize the Azaleas, and the Red Cedar has been made to inoculate the American Arbor-vitse, though both these examples are be- tween plants of different genera. Hybrids are frequently sterile ; or if they possess the power of reproduction by seed, the progeny returns to the state of one or the other of its parents. CHAPTER IV. PROPAGATION BY BUDDING AND GRAFTING BY LAYERS AND BY CUTTINGS. When trees are raised from seeds, as before stated, there is no certainty that the same identical variety will be re- produced. In many cases, the shade of variation will be scarcely perceptible ; in others it will be wide and distinct. It hence becomes desirable in preventing a return towards the original wild state, or, in other words, to perpetuate the identical individual thus highly improved, to adopt some other mode of propagation, for the purpose of multiplying trees of such varieties as possess a high excellence, instead of con- stantly creating new ones, with the hazard of most of them proving worthless. It will be distinctly remembered, that new varieties must always spring from seeds ; but the same individual variety can be multiplied only by separating the buds, or shoots bear- ing the buds, of such individual plant. As an example, the Fall Pippin, when first produced from seed, was a single tree of a new variety. The myriads of trees now existing of this variety, are only multiplications of the branches of the original. This multiplication or propagation of varieties, is effected in several ways : 1, Cuttings ; 2, Layers ; 3, Graft mg ; 4, Budding. Without these means of propagation, such delicious sorts as the Green Gage plum, the Elton cher ry, and the Seckel pear, could never have been tasted ex- cept as picked from the single parent tree. In the multitude of different modes of grafting and bud* ding, success must depend on the observance of certain fun- damental principles ; a brief recapitulation in part, of some of the principles laid down in the second chapter, may iwt be out of place. During the growing season of a fruit tree, the sap enters at PROPAGATION. 31 the spongioles, or minute spongy extremities of the fibrous roots,* at which time it consists merely of water, with minute portions of other substances in solution. It passes up through the alburnum or sap-wood, dissolving mucilage in its pro- gress ; it becomes further charged in a very slight degree, and acquires a saccharine character. It ascends to the ex- tremities of the branches, and is distributed through the leaves. Emerging thus from the dark and minute vessels of the wood, it is spread out and exposed to the action of the light, by means of the fine web or net-work of veins running from the mid-rib to all parts of these broad and thin organs. Here it becomes essentially chang- ed in character, it enters into new combinations, and is charged with the materials for the newly forming wood ; it now descends, not through the sap-wood, but through the inner or living bark,t and deposits a new layer between the bark and the wood. This new layer being soft and fresh, interposed between them, causes that separation known as the 'pediiig of the bark.1^ The sap is capable of flowing sidewise, through lateral openings in the vessels or microscopic tubes. Hence some trees may be cut at one point more »i u than half through on one side, and at another point ' V more than half through on the other side, without %,l intercepting the upward flow of sap, as in fig. 3. Fijr. 3. This lateral motion explains the reason why a graft set in the longitudinal cleft of a stock, receives the sap from the split surfaces of the cleft, and succeeds as well as when cross-sections of both are brouorht into contact. * A greatly magnified representation of one of these spongelets is showii in 1h? annexed figure, (fig. 4,) the cen- tral or dark part being "woody, and the point of the exterior being cellular and spongy. t The liber, or inner bark, con- stitutes almost the wliole bark in yonng trees, but often not one- half on very old and rough-barked forest trees. X The importance of leaves to the growth and even life of the tree, is exhibited in various ways. Fig. 4. A tree stripped of its leaves at midsummer, instantly ceaser growing. A succession of such strippiags, during the course of the »ea»ori, soon 32 PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. I. CUTTINGS. When a ligature is bound closely round a branch, the ob- struction which it imposes to the descending juices, causes an enlargement or swollen ring above the ligature, as in fig. 5. The same result is produced if a small ring of bark is cut out, as in fig. 6. If a shoot is taken from the tree before the leaves expand, and plung- ed into moist earth till i( commences growth, the de- scending current exuding from the lower extremity, forms a callus or ring oi the newly formed wood, as in fig. 7; and under favorable circumstances the granulations forming the callus emit roots into the soil, (fig. 8,) and thus a new plant is formed. Every leaf bud on a fruit tree may be regarded as ah em- bryo branch, and capable of forming a tree when supplied kills it. Weeds which spread rapidly by the roots, as the Canada thistle, may be lotJilIy destroyed in one summer, if constantly kept cut off below the surface. For tlie same reason, trees which become divested of their foliage by haf-bli^ht while the fruit is partly grown, do not perfect the ripening process. An interesting instance occurred during the past season : — A plum tree lost all its leaves, when the fruit was about two-thirds grown, and before it had attained in the slightest degree its flavor. The plums remained stationary, densely loading the naked branches, for three weeks, when a new crop of leaves came out. The fruit immediately re- commenced growing, and subsequently acquired full size, and a fine, rich, honied flavor, about a month later than the usual period of ripening. Hence also the reason why the removal of large portions of the foliage, to favor the ripening of grapes and other fruits by admittmg the sun, does not always effect the intended purpose. Another case, illustrating the same principle, was reported by the late President Knight: — " A peach tree in my garden, of which I was very anxious to see the fruit, had lost by the severity of the weather, all its blossoms except two, which grew upon leafless branches. I therefore endevored to derive the necessary returning sap [to mature the fruit] from another source. To attain this oliject, the points of the branches, which bore fruit, were brought into contact with other branches of the same age, which bore leave ; and a part of the bark, extending in length about four times their diameters, was paired off immediately above the fruit. Similar wounds were then made upon the other branches, with which these were brought into contact ; the wounded surfaces were closely fitted and tightly bound together. A union soon took place, and the fiuit, in consequence, acqujred llie highest stata of maturity and perfection." PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 33 with separate roots. But single buds do not contain within themselves sufficient nutriment to sustain vegetation till roots are formed, without a considerable portion of the al- burnum or sap-wood attached; hence the superior advan- tage of taking an entire shoot or cutting. Propagation by cuttings is the simplest mode of multiply- ing a variety. It consists simply in the insertion of a shoot of one year's growth into the soil ; the moisture of the soil renews the supply of sap, the buds swell, the leaves expand, and the descending juices expend themselves in the produc- tion of new roots, which shoot downwards into the soil, fig. 9. Under ordinary circumstances, or in open ground, this mode is only applicable to such species as readily throw out roots, as the currant, gooseberry, quince, and grape. Cuttings of the apple and pear maybe made to strike root, only by confining the moisture under glass, while ar- tificial heat is applied. The stories of empirics, of making peach and apple shoots grow by stick- ing them into potatoes, or covering with wax, have no foundation in fact. It may be stated, in general, that cuttings made of the ripened wood of such trees as have a large pith, succeed best when taken off with a portion of the preceding year's wood, such as the gooseberry, currant, vine, fig, &c. With large and strong shoots, the best success will re- sult if cuttings are separated at the point be- tween the one and two years' growth. When small side-shoots are used, they should be cut closely to the main stem, so as to secure the col- lar or enlarged portion of the wood at the base of the branch. Roots are more readily thrown out, if the cut is made imme- dately below a bud. The best time to take off cuttings, in ordinary cases, is in autumn and winter. The autumn is preferable, by giving time for the wounded section to cicatrise, preparing it for the early emission of roots in spring. But where the soil is heavy or liable to heave by frost, or where the cuttings are of tender trees, they should be kept in damp mould in a cel- lar, to be planted as soon as the frost disappears from the S B« Fi-. 9. 34 ground. PEOPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. Fig. 10. If not taken off till spring, the operation must be performed as early as possible. In ordinary in- stances to prevent drying, about two-thirds or three-quarters of the shoot should be buried be- neath the surface ; and the moisture may be still =2^ further retained by a covering of leaves or moss, or by placing them under the shade of a wall or close fence. Failure often results from a neglect to press the soil closely about the cutting. To procure young plants of the gooseberry and currant with straight, clean stems at the surface, and free from suckers, it is only necessary to re- move every bud except a few at the upper end, fig. 10. The length may be eight inches to a foot. In propagating the grape, scarce sorts are in- creased by sirgle buds with a portion of adhering wood, each -^^'C^-^N being placed separately in a pot, about half an inch deep, under glass in a hot-bed, fig. 11. They are found to root better when a portion of the pith is removed by splitting length- wise, as in fig. 12. The plants from single buds are weaker in growth, but are usually better rooted for rais- ing vines in pots. A similar mode oi propagation, familiar to all, is adopt- ed with the potato, the tubers of which are only enlarged underground stems, covered with eyes or buds. II. LAYERS. A layer is a low side-shoot bent down and buried at the middle in the soil,fig. 13. The buried portion strikes root, when it is taken off and plant- ed separately. Its advantage over a cutting, is that it is nourished while the roots are forming by the parent plant. Hence many plants which cannot be increased by cut- Fi-. 11. Fig. 12. Fig. 13. PROPAGATION BY LAYERS. ^ tings, and indeed with great difficulty by buda ngand graft- ing, may be propagated readily by layers. When roots are freely emitted, as'from the grape, simply bending the middle of the branch into the soil is enough to ensure success. But in cases of difficulty, other expedients are resorted to ; one of the most common is to split a portion upwards, immediately under a bud, (fig. 14,) which enables the newly forming roots to pass freely and at once into the soil, without the resistance of the thick bark which they otherwise must pierce. Some- times the branch is cut partly off to intercept the downward passage of the fluids, and in- duce them to form into roots. At other times a wire ligature, or the removal of a narrow ring of bark effects the same purpose. Burying the layer several inches under the surface is necessary, to keep it in moist earth ; and in drouth, moderate watering would be beneficial. A small excavation of the soil at the spot is convenient ; and when the branch is stiff, it must be fasten- ed down with a forked stick. The excavation should be made with a spade. Use both hands in bending the shoot, so that it may not be bent too short, and break. If properly done, it will press against the nearest side of the hole, rest on the bottom, and rise up, pressing against the opposite side, when it should be fasten- ed upright, and if necessary, to a small stake. At the time of bending, a sod or other weight may be laid on to keep it down till the hole is filled; and if the mellow earth be pressed firmly down with the foot, no forked stick will be usually necessary. The most favorable state of a plant for layering, is when the bark is somewhat soft and not too ripe ; and the worst shoots are those which are stunted, and with a hard bark. There are however, no shoots whatever, not actually diseased, that will not root by layers, if sufficient time be given. Layers, like cuttings, may be made of the ripened wood in autumn or spring ; or of the growing wood at or a little be- 36 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. fore mid-summer, when the part intended to root Is some- what mature and firm in texture. The pear, the apple, and the quince, if layered early in the spring ; or the grape in summer — will usually he well rooted in autumn. A moist season is the most favorable to the rooting of layers, by preserving a softer bark. For this reason, many plants may be more easily propagated in England than in the United States ; and more readily in Ireland than in England. Layering is largely made use of in propagating the grape, occasionally for the quince, and sometimes for the apple. It is also of very extensive application in propagating many ornamental trees and shrubs. Suckers may be regarded as spontaneous layers, the new shoots being sent up from buds on the roots or portions ot the stem beneath the surface of the ground. They are the only mode of multiplying most species of the raspberry. The runners of strawberries may be regarded as layers or suckers above ground. III. GRAFTING. Upwards of twenty different modifications of grafting were mentioned by the ancient Roman writer, Varro ; and Thouin, of Paris, has described and figured more than a hundred kinds. The great number of modes described in books, has tended rather to bewilder than to enlighten beginners ; the following remarks, therefore, are more for the purpose ol laying down reasons on which success depends, than foi pointing out the peculiar modes of operation, which may be varied according to convenience, provided attention is given to the essential particulars. Propagation by grafting differs mainly and essentially from increasing by cuttings, by inserting the cutting into the growing stock of another tree instead of directly into the soil. The stock thus supplies the sap, as the soil does in the case of a cutting ; and the graft, instead of making roots of its own, extends its forming wood downwards, at the in- ner surface of the bark, into the stock itself. Hence there are two chief requisites for success : the first, that the graft be so set in the stock, that the sap may fiow upward with- out interruption; and the second, that the forming wood PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 37 may flow downward uninterruptedly through the inner bark. To effect these two requisites, it is needful, ^rs?, that the operation be performed with a sharp knife, that the vessels and pores may be cut smoothly and evenly, and the two parts be brought inlo immediate and even contact. Secondly, that the operation be so contrived that a permanent and considera- ble pressure be applied to keep all parts of these cut faces closely together. Thirdly, that the line of division between the inner bark and the wood, should coincide or exactly cor- respond in each; for if the inner bark of the one sets wholly on the wood of the other, the upward current through the wood and back through the bark, is broken, and the graft cannot flourish nor grow. And, fourthly, that the wounded parts made by the operation, be effectually excluded from the external air, chiefly to retain a due quantity of moisture in the graft, but also to exclude the wet, until, by the growth of the graft, the union is effected. 1. The first requisite is best attained by keeping a keen, flat bladed-knife to cut the faces, and another knife for other purposes. 2. The second requires that the jaws of the stock in cleft- grafting, press with some force, but not too much against, the wedge-shaped sides of the graft. A stock one-third of an inch in diameter will sometimes do this sufliciently ; but three-quarters of an inch is a more convenient size. In whip-grafting, the tongue and slit should be firmly crowded or bound together. 3. The third requisite is attained by close examination with the eye. 4. The fourth is accomplished by plasters of grafting-wax or by the application of grafting-clay. Gi*fting-wax may be made by melting together rosin, tallow, and beeswax, in such proportions as to admit of being easily applied when softened by warmth, but not liable to melt and run in the sun's rays. An excellent grafting-wax is made of 3 parts of rosin, 3 of beeswax, and 2 of tallow. A cheaper composi- tion, but more liable to adhere to the hands, is made of 4 parts of rosin, 2 of tallow, and 1 of beeswax. But one of the best and cheapest consists of 1 pint of linseed oil, 6 pounds of rosin, and 1 pound of beeswax. These ingredi- ents, after being melted and mixed together, may be ap- 38 PR0PA6ATI0N BY GRAFTING. plied in different ways. The wax may be directly applied when just warm enough to run, by means of a brush ; or if may be spread thickly with a brush over sheets of muslin, oi thin, tough paper, (" post-office paper" is best,) which are afterwards, during a cold day, cut up into plasters of con- venient size for applying ; or, the wax, after cold, may be worked up, with wet hands, and drawn out into thin strips oi ribbons of wax, and wrapped closely around the inserted graft. In all cases success is more certain, when the wax is closely pressed so as to fit closely to every part, and leave no interstices ; and it is indispensible that every por tion of the wound on the stock and graft be totally ex eluded from the external air. In cool weather, a lantern, chafing dish, or hot brick, will b'e found necessary to soften the plasters before applying them. Fig. 15. Fig. 16 Fig. 17, Fig. 18. The annexed figures represent the two most common modes of grafting fruit trees ; figs. 15 to 18, representing successive stages of ivhip or tongue grafting, from the slop- ing cut of the scion and stock, to the completion of the ope- ration by the covering with the wax plaster. Fig. 19 shows a stock cut off for cleft-grafting with the upright cleft sepa- rated by an iron or steel wedge, ready for the graft ; fig. 20, cut wedge-form to fit it; and fig. 21, the graft in its place PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 99 Fig. 19. both after the wedge has been withdrawn, the pr'^jecting angle of the stock sloped off with a knife, and the whole ready for the application of the wax. Whip grafting is particu- larly applicable to small stocks, or where the graft and stock are nearly of equal size ; and cleft-grafting to stocks considerably larger than the scion. In all cases, where the i^tock is in any de- gree larger, the graft must be placed towards one side, so that the line between the bark and wood may exactly coincide at one point at least as in the cross section of cleft-grafting, fig. 22. A useful implement for the rapid and perfect performance of cleft-grafting, is described in the chapter on implements. There are other modifications of grafting which are often useful. In saddle graftings the stock is sloped off* on each side, giving »t the form of a wedge, fig. 23, a ; the graft is split in the middle, and each side thinned away with the knife, as in fig. 23 h, until it will closely fit when placed like a saddle upon it, fig. 24. The most perfect way to fit the graft, is to make a long sloping cut from the outer edge or bark, by drawing the blade from heel to point, till it reach- es the centre of the graft; and then another similar cut completes the acute cavity for fitting the wedge of the stock. A sharp, broad, and thin blade, is needed for this operation. A wax piaster, drawn closely round the place of union, completes the work. When the stock and graft Are very nearly of equal size, this is a very perfect mode of Fig. 23. Fig. 24. 40 PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. Fig. 25. grafting, as large corresponding surfaces are made to fit, and the graft receives freely the ascending sap. In all these modes of grafting, whenever a wedge is made to enter a cleft, it should be thickest on the side where the fit is made between the two parts, so as to receive the full pressure of the cut faces at that side, as shown in fig. 22. A modification of saddle grafting, very suc- cessful in its results, is thus performed : — Late in spring, after growth has commenced, the scion, which is much smaller than the stock, is split up, nearer to one side, more than half its length, (fig. 25.) The stronger side is then sharpened into a wedge at its point, and introduced between the •bark and the wood, a slight longitudmal slit being made through the bark of the stock, that it may open slightly and admit the graft. The thinner division of the graft is fitted to the op* posite sloping side of the stock. The whole is then cover- ed with wax. The great length of that portion of the graft in contact with the bark and fresh wood, greatly facilitates their union ; while the cut face of the stock is speedily co- vered • with a new growth by that part of the graft which rests upon it. In grafting the peach, which, from its large pith and spongy wood, scarcely ever succeeds as commonly performed, it is found advantageous in selecting the grafts, to leave a quarter of an inch of the more compact two years' wood at the lower extremity. Moot- grafting is performed by taking up the stocks by the roots, and inserting the grafts immediately into the part below ground after the tops are cut off, after which they are again planted out, with the tip of the graft only above ground. This mode is successful with the apple, and oc- casionally with other trees, and is adopted on a large scale by many nurserymen, the work being performed in winter or early spring within doors, and the grafted roots kept in cellars till the ground is ready to receive them. It will be found fully described in the chapter on the apple. In grafting the plum and cherry, success is found to be much more certain, when the work is performed very early PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 41 in spring, before the buds commence swelling, or even be- fore the snow has disappeared from the ground. Apples and pears may be grafted later, and if the scions have been kept in good condition in a dormant state, they will mostly grow if inserted after the trees are in leaf. After a graft is inserted, and as soon as the tree commen- ces growth, the buds on the stock must be rubbed off, in order to throw the rising sap into the scion. If large trees are grafted, the buds need only rubbing off the single branch. The practice of allowing leaves to expand on the stock neai the point of union, to "draw up the sap," appears to be founded in error ; for the sap thus drawn up, passes only into and is elaborated by those leaves, and is again imme- diately returned to the stock below, without ever reaching the graft. Each separate branch or portion of the stock, cannot be nourished by the leaves of an opposite branch, foi a leafless stump left by pruning off a limb, wholly cease? growing. In the spring of the year, when the sap vessels are in a state of impletion, if the sap is permitted to be con- sumed by side leaves, less will flow towards the inserted scion. Experience fully confirms this view of the sub- ject. Where it becomes desirable to preserve rare sorts, which have been grafted late in spring, a loose wrapper of white paper round the graft will protect it from the drying and scorching rays of the sun ; or shrivelling and failure will often be prevented by covering the whole graft with a wax plaster ; or by encasing it in moss kept damp by occasional applications of water. Grafts are usually cut during the latter part of winter oi early in spring ; but if well kept they may be taken -from the tree at any time between the cessation of growth in late summer or autumn, and the commencement of vegetation in spring. They may be kept safely if buried in moderate ly moist earth ; the best way is to place them in a box ope»i downwards, and buried on a dry spot, the scions being kep' from actual contact with the earth by sticks across the box They may also be conveniently preserved in a box of damj powdered moss ; or still better in moderately moist peat o^ black muck. Sawdust answers the same purpose, if not ir large quantities so as to become heated. 42 PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. Grafts which have become dry, may be restored if the moisture is applied so gradually that its absorption may re quire several weeks. In one instance shoots cut early in autumn, and subjected to thorough drying, were restored to perfect freshness by the next spring, by wrapping them well in moss and burying them in a dry spot of ground ; and be- ing set, they all grew. Scions for sending to a distance, are usually packed in damp moss, saw-dust, or fibrous peat. They may be sent by mail, within a very small compass, with great safety, by enwrapping them with oil-silk or thin oil-cloth, drawing it closely round them to exclude the moisture, by means of small thread. IV. BUDDING. Budding consists in introducing the bud of one tree, ivith a portion of bark and a little adhering wood, beneath .he bark of another, and upon the face of the newly forming wood. It must be performed while the stock is in a state of vigorous growth. An incision is made lengthwise through the bark of the stock, and a small cut at right angles at the top, the whole somewhat resembling the letter T., fig. 26 Fig. 30. Fig. 29. Fig. 27. Fig. 28; Fig. 26. , I bud is then taken from a shoot of the present year's growth, by shaving off the bark an inch or an inch and a half in length, with a small part of the wood directly be- neath the bud, fig. 27. The edges of the bark, at the in- cision in the stock, are then raised a little, fig. 28 and the mOPAGATION BY BUDDING. 43 bud pnshed downwards under the. bark, fig. 29. A band- nge of bass, corn-husk, or other substance, is wrapped round, covering all parts but the bud. The pressure should be just sufficient to keep the inserted portion closely to the stock, but not such as to bruise or crush the bark, fig. 30. The shoots containing the buds should be cut when so ^nature as to be rather firm and hard in texture ; they are usually in the best condition after the terminal bud has formed. To prevent withering, the leaves must be imme- diately cut off, as they withdraw and exhale rapidly the moisture from the shoot ; about one quarter of an inch ol the footstalks of the leaves should remain, to serve as handles to the buds while inserting them, fig. 31. i^fter being thus divested of leaves, they may be safelv kept a week in a cool damp place, or sent hundreds of miles in damp moss, or encased separately in thin oil-cloth. ^^''' j When by growth, the bandage cuts into the Y • stock, usually in ten days to three weeks, it must be removed. The bud remains dormant till the following spring, when the stock is cut off two inches or more above it. If cut closer, the end of the stock becomes too dry, and the bud often perishes. All other buds must be then removed, and all the vigor of the stock or branch thrown into the remaining bud, which immediately r, J' / commences a rapid growth. f V (f To secure a straight and erect growth, the new shoot, when a few inches long, is tied to the Figf. 31. remaining stump of the stock, fig 32. By ano- ther month, no further support will be needed, and the stump may be wholly cut away, and the wound allowed to heal by the rapid formation of new wood. . Buds inserted by midsummer, may be made to grow the same season by heading down the stock when adhesion has taken place ; but although often attempted, rfo advantage has resulted from this practice, as the growth is compara- tively feeble, and in consequence of its badly matured wood often perishes the following winter. Even where it escapes it does not exceed in size at the close of the second season tha straight and vigorous shoots of the spring. #i PKOPAGATTOR BT SUBOIHG. The essential requisites for saccess in budding, arej&sf, a thnftr, rapidly growing stock, so that the haik will peel TeiT freely. Seoimdtfi a paroper time ; not too early, when there i$ little camhinm, or mncilaginons cement between the bai^ and the wood, for the adhesion of the bud, — nor too late, when the bark will not peel fireely, nor the subse- quent growth sufficiently cement the bud to the stod^. Tiirdfyt buds sufficiently mature fbmrthly, a keen flat knife, for shaiing off the bud, that it may lie close in con- tact upon the wood of the stock. Fifthly^ the application or a ligature with moderate pressure, causing the bud to fit the stock closely. Yarious modifications have been proposed for the impioTement of budding. One is to make the cross-cut at the bottom of the long slit instead of at the tc^, as the latter is sup- posed to impede the descent of nourishment Another is, to raise the baik all on one side of the sHt, making a small notch in it£ edge for the bud, this mode being supposed to aToid the bad ccmsequence^ of the muti> laticm of the wood by the knife. But these modes are both inconTenient, and are found to possess no adrantage in ]>ractice ; the snj^osed eTils they are, intended to obTiate bemg too small to take into account. Making a square cut from theuj^o' end of the bark of the inserted bud, so that it may fit in close contact with the baik of the stock nS the horiinntal incisioii» to reocdre the re- i%.aa. turning sa^ though Wrongly recommended, has been found of no utility in practice, as the union takes place wholly between the two ianaes in contact. The Englisk practice of taking out the small portion of wood cut firom the siioot, has been found in the climate of this country not only useless, but really detrimentaL In- deed it 6hen. happens thaU buds of the cherry and other trees of rather spongy growth and slow adhesHm, succeed much better when a thick portion of wood is tikea off with the bud tkan otherwise ; the wood in such cases assistnig in the letendtm of monlure until eemsntad to the stock. . PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. 45 When stocks are in the best condition, it is unnecessary to raise the bark any further than to admit the lower point of tiie bud, which, as it is pushed downwards, performs this operation in the most perfect manner. When the bark dots not peel freely enough for this purpose, success becomes very uncertain. Budding is performed in summer, grafting in spring, and both have their advantages. Budding is a simpler opera- tion, and more successfully performed by a novice. It is the best means to multiply the peach and nectarlhe, rafting very rarely proving successful. It is more rapidly per- formed, and at a season not crowded with the labors of transplanting. It admits a repetition the same summer, in cases of failure, the stocks remaining uninjured. But in all cases thrifty stocks are needed, while grafting will succeed ^n those older and less vigorous. Grafting requires less :are subsequently, as no ligatures need removing, nor stocks leading down, and may be conveniently employed as a re- Tiedy for failures in the previous summer's budding. In England, where most fruit trees do not make so rapid a ^owth as here, budding is less esteemed ; while from the noisture of the climate preserving grafts from dying, graft- ng becomes more successful. Terminal Budding. — It sometimes happens, where buds ire scarce, that the terminal bud on the shoot may be used o advantage. In this case, the wood is cut sloping down- wards, and the insertion is made as usual, fig. 33, except that it becomes necessary to apply the whole of the ligature below the bud. The buds on small side shoots which are not more than an inch or two long, may be successfully used in this way, as the terminal eyes are stronger than any of the others. This practice may sometimes be adopted with much advantage with the peach, where scions of feeble growth only can be obtained, as such buds usually es- cape the severity of winter when most of the others are destroyed. Spring budding is successfully practiced as soon as trees are in leaf, the buds hav- Fig. 33. 46 LIMITS OF BUDDING AND GRAFTING. ing been kept dormant in an ice-house or cool cellar. As soon as they have adhered, the stock is headed down, and a good growth is made the same season. Peache , ^lecta- rines, apricots, and the mulberry, all very difficult to propa- gate by grafting, may in this way be easily increased by budding. If the buds are kept in a cellar, it will be found very important to preserve with them as uniform a degree of moisture as possible, and in as small a degree as will keep them from wilting. Annular hcdding is applicable to trees of hard wood, or thick or rigid bark, as the walnut, and mag- nolia. A ring of bark is removed from the stock, and another corresponding ring, con- taining the bud, slit open on one side, is made to fit the denuded space. Fig. 34. Trees which have bee?i girdled in winter by mice, may be preserved by a process similar to annular budding, by cutting away evenly Fig. 34. j.|^g gnawed portions, and applying one or more pieces of bark peeled from the branch of another tree, so as to restore the connection between the two severed portions. This is done as soon as the bark will separate the same end may, however, be accomplished early in spring by cutting away portions of the sap-wood with the bark, and •connecting the two parts by several pieces of a branch, care being taken that they coincide accurately, as in grafting The whole, in either case, is then covered with wax. LIMITS OF BUDDING AND GRAFTING. In former ages of the world, it was erroneously supposed that grafting could be performed between every species of tree and shrub. " Some apples," sa^^s Pliny, "are so red that they resemble blood, which is caused by their being at ^rst grafted upon a mulberry stock." Roses, it was said, be- came black when grafted on black currants, and oranges crimson if worked on the pomegranate. But the operation is never successful unless the graft and stock are nearly al- lied, and the greater the affinity the more certain the suc- cess. " Varieties of the same species unite most freely, then species of the same genus, then genera of the same natural order; beyond which the power does not extend. For in stance, pears work freely upon pears, very well on quincesi BEST KINDS OF STOCKS. 47 ess willingly on apples or thorns, and not at all upon plums or cherries ; while the lilac will take on the ash, and the olive on the phillyrea, because they are plants of the same natu- ral order. M. De Candolle even says that he has succeeded, notwithstanding the great difference in their vegetation, to work the lilac on the phillyrea, the olive on the ash, and the Bignonia radicans on the Catalpa (in all cases of the same natural order;) but plants so obtained are very short- lived,"* There are, however, some exceptions to this rule. Thus, the cultivated cherry, and most species of wild cherry, though of the same genus, will not agree. The pear suc- ceeds better on the quince than on the apple, although the apple and pear are within the same genus, and the pear and quince are by most regarded as of distinct genera ; the superior firmness of the wood of the quince, a quality so important to successful grafting, more than making up the difference in affinity. Lindley mentions also some exceptions which are appa- rent only. In one case, the fig was supposed to grow on the olive. But the graft, being below the surface of the soil, rooted in it, independently of the fig stock. " I have seen," says Pliny, "near Thulia, in the country of the Tiburtines, a tree grafted and laden with all manner of fruits, one bough bearing nuts, another berries ; here hung grapes, there figs ; in one part you might see pears, in another pomegranates ; and to conclude, there is no kind of apple or other fruit but there was to be found ; but this tree did not live long." This is explained by the process now sometimes performed in Italy, for growing jasmines and other flexible plants, on an orange stock, by the in- genious trick of boring out the orange stem, through which the stems of the other plants are made to pass, and which soon grow so as to fill it closely, and to appear as if growing together. Such a crowded mass of stems must, of course, soon perish. THE BEST KINDS OF STOCKS. As a general rule, fruit trees succeed best when grafted on seedlings of their own species. Apples are best upon fieedling apple stocks ; pears on seedling pears ; and plum? • Lindley, Theory Hort. 48 BEST KINDS OF STOCKS. and cherries on seedling stocks of their own kinds re spectively. Suckers, when their roots diverge evenly on all sides, sometimes make good stocks ; but the uncertaint}* of finding such roots, and the inconvenience of crooked one-sided, or stunted trees, so often produced from suckers, renders them on the whole greatly inferior to seedlings, and they should never be used, except from absolute necessity. In some cases, stocks of a different kind from the grafl are chosen, where certain objects are to be attained. When, for instance, dwarf trees are wanted of the apple and pear, that they may cover less ground, or bear sooner, stocks ol smaller size or of diminished growth, are chosen. The quince is used for dwarf pear trees; the small paradise and the Doucin or French stock, for dwarf apples. These will bear crops in one-half the usual time. Besides increasing the early productiveness of some varieties, the quality too is changed and sometimes improved, as in the Angouleme and Beurre Diel pears. Sometimes different stocks are used as a protection from the attacks of insects. For example, the peach and apricot, which are very liable to attacks of the peach-worm, are budded upon the plum, which very seldom suffers. The quince is often destroyed or injured by the boi'er, but the pear is exempt from this injury; hence the former may be grafted on the latter. But such expedients sometimes fail Instances have been observed where the peach-worm, not to be thwarted in this way, had attacked the apricot at the place of union on the plum, even as high as three feet from the ground. Tender kinds are sometimes placed upon hardy stock? with good effect. Thus, the peach budded on the plum has, in some instances, done better in cold climates, and made an earlier growth in spring. This is not to be ascribed to any alteration in the character of the peach, but to the simple fact that the plum is aroused by a less degree ot warmth from winter's sleep, and exerts an earlier influence by its supply of sap. Benefit has resulted from superior hardiness in stock? during wet or severe winters. The winter of 1846-7 accompanied in some parts of the country with unusual wetness, followed by intense cold, destroyed large quan- BEST KINDS OF STOCKS. 49 titles of young pear trees on roots of their own species, wliile those on quince nearly all escaped. Sometimes a change in the character of the soil renders certain stocks desirable for particular localities. The White Doyenne pear flourishes finely on the quince in some places where it is otherwise cracked and worthless. Dr. Lindley found that in the chalky soil at Rouen, the peach on plum, and cherry on cherry, were languid and sickly ; while in the same garden, the peach was healthy and vigorous on the almond, and the cherry on the Mahaleb stock. But in rich artificial soil, composed of other ingredients, the two latter were again feeble in their turn. CHAPTER V. CHANGES WROUGHT IN FRUITS BY EXTERNAL CAUSES. The importance of attention to the variation in fruit wrought by a change in climate, soil, and cultivation, appears to be much underrated. While the peculiar or essential character of a variety remains unchanged, the quality, or degree of excellence, is variously modified. This is sometimes so great that serious disappointment results ; and high expectations, caused by success in one case, are defeated by different circumstances in another. Hence the necessity of understanding these modifying influences. The changes produced by climate^ are greater in some classes of fruits than in others. The cherry varies but little in character and quality ; the fine varieties originated by Thomas Andrew Knight near London, are also among the finest w^hen removed to the northern states of America. This may be owing in part to their period of maturity, which, occurring early in summer, could not be influenced oy the length of the seasons. But with the apple, pear, and peach, the case is quite otherwise. Very few of the whole British catalogue of apples, are first in quality here. The White Astracan, an apple of high reputation in Russia, becomes very inferior in England ; and a similar loss takes place on the removal to England of some of the finest apples of Italy. Some of the best peaches in the neighbor- hood of Philadelphia, become second or third rate in western New York, the shorter and cooler summers of the .atter region not being suflicient to give full flavor to many of the more southern varieties. American peaches taken to England lose still more. Of fifty sorts, from the middle and western states, tested at the great Chiswick garden, all but two were pronounced " worthless." CHANGES WROUGHT BY EXTERNAL CAUSES. 51 But the influence of seasons alone produces sometimes extraordinary results. In the year 1842, the Wurtemburg pear was regarded in western New York as the finest foreign pear among, several which had then just fruited ; but the two succeeding seasons it was nearly worthless. The Bezi de la Motte, about one year in seven, in some localities, is a delicious melting pear, and at other times dry and tasteless ; in other localities, it is uniformly good. Some striking cases were mentioned by the late Robert Manning of Salem. The Beuire Duval, which has a high reputation in Europe, produced, the first year of bearing, beautiful fruit ; but on ripening, they were found tasteless and worthless. The next year the same tree produced fewer pears, half the size, different in shade of color, and delicious in flavor. In another case the Hericart )delded fruit which proved melting and high-flavored. The next year it not only varied in size shape, and color, but was so tasteless as to be immediately rejected. Again, the Calabash pear produced in two seasons, oblong fruit with projecting ridges, the color being bright russett, and the flesh break- ing, melting, and very good. The next year the fruit was more abundant, of larger size, of a bright yellow color, without ridges, and the flesh very insipid.* But these were unusual cases. They serve to show, however, the extreme caution to be used, both in describing fruit, and deciding upon the merits of new kinds. They also show the pro- priety of aiming to select such as are little afiected by such influences, as the Madeleine, Bartlett, and Seckel. It is this liability to change, and occasionally to become valueless, that has induced the opi?iion that varieties are worn out by old age; but this is disproved by the fact that the same varieties flourish elsewhere with undiminished excellence ; and that some of the new sorts, when removed to ungenial localities also exhibit precisely the same symp- toms of " running out" and decay.! * Hovey's Magazine, vol. 8, p. 87. t The English Gold Pippin, which originated centuries ago, was long since cited as an example of an old and defunct variety ; while even at the present day, in all favorable soils, both in Europe and America, it flourishes as well as ever. The Doyenne pear has been many years since, rejected in some parts of New England as worthless, where it once proved fine. But as proof that this deterioration is to be ascribed to some defect in the soil, and not to the Rge of the variety, it needs ojily to be stated that in central and western New- York, it is cultivated extensively and 52 INFLUENCE OF CULTURE. INFLUENCE OF CULTURE. The effect of keeping the soil mellow by repeated stirring-, on most of the finer and delicious fruits, can be hardly be- lieved by those who have only seen it on the more common varieties of the apple. " No stunted tree bears fine fruit, Even the Seckel pear, of all sorts the highest flavored, is so inferior m some situations, as to be scarcely worth gathering. Some other pears, however, lose their distinguisliing traits entirely, and bear nothing suitable for human lips. Of this class has been the St. Ghislain in my grounds, where the tree stood neglected for several years, and caused me to wonder how any thing so insipid could have passed through the hands of Robert Manning. Yet that eminent and worthy pomologist was not to blame. An accidental improvement of its condition, caused it the last season to bear excellent fruit, increased some in size, but immensely in flavor. " It would seem that jlavor is the last touch of perfection that some pears receive ; and that if the nourishment of the tree be exhausted with their growth, so that nothing is left for the last finish, they are tasteless and worthless. This is not the case however with all sorts of fruit ; and exceptions may be found in the Madeleine, Seckel, and Virgalieu; but I think we have no right to condemn any variety of the pear, until the tree has done. its best — that is, borne fruit in a thriving condition."* " No estimate," says Samuel Walker, '* can be made of the true character of any fruit, more particularly of the pear, unless the specimens are fair, well grown, of full size, and quite ripe : or, in other words, in the highest state of perfection the variety will attain under the most skilful management and favorable season. Some varieties, under the care of a lover of fruits, well cultivated in a congenial soil, may be compared to 'refined gold,' while the same variet}?- in unskilful hands, the trees neglected, in grass land, or in wet and impoverished soil, may prove as ' dross.' " with ^eat success, and is there regarded as the most valuable of all known pears. A.n interesting example occurred the past season in the garden of Dr. Wendell of Albany, where trees of this variety, in soils of dilferent qualities exhibited ail the grades of ditference from blighted and worthless fruit, to rich golden specimens. Further evidence on this subject is furnished by the fact thai the Beurre JJiel and other sorts of quite recent origin, have in unfavorable loealities already exhibited the cracked and blighted appearance falsely ascribed to old age. * David Thomas, in Ohio Cultivator, 1845, p. 6. INFLTJENCE OF THE SOIL AND STOCK. 53 INFLUENCE OF THE SOIL AND STOCK. There was much truth in the remark of Bacon, that "the scion overruleth the stock quite, the stock being passive only." The change which takes place when the sap is con- verted into the descending juices, and thence into fruit, is effected entirely by the leaves; that is, when a pear is grafted on a quince, the entire elaboration of the juices is effected by the leaves of the pear, and the perfect fruit of the pear is the result, and not a cross or mixture of the two fruits. Hence the error of the notion formerly held, that the stock might produce a distinct specific change, ana- logous to that in hybrids. But although one species, or even variety, cannot be changed to another by the stock which supports it, a slight modifying influence may be exerted by the shade of differ- ence between the sap of one species and that of another. The sap of the quince may exert a sensible effect, small in degree, even after it has undergone the great change which is effected by the leaves of the pear. We accordingly find some sorts of pear improved, and others deteriorated on the quince. There is doubtless an analogy in the influence exerted by different stocks, and by different soils. As the earth is solder in summer a few feet below than near the surface, it is highly probable that such soils as variously favor the downward extension of roots, may modify the character of fruits like the changes of seasons. Different trees of the same variety are known to be affected by slight shades of differ- ence, which are often ascribed entirely to the stock, though the soil doubtless has a large share of influence. This view is further indicated by the increased or diminished luxuri- ance of some kinds when growing in a light or a heavy soil. Different degrees of fertility often produce material effects, both in productiveness and flavor. There is no doubt that stocks on which trees are grefted, operate in some degree in a similar way. Some, like a rich soil, assist the more rapid growth of the branches ; others, like a sterile one, retard it ; hence corresponding re- sults on the fruit may be expected. Stocks may hasten or retard ripening ; they may affect the size, color, and quality of fruit. The temperature, 64 INFLUENCE OF THE SOIL AND STOCK. depth, and other characters of soils may do the same. Ten- der kinds are made hardier on hardy stocks, not because of any specific influence, but the usual supplies of sap are im- parted sooner in spring and withheld earlier in autumn, and the tender wood has more time to mature — precisely similar to the planting of tender trees on sterile or rocky soils, which cause an earlier cessation of growth. Although, as a general rule, the change in quality is so small as to be rarely taken into account in practice, it is in some rare instances considerable, and is worthy of investiga- tion and experiment. Early fruits have been sometimes retarded a few days in ripening when grafted upon late va- rieties of their own species, and their maturity has been hastened on early stocks. In one case, the Eed Magnum Bonum plum ripened ten days earlier when grafted on the Cherry plum, a variety which matures at midsummer, than when worked upon a late prune. In another instance, late peach stocks were found to retard a few days the sorts bud- ded upon them.* In one instance,, related by President Knight, a very marked change was eflected. His garden contained two trees of the Acton Scott peach, one growing upon a stock of its own species, and the other on a plum, other circum- stances being the same. The fruit of that upon the plum was larger and much more red to the sun ; but its pulp was coarse, and its flavor so inferior that he would have denied the identity of the variety had he not himself inserted the buds. Such remarkable instances are to be regarded as of very rare occurrence. Salt peaches or plums, show that foreign substances may enter the juices, and modify or change the quality of the fruit, as well as poison or induce disease in the tree. Solu- ble substances in the soil may thus exert a sensible influ- ence. In the same way, the peculiar character of the sap and secretions of a stock may produce a like result. The increased productiveness eflected by dissimilar stocks, is often so great as to become a very important object in practice. **In proportion," says Lindley, "as the scion and the stock approach each other closely in constitution, the less effect is produced by the latter ; and on the contra- * Hon., in., p. 191. INFLUENCE OF THE SOIL AND STOCK. 55 ry, in proportion to the constitutional difference between the stock and the scion, is the effect of the former important. Thus, when pears are grafted or budded on the wild species, apples upon crabs, plums upon plums, and peaches upon peaches or almonds, the scion is, in regard to fertility, exact- ly in the same state as if it had not been grafted at all ; while on the other hand, a great increase of fertility is the result of grafting pears upon quinces, peaches upon plums, apples upon white thorn, and the like. In these latter cases, the food absorbed from the earth by the root of the stock, is communicated slowly and unwillingly to the scion ; under no circumstances is the communication between the one and the other as free and perfect as if their natures had been more nearly the same ; the sap is impeded in its ascent, and the proper juices are impeded in their descent, whence ari- ses that accumulation of secretion which is sure to be at- tended with increased fertility." This view is strongly cor- roborated by the striking similarity between the swollen portion of a grafted limb on a dissimilar stock, as a plum on the peach, immediately above the place of union, and the swollen portion of an ungrafted tree bound with a ligature. From the preceding remarks, we may arrive at the fol- lowing conclusions : — 1. That the difference in the soluble matter contained in the sap of dissimilar stocks, may exert a modifying influence in the fruit ; and that soluble matters in the soil, or their absence, may in a slight degree do the same. 2. That a further change is at the same time effected by increasing or lessening the supply of sap from the stock to the graft ; and that a similar change may result from a fer- tile or sterile soil. 3. That both early productiveness and early maturity may be produced by a stock or a soil which lessens the luxuri- ance of the tree ; dwarf trees and those of old or diminished growth maturing their crops perceptibly earlier than those possessing great thriftiness and vigor. As a general rule^ the influence of the stock is not to be taken into account in ordinary practice, except with kinds of very different natures. Cultivation and fertility of soil are of incalculably greater importance. And while the effects of climate are to be attentively observed in making a selec- 56 INFLUENCE OF PRODUCTIVENESS. tion of varieties, the improvement of those selected sorts, to the highest degree of perfection, is only to he attained by skilful culture.* INFLUENCE OF PRODUCTIVENESS. When fruit is thick upon the branches, both size and fla- vor are diminished. Many kinds are rendered nearly worth- less by overbearing. It is often observed that early apples and peaches, remaining last on the tree, are much more de- licious than the earlier portions which ripened on crowded limbs. With some varieties, the effect of productiveness is so great as wholly to alter the character. A tree of the Heath Cling, before unknown to the person who raised it, bore the first year a very abundant crop ; and the fruit, which had been recommended as of great size and excel- lence, was small, green, with only a disagreeable, bitter taste. In the warmer and longer summer of the following year, the fruit, which had been thinned by the frost, was three inches in diameter, very handsome, and of sweet and excellent flavor. The importance of understanding these influences, before deciding on the quality of a new fruit, is at once evident. The advantages of pruning are to be as- cribed in part to the same cause. * The influence exerted by ihe graft on the stoch, although not strictly within the J mits of thi« chapter, offers an interesting- subject for inquiry. The extension of the wood of the slock, by successive depositions from the leaves of the graft, and through the cellular system of the bark, so as to preserve the strict specific identity of the wood of the former, is familiar to every practical cultivator. But the graft often exerts a modifying influence. The same seedling cherry slocks, grafted with sorts of different degrees of vigor, soon vary in the amount and size of the fibrous ■^oots. Trees of the Imperial Gage and Jefferson plum, a few feet high, when bud- ded on the wild plum, were found to have only half the amount of roots possessed by the unbudded stock, of the same age. " A graft of the Green Newtown Pippin," says Dr. Kirtland, " will invariably render the bark of the stock rough and black (the habit of the variety,) within three years after its insertion." CHAPTER VI. SOIL, MANURES, SITUATION, AND ENCLOSURES. The soil for fruit trees, as well as for farm crops, should be of good quality. Whatever will produce a vigorous growth of corn and potatoes, will in general be the best for fruit trees. Sterile soil is unfavorable for both ; but doubly so for the latter, for while it only lessens in quantity the growth of farm crops, it lessens the quantity and greatly in- jures the quality of fruit. Good soils vary in many particulars ; but as a general rule, one which is dry, firm, mellow, and fertile, is well suited to the cultivation of fruit trees. It should be deep, to allow the extension of the roots ; dry, or else well drain- ed, to prevent injury from stagnant water below the surface; firm, and not peaty or spongy, to preclude disaster from frost. Very iew soils exist in this country, which would not be much benefitted, for all decidedly hardy kinds, as the apple and pear, by good manuring. Shallow soils should be loosened deeply by heavy furrows and manure ; or if the whole surface cannot be thus treated, a strip of ground eight feet wide, where the row of trees is to stand, should be ren- dered in this way deep and fertile for their growth. The manure should be very thoroughly intermixed with the soil by repeated harrowings. An admirable method of deepen- ing soils for the free admission of the fine fibrous roots, is first, to loosen it as deeply as practicable with the subsoil plow ; and then to trench-plow this deeply loosened bed for the intermixture of manure. The previous subsoiling ad- mits the trench-plow to a greater depth than could be at- tained without its aid. The oxAj trees which will not bear a high fertility, are those brought originally from warmer countries, and liable to suflTer from the frost of winter ; as C* 68 SPECIAL MANURES. the peach, nectarine, and apricot ; for they are stimulated to grow too late in the season, and frost strikes them when the wood is immature. It however happens, in the ordinary- practice of the country, that where one peach or apricot tree is injured by too rich a cultivation, more than a hundred suffer by diminished growth from neglect. Clayey and light soils in some cases require opposite ma- nagement. The former, for instance, is much benefited by the admixture of chip-dirt, which renders it looser, lighter, and more retentive of moisture. But on light soils the effect is not so beneficial, and is sometimes positively inju- rious.* Peaty and spongy soils are particularly injurious to tender fruits. Such soils become very warm by day, and radiate the heat rapidly in clear frosty nights ; hence peaches and apricots generally perish when growing in them, the heat of the sun promoting a rapid succulent growth, which is the more easily destroyed by the succeeding intensity of cold. SPECIAL MANURES. Besides the more common and universal ingredients of soils, sand and clay, there are others essential to the growth of trees. Among the more important of these are potash, lime, and phosphate of lime. Now, whatever earthy ingredients are found in the wood, bark, and f^ruit of J;-ees, must be derived from the soil ; and if the soil in which they are planted does not contain all these ingredients, the trees cannot flourish. It therefore may become important to supply such deficiencies by the application of the particular or specific manure needed. But it is not to be expected that, cultivators generally will be able to analyze their variously differing soils, nor to pro- cure it done by a skilful chemist. t The next thing, then, * A great deal of misu»ulerstand:ng has arisen from an indefinite use of terms. We often notice in a region of country where a iieavy, baking clay prevails, cer- tain s^pots of ground locally designated as ^' quite sandy ; and in a gandy region, por- tions which are pointed out as '■'•heavy clay." Yet we not unfrequ'ently find that the sandy soil of the clay region actually contains more clay than the clay soil of the sandy district. The terms, as commonly used, are relative ; and to decide correct- ly on statements made by others, we are compelled to inquire where the authors of Buch statements reside, and with what soils they have been familiar. The best sim- ple rule for distinguishing, applicable to all localitie?, is to regard such soils as in any case are found to crack in drouth, as heavy, and those which never crack, as light soils. t Considerable difficulty exists in procuring perfect analyses of soils. In examining one of the most fertile- soils of Monroe Co., N.Y , Dr. Emmons did not discover even SPECIAL MANURES. 59 that can be accomplished is to ascertain the component parts of the different kinds of trees, which are nearly the same in all localities. If it is found that a particular species contains an unusual quantity of some certain ingre- dient, we may safely conclude that such ingredient would DO useful generally as a manure. As instances, analysis has shown that the pear, the apple, and the grape, contain, of 100 parts each of earthy ingredients, the followmg proportions of potash, lime, and phosphate of lime : — * Pear. Sap-wood. Bark. Potash 22 6 Lime 13 30 Phosphate of lime 27 6 Apple. Potash 16 5 Lime 19 51 Phosphate of lime 17 3 Graye. Potash 21 2 Lime 17 39 Phosphate of lime 15 5 The proportions of these ingredients, although not exceed- ing the quantities found in some other plants, are so large fts to show conclusively the importance of a proper supply in the soil. They already exist in all soils adapted to the growth of fruit trees ; but their small amount in particular localities, from natural deficiency, or from long cultivation, may render their application a matter of the greatest impor- tance. Such application may be partially made by common yard manure, which contains them in considerable propor- tions ; but wood ashes, in which they mostly exist in large quantities, will furnish them more freely and with a more speedy effect ; as from the large proportion of animal matter in yard manure, too much succulence of growth or even a trace of phosphates when 100 grains, and afterwards 400 grains, of the soil were ope- rated upon, and it was only when 1000 grains were usedrihai a fivr-thousimdih part was detected Yet this mniute proportioi is equal to about ten cubic feel per acre with a depth of one foot, and supplies the necessary ingredient for heavy crops. * According to the experiments of Dr. Emmozis. f 60 SPECIAL MANURES. surfeit would result from its abundant and exclusive appli cation, an evil in no wise resulting from the use of ashes But over-doses, even of these, should be avoided. The large proportion of lime in the wood and bark of the apple, indicates its value as a manure for this fruit ; we ccordingly find that leached ashes, which contain much lime, are often very useful. Leached as well as unleached ashes may indeed be applied with great advantage to nearly all fruit trees. Bones contain much phosphate of lime, and, pulverized, they would undoubtedly in many cases produce an excellent effect on the pear, and other species. Iron is found only in minute quantities in the wood and bark of trees ; yet the speedy restorati^-n from pale and sickly to deep green and luxuriant foliage, by its application to the roots in some instances, proves that however small its proportion may be, its presence is essential. An interesting experiment is stated in the Horticulturist,* upon a large pear tree, bearing blighted, cracked and worth- less fruit, Avhich resulted in its perfect restoration to health, and the production of smooth and fair crops. This change was affected by digging, three feet distant from the tree, a circular trench four feet wide and twenty inches deep ; filling this with fresh, rich soil and turf, and intermingling two bushels of scoria from a blacksmith's forge, two bushels of charcoal, and two pounds of potash. The fresh soil and potash, doubtless contributed largely to success. Other experiments of a similar character have been equally successful. Dr. Kirtland states that orchards on the limestone hills of Ohio, invariably afford the best apples — a remark fully corroborated by other observations. The same eminent cultivator gives the following account of his success with specific manures ; his pear trees on worn out land, made but two to six inches growth in a single season, and the fruit was blighted, knotted, and deficient in flavor. They soon began to exhibit evidences of disease and old age. An analysis of the soil was made by Dr. Emmons, indicating its deficiencies. Dressings of phosphate of lime, [in pul- verised bones,] ashes, and barn-yard manure, with a limited supply of common salt, effected a complete renovation. * Vol. I., p. '22fi. SPECIAL MANURES. 61 These cases are very interesting, and are given more in llustration of the principle on which special manures are applied, than as examples^ to be followed in ordinary prac- tice. For, however successful the applications may have been in those instances, they have entirely failed in some others. The subject is one of great importance, but is yet in its infancy, and many years of careful experiment must elapse, in connexion with close and laborious analysis, be- fore it can be understandingly applied in general culture. A number of mixtures have been recommended for general use, founded on the analysis of each kind of tree, and va- riously composed of lime, potash, peat, bone-dust, different kinds of salts, and other ingredients, in various measured proportions, — and where the soil happens to be destitute of those ingredients, they may prove of much value. But to apply them indiscriminately in all localities and to all kinds of soils, as some have suggested, would be preposterous in a high degree. Suppose, for example, a soil already con- tains an unusual quantity of vegetable mold. To add to it a mixture, of which peat forms a large component part, would be like watering plants during an equinoctial rain- storm ; or to apply large doses of lime to a soil already rich in calcareous matter would be equally useless. Hence the recommendation of specific compounds for universal use, must be regarded as empiricism. If, however, certain kinds of trees are found by chemical examination to consume more of those ingredients than vegetables do generally, this fact would point out the ex- 'perimental use of such ingredients, as giving more promise of success, than trials made wholly in the dark. It is chiefly with this view that the subject is commended to the atten- tion of cultivators, and the following applications, founded partly on analysis and partly on successful experiment, recommended for trial: — The A'pple. Lime, which enters largely into the compo- sition of the apple tree, may be spread broadcast over an orchard, at the rate of one hundred and fifty to three hun- dred bushels per acre, or at the rate of a peck to a half- bushel for each half-grown tree, and for smaller ones in like proportion. Or, a similar quantity of ashes, which contains much lime, may be used. Both may be harrowed or lightly 62 SITUATION. plowed in. They would perhaps he hest if applied in au tumn, hut would do in spring. The Pear. As this contains a large quantity of phosphate of lime, it gives strong promise of heing benefitted by bone- dust. For applying, the bones may be broken and dissolved into a paste in a large tub by means of sulphuric acid. The acid should be diluted with two and a half times its bulk of water, and successive portions then added for three or four days till the bones are dissolved, for which purpose their bulk of the diluted acid will be required. The bone paste is then mixed with several times as much old manure, peat, or compost, and applied so as to give eight or ten pounds of the paste to each large tree, and to smaller ones in proportion. If ground bones only are used, twice that quantity may be applied. As the pear contains also much potash, twice as much ashes as bone may be used in the compost. The Grape. For this, nearl}?- the same may be used as for the apple, except a larger supply of potash. These experiments are easily tried, and may often be found very successful. . But in all experiments of the kind it must not be forgotten that nothing for general use is equal to stable manure, and in ordinary cases it will be found to give the most uniform and satisfactory results — more espe- cially if it is made the basis of a compost with peat, muck, or turf from old pastures, with a tenth or a fifteenth of leached ashes, and half that of bone dust. If these are thoroughly mixed with the soil, down to a depth of twenty inches or two feet, by subsoiling, trench plowing, and cross plowing, in connexion with repeated harrowings, fine trees and excellent fruit may be confidently expected. A well drained subsoilwill of course be all-important, for all manure is nearly lost on land kept soaked with water. SITUATION. After a suitable soil is obtained, hardy trees, such as the apple, will usually succeed in almost any situation. But with tender fruits, as the peach and apricot, the case is very different. In many localities in the northern states, they are soon destroyed by the severity of winters, and their cultiva- tion is accordingly not attempted. In others, crops are not SITUATION. 63 yielded oftener than once in two years. But some situations are so favorable, that a failure scarcely ever occurs. In plant- ing out tender fruits, it is consequently very desirable to know what places will prove the best. Even the apple, in re- gions where the winters are rigorous, is sometimes destroy- ed, by frost, and in some very unfavorable places rarely escapes. It is familiar to many cultivators, that warm, low valleys are more subject to night-frosts, than more elevated locali- ties. Objects at the surface of the earth become chilled by the radiation of heat to the cold and clear sky above, and they cool by contact the surrounding air, — which thus be- coming heavier, rolls down the sides of declivities and set- tles like the waters of a lake, in the lowest troughs. This coldness is further increased by the stillness of those shel- tered places favoring the more rapid cooling, by radiation of the exposed surfaces ; while on hills the equilibrium is par- tially restored by currents of wind. Superadded to these causes, vegetation in low, rich, and sheltered places, is more luxuriant, and wood less ripened, and hence particularly liable to injury from frost. The mucky soil of vallies ra- diates heat rapidly from its surface. The warmth of low places, during the mild weather, often occurring in winter, often swells fruit-buds, and succeeding cold destroys them. On more elevated lands, vegetation escapes all these disas- trous influences. The existence of colder air in valleys, on still, clear nights,, is often plainly observed in riding over a rolling or broken face of country. The thermometer has often shown a dif- ference of several degrees between a creek bottom and a neighboring hill not fifty feet high. A striking proof was exhibited a few years since, after a severe night-frost early in summer. The young and succulent leaves of the hicko- ry were but partially expanded; and where the trees stood in a valley, twenty feet deep, all the leaves had been frost- ed, and were black and dead, up to the level of the banks on each side, while all above the surface of this lake of cold air, were fresh and green. In the winter of 1845-6, when the cold on a clear night sunk the thermometer several degrees below zero, after the 64 SITUATION. peach buds had been swelled by a few warm days, trees which stood on a hill thirty feet higher than the neighbor- ing creek valley, lost nine-tenths of their blossoms, while on another hill sixty feet high, nine-tenths escaped. The lake of cold air which covered the top of the smaller hill did not reach the summit of the larger. The cultivation of the peach is rarely attempted in the southern tier of counties in the state of New-York. Proofs are not wanting, however, that it might be entirely suc- cessful on selected ground. In the valley of the Conhoc- ton, which is flanked by hills 500 feet high, peach trees have been completely killed to the ground. But on one of the neighboring hills, 500 feet above, and probably 1,200 feet above the level of the sea, an orchard planted in good soil, yields regular crops. In the town of Spencer, Tioga county, near the head of Cayuga inlet, peaches have with- stood the climate and done well, at an elevation of 700 feet above Cayuga lake. In the northeastern partof Penn- sglvania, probably 1200 or 1500 feet above the level of the ocean, in the summer of 1835, after one of the severest winters for twenty years, the only two peach trees observed in travelling many miles, were full of peaches ; while after the same winter, a large tree in Stroudsburg valley, was noticed killed quite down to the ground. While those hills are usually covered with snow throughout the winter, and vegetation consequently remains uniformly dormant, the valleys are subjected to occasional thaws, and are more un favorable to tender vegetation. These cases show the importance of elevated sites. A dry, firm soil, is however, of great consequence. The in fluence of a compact knoll, rising but slightly above the rest of the field, has been observed to save from frost the corn which grew upon it; while on the more mucky or spongy portions of the rest of the field, radiating heal more freely, the crop has been destroyed. Cultivators of drained swamps have found it necessary to plant such lands with tender crops two or three weeks later than the usual period on upland. The successful cultivation of the peach and the grape, on the gently swelling hills called mounds, in the in the western prairies, while the crops are destroyed on the adjacent dark and porous soils of the plains, affords ano- SITUATION. 6«5 ther example. In Lycoming county, Pa., on the banks of the Loyalsock, a creek so rapid that no muck is deposited, but fine dry soil, peaches have been raised, though the cold is often intense.* Sometimes the effect of unfavorable soil more than over- balances that of situation. In some of the hilly parts of western New- York, where the highest land is peaty, spongy, or springy, and the valleys dry and firm, the latter are found best for the peach. " Some years ago, we drained a shallow swamp ; and though the situation is high and airy, peach trees of the best bearing kinds planted there, have always been unproductive."! The preceding facts furnish strong reasons for believing, ihat in large portions of the northern states, where the cul- tivation of the peach has been entirely relinquished in consequence of the only attempts made having been in the warm vallies, abundant crops might be regularly obtained by a proper selection of soil and locality. Even much fur- ther south, the occasional destruction of tender fruits, points out the great importance of careful attention to situation. The death by frost of large orange trees in Florida in 1835, proves that all parts of the country are liable to such disas- ters, and that no means of prevention are to be overlooked. Occasionally crops are saved by the artificial application of a remedy, which may be briefly glanced at in connection with this subject. In one case, a bank of snow covering the lower limb of a peach tree, saved the fruit, while all on the rest of the tree perished. In another, a row of peach trees close along the north side of a fence, where snow- drifts lay, were more fruitful than the other trees. Hence the practice of piling snow round them has been recom- mended, and in some cases practiced with success. It can- not be considered infallible in any situation. It is only useful where a slight reduction of temperature is sufficient to prevent the starting of the buds. We can easily conceive such a time, when a part of the buds start, and a part do not. In one season, the lower buds on the tree, which re- ^ The skilful cultivator, as he values the size and quality of his fruit, will readily iistingTiish between a rich soil consisting chiefly of spongy muck and peat, and a dry and firm soil rendered fertile by a due admixiura ot these substanceiJ, and potasn, yime, and good manure. t D. Thomw, Train. N. Y State Ag. Society, vol. I. 6 66 INFLUENCE OF DEEP LAKES AND RIVERS. ceivfed the reflected heat' from the ground, nearly all started, and were killed, while those on the tops of the trees were not injured. It is evident that a very slight depression of temperature would have been sufficient to have prevented the lower buds from starting. But the warmth may be so great, either late in autumn or in mid-winter, that no check of the kind would be sufficient. It has often been observed that woods or thick trees, buildings, high board fences, or steep hills, on the east side of peach orchards, protect the crop. Hence the erroneous opinion, that it is the east wind Avhich does the damage. It is the sunshine upon the frozen buds which destroys them ; hence, a clouded sky after a clear frosty night, by prevent- ing sudden thawing, sometimes saves a crop. Covering trees of rare kinds with mats, to shade them from the morn- ing sun, after an intensely frosty night, might sometimes be highly beneficial. Injliience of deep Lakes and Rivers. — Large bodies of un- freezing water in the bottoms of valleys, will reverse some of the preceding rules, and the banks of such waters are pe- culiarly adapted to the cultivation of tender fruits. They soften the severity of the cold, by the large and warmer surface constantly presented; on the other hand, they chill the dangerous warm air which starts the buds in winter; and they afford great protection by the screen of fog which they spread before the morning sun. Along the borders of the lower parts of the Hudson, and on the banks of the Cayuga and Seneca lakes, tender fruit trees often afford abundant crops, while the same kinds are destroyed only two or three miles distant. Along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the peach crop scarcely ever fails, and the softening influence of that large body of unfreezing wat^r, extends many miles into the interior. , ENCLOSURES. The skilful cultivator, after having prepared his ground, procured the best trees the country aflfords, carefully trans- planted them, and watched over them, and given them careful and laborious attention for years, feels a very natural desire to partake of their fruits. But this he can- not do, in many places, unless his fruit garden is protected ENCLOSUKES. 67 from idle boys' rambles. It cannot be concealed that our country is rather remarkable for its fruit pilferers. It is feared it will continue to be so, until public opinion shall place the young man who steals a pocket-book, and the depredator of fine fruit, which has cost the owner as much care and labor, and which money cannot replace, on pre- cisely the same level.* This formidable evil has deterred many from planting fruit-gardens. The most quiet and secure protection is af- forded by a good thorn hedge. The English hawthorn, far to the north, will generally succeed quite well for this pur- pose ; the Washington and Newcastle thorns are less lia- ble to disaster from drouth and hot summers, and the at- tacks of insects ; but the Buckthorn, which gradually thick- ens m armour as it becomes older, appears to be the only perfectly hardy and reliable hedge plant for severe climates. The Osage Orange, however, where the winters are not too cold, will be found best of all. Its numerous and terrific thorns render it perfectly impassable. It is sufficiently har- dy in all places where the peach crop generally escapes. Further north than 41 or 42 degrees of latitude, it cannot be expected to succeed in low valleys ; but on elevated ground, the winter-killing of its smaller shoots, v.'ill only tend to thicken it below, like trimming with shears. The Michi- gan rose, in connexion with a high board or picket fence, which it has covered and interlaced, has been found an ef- fectual protection to a fruit garden. It grows as freely from layers and cuttings as the grape vine. * " The native fruit of a thickly populated country, growing- M'ithout culture and free for all, has doubtless had its share in producing this laxity of morals. ' t would sooner have a hundred Irishmen round me than one Yankee,' was the declara- tion 1 fa sufferer, whose fruit had been plundered near the line of the Erie canal, wlien that great work was in progress. But Europeans are generally more exem- plary on this poml than Americans— fchame on us ! When Professor Stowe was in Prussia, where the roads are lined witlj fruit trees by order of the government, he observed a wisp of straw attached to particular trees, to protect the fruit ; a sufficient guard ; but he suggested to the coachman, that in America, it might only prove an invitation to plunder. ' Have you no schools ?' was the significant reply. " Yes; we have schools ; but how many where the child is taught to respect his neighbor's property ? Too ofie#he acquires literature and vice at the same time. The slate of New- York is famous for her schools and her prisons; the latter to supply the defects of the former system, which they do however, very imperfectly. Better let the mandate go forth that the morality of the Bible shall be one of the chief objects of instruction. Teach her children to be honest, and then with science and literature, a foundation for true greatness and prosperity would be laid.' —Davui Thomas, in Trans. N. Y. State As- Society, Yd. 1, p. 223. CHAPTER 4 II. TRANSPLANTING. Nearly every fruit tree must at some period be removed from the nursery, and transplanted into the orchard or gar- den. When it is remembered that in a large number of instances, where hastily performed, the trees perish from the act ; and that in a still larger number, including a great majority, a severe check is given to their growth, it needs no argument to show the importance of transplanting well. This removal is from necessity, an act of violence. As frequently performed, it is so severe that it either results in death, or a lingering recovery. But with the skilful operator, the rigor of. the operation may be so softened, as to be not only attended with perfect safety to the tree, but with scarcely an abatement in the thriftiness of its growth. It may indeed sometimes happen, that careless manage- ment from an accidental combination of favorable causes, is followed with success. The entire failure of similar treatment in other cases, proves the superiority of the mode which shall invariably accomplish the object, with the same certainty that cause is followed by effect. The most skilful cultivators, who have the whole operation at their control, never expect to, and actually do not, lose one tree in a thousand. Taking up the tree, and shortening -in. Every person, about to transplant a tree, should remember that the roots and the leaves both perform very important oflices, the one constantly dependent on the other. The first collects food for the tree ; the other elaborates anil prepares this food for use. Without the roots, the leaves and rest of the tree perish. Without the leaves, the root cannot grow, and eventually dies. It is obvious that if a tree could be removed with all its roots, mcluding all the numerous thread-like radicles, and TRANSPLANTING. 69 placed in its new situation precisely as it stood before, it would suffer no check in growth. The nearer then, we can approach this, the greater will be our success. There is no difficulty in saving the leaf-bearing branches. All our attention must accordingly be directed to the roots. The spade should be set" into the earth at a distance from the tree, and the whole carefully lifted, not forcibly with- drawn, from the soil. Or, so much of the earth should be separated in a circle by the spade, that when the tree is withdrawn, a large portion of the soil may be lifted with it with the small fibres.* The roots of a young tree usually extend in a circle quite equal to its height; the workman, therefore, who cuts off all within six inches of a tree which is itself eight feet high, deprives it of a large portion of its means of sustenance. In the annexed figure, a indicates the trunk of the tree ; bb the circle of roots cut off with the spade in a hasty re- moval ; and without tnis circle, the rest of the roots which are left in the earth. Fig. 35. But in ordinary, or even very careful prac- tice, a part of this wide network of fibres must necessarily be separated from the tree. It is evi- dent then, that the usual supplies of sap to the leaves must be in part cut off. Now the leaves are constantly (during day) throwing off insensible moisture into the air; and good sized trees thus give off daily, many pounds. Eeduce the supply from below, and the leaves cannot flourish; and if the reduction is severe, the tree withers and dies. The remedy consists in lessening the number of leaves, * Some cultivators Imve adopted the opinion that the small fibres are unimportant, and may be cut otT without lessening the chances of growing. But this can on!y be true with very small trees or seedlings, which quickly reproduce a multitude of small roots, after the top is removed for the insertion of a graft; or where the fibres of lurgt^r trees have been killed by exposure after removal, and which are followed by a aeeeosjjry lopping of the brunches. Fiar. 35. 70 TRANSPLANTING. .'»t^ Fig:. 37 SO as to correspond with the diminished supply. This may be done in two ways : one, by shortening back every shoot of the previous year, to one quarter of its length, and in extreme cases, every shoot may be shortened back to one hud, just above the previous year's wood. The other mode, attended with more labor, but preserving the full size of the head, is to leave all the shoots entire, and remove every al- ternate bud, leaving the ter- minals, or remove two-thirds or three-quarters of the buds in the same way. Neither of these modes can in the least degree destroy the natural sym- metry of the tree. Cutting off large branches at random often quite spoils the shape. Fig. 36, represents an unpruned tree, and fig. 37, the same with the shoots shortened back. Where peach and other trees have been once a year trimmed up to a single stem, while in the nursery, the mode of shortening is shown by figs. 38 and 39. A few experiments only are needed to convince any one of the advantages of thus cutting in the shoots. In 1846, an orchardist on the Hudson, carefully transplanted 180 apple trees into good mellow soil. The roots had been cut rather short in digging. One-half had their tops shortened back, so as to leave only one bud of the previous season's wood ; the heads of the other half were r-rv/ly^,;,, suffered to remain untouched. The season Fig. 38. Fig. 39. proved favorable. Of the ninety which had their heads pruned, only two died, and nearly all made fine shoots, many being eighteen inches long. Of the ninety unpruned, eight died ; most of them made but little growth, and none more than six inches. Both the first and TRANSPLANTING. /I second year, the deep green and luxuriant foliage of the pruned trees afforded a strong contrast with the paler and more feeble appearance of the other.* A similar experi- ment was made with 78 peach trees, of large size, three years' growth from the bud. One-half were headed back so as to reduce the buds one-half ; the rest were unpruned. The season was rather dry, and twelve of the 39 unpruned trees perished ; and only o7ie of those which were headed back. The unpruned, which survived, lost parts or the whole of the upper portions of their branches ; the pruned, made fine bushy heads of new shools.* It has been found useful to shorten in the shoots of peach trees so severely as to reduce the heads to only one quarter of the original number of buds. This was tried with great success the past season. Trees, only one year's growth from the bud, transplanted in the usual manner unpruned, were placed side by side with others of four years' growth, and with trunks an inch and a half in diameter, the heads being pruned to one quarter their size. The growth of the former was feeble ; the large trees, with pruned heads grew vigorously. Again, trees set out before the buds had opened, and without pruning, presented a more feeble growth than others re- moved when the leaves were an inch long, with a copious shortening-in of the branches. The degree to which this shortening should be carried, must depend much on climate. In the cool moist atmos- phere of England, the leaves perspire less, and a larger number may remain without exhausting the supply from the roots. In this country, the perspiration is more rapid, and fewer leaves can be fed, until new roots furnish increased supplies. But in no case should the lopping be excessive ; for as the reproduction of roots depends upon the action of the leaves, a disproportionately small number of the latter, would fail to produce a speedy renewal of the former. And especially, no one should unnecessarily mutilate the roots, with the hope that lopping the head w^il remedy the evil ; for it rarely happens, that with the most careful digging, more than one half the entire amount of roots will be secured, which would in that case, require the removal * Ilorl , Vol. II., p. 219. 72 ' TKANSPLANTING. of at least half the head. A badly mutilated root may Le saved alive, by a severe lopping of the shoots ; but it can- not possibly succeed so well'as a tree with a fme large mass of uninjured fibres. Trees which quickly reproduce new shoots, as the peach, may be more closely shortened back than others having a less reproductive power, as the apple. The cherry throws out a new growth still more reluctantly, and hence more care is needed in digging up the roots entire. A very mistaken notion prevails with many who purchase trees for orchards, that the most important requisite is to obtain large straight stems and handsome heads, while the condition of the roots is regarded as entirely subordinate. It is far preferable that the limbs be mutilated than the roots ; for though the tree may have a bad appearance when first transplanted, well preserved roots will soon restore the loss. Preparing the ground and manuring. Ground intended for trees must be secure from danger of being flooded in wet seasons, and from all liability of becoming water- soaked beneath the surface. If not naturally dry enough, it must be thoroughly underdrained. The next requisite, and it is one of the greatest impor- tance, is to deepen and enrich the soil by trenching. In the garden this is done with the spade ; but in the open orchard, it is cheaply and thoroughly effected, by first loosening the earth to a depth of at least twenty inches with a subsoil plow. Next, to intermix the whole loosened bed of soil thoroughly together, it is trench-ylowed. It would be impossible to attain this depth with a common plow, without previous subsoiling ; and subsoiling fails to accomplish a proper admixture without trenching. Manure is to be applied in sufficient quantity to render the whole fertile ; the amount to be graduated by the character of the ground. Trenching or deepening must in no case be omitted ; for if the soil is exhausted, if it is poor, if liable to suffer from drouth, it is a remedy which applies in all cases. If this deepening and enriching cultivation can be continued for a year or two, in connexion with root crops, before planting, the ground will be brought to the finest condition. TRANSPLANTING. 73 In setting out large orchards, if the whole field cannot be deepened, a strip of land ten feet wide extending across the orchard, may be treated in the same way, in the centre of which each row is to be set ; and the intermediate spaces, constituting two-thirds or more of the whole, may be prepared afterwards, by the time the roots have passed the boundaries of the first. Now, when it is recollected that a good orchard is wqrth annually a hundred dollars per acre, and that this thorough preparation will bring trees into plentiful bearing, in con- nexion with good subsequent culture, in one third of the time required where trees are crowded into small holes in hard ground, it must be perfectly plain to every one that the former is by far the cheaper treatment. Where, from any unavoidable cause, trench-plowing can not be accomplished, the holes should be seven or eight feet in diameter, and from one and a half to two feet deep. The earth should be mixed with a liberal allowance of well-rotted manure, or still better with a compost made and worked over some w©eks previously, consisting of two or three parts of muck or peat, one of barn manure, and a fifth part of leached ashes. This is indeed an excellent manure for fruit trees in all cases with ordinary soils. If the subsoil is sterile, it should be scattered back out of the way. In rare cases, where rotted manure or compost is not at hand, and it becomes necessary to use fresh manure, it must be thoroughly incorporated with an iron rake into the soil, and this mixture not placed in contact with the roots but at such a distance that they may not reach it till after some months of growth, when it will have become well combined with the soil. One quarter manure will be an abundant proportion in any case. Preparing the roots. Before a tree is set in the earth, all the bruised or wounded parts, where cut with the spade, should be pared off smoothly, to prevent decay, and to enable them to heal over by granulations during the growth of the tree. Then dip them in a bed of mud, which will coat every part over evenly, and leave no por- tion in contact with air, which accidentally might not be reached by the earth in filling the hole. The bed of mud D 74 TRANSPLANTING. is quickly made by pouring into a hole a pail of water, and mixing it with the soil. Setting the tree. It should not be set deeper than it stood before removal. Deep planting injures the tree, and when excessive, may cause its death. Setting it upon the surface of the ground without any hole, and placing a bed of fine earth upon the roots to the usual depth, is preferable, and on shallow or unprepared soils, or such as are quite clayey and rather wet, has been quite successful. When placed in the unfilled hole, if it is found to be too deeply sunk, a mound or hillock is to be made under the centre, to raise it suffi- ciently, and the roots separated and extended to their full length. Fine rich mould is then to be sprinkled or sifted over, taking care to fill all the interstices, and using the fingers to spread out all the fibres during the operation. The mellow earth should rise two or three inches above the surrounding surface, to allow for its subsequent settling. ^ In nearly all soils, the use of water insetth?ig the earth among the roots will be found eminently serviceable. Dashing in a few quarts before the hole is quite filled, is the more com- mon way : but an admirable mode is to settle the fine earth as it is constantly sifted in, by a regular shower from a watering pot, one man holding the tree, a second filling in the earth, and the third applying the water. By this pro- cess the roots are not disturbed in their position, and every cavity about them is filled in the most perfect manner. The trees will be found to maintain their position better than whei pulverised earth alone is used; for although it may at first be easily moved while surrounded by the half liquid mass ; in a few hours the earth around it will absorb the superabundant moisture, and it will become as firm as when it has stood for weeks in its new position. Stiffening against the wind. — Newly planted trees, being acted on as levers by the wind, often press aside the earth about their stems, and make an opening down to the roots, which in consequence suffer from both drouth and disturbance. There are two ways to prevent this disaster. In autumn transplanting, the best way is to embank a mound of earth about * ♦SeeAppen(lix,page4ll. TRANSPLANTING. 75 the Stems, from ten to eighteen inches high, as the size of the tree may require, fig. 40. This mound performs the triple offce of stiffening the tree, excluding mice, and cover- ing the roots from frost. Only a few seconds are required to throw up one of these conical heaps of earth. After the tree commences growing, the mounds are removed. Trees which have had their heads lightened by the shortening pro- cess, already described, will not often need any other pro- tection. But when the trees are large, or the situation is windy, staking becomes necessary. If driven before the roots are covered, they may be erect, as in fig. 41 ; if driven afterwards, they may be slanting; and in both cases, straw bands should be first wrapped once round, to prevent the trees from chafing WatervLg. A very common error is the belief that trees need frequent watering before they are in leaf. Deluging the roots, while in a partially dormant state, is as hurtful to trees as to green- house plants, and a continued repetition of it is al- most certain death. When a plant is in a state of rapid vegetation, large quantities of moisture are drawn up by the leaves and thrown ofi*, but while the buds are unexpanded, the amount consumed is very small. Fruit trees sometimes remain with fresh and green branches, but with unswollen buds, till midsummer. Instead of watering such at the roots, let the tops be wet daily at evening, with a watering pot, and it will in nearly all cases bring them into active growth. In extreme cases, shading the stem in ad- dition to the watering, will be found beneficial. The following successful treatment in transplanting, in cases that appeared almost hopeless, was practiced by the late S. G. Perkins, of Boston : — " Some ten years ago, I imported from Paris two hun- dred and ten pear trees on quince stocks, whose roots, on their arrival, I found to be entirely black and dead. I shaved ofl with a drawing knife all the roots down to the slump. These I planted in trenches, tying them ^ cross-bars to keep them firm, and then filled up the trench with good soil. The heads and bodies of these trees were regularly washed in dry weather until they began to sprout which most of them 76 TKANSPLANTING. did in abundance during the summer, and I finally saved out of the whole number, one hundred and seventy-four, which became as well rooted and as good trees as any in m\ garden. " This has happened more than once. Three or foui years ago, I imported among other trees, twenty plum trees, from six to seven feet high, the heads of which had been budded the previous year in France. These buds had grown from nine to twelve inches long, and were perfectly fresh when they arrived ; but the roots on examination were found entirely dead. Two of these I gave away. One was good for nothing, and the other seventeen I planted in my garden, having cut out all the roots that had fibers, they be* ing entirely dead. One of my men said I might as well plant my walking stick. Sixteen of these are now flourish- ing trees, well grown and well rooted, new roots being in- duced by means of washing the upper part of the tree." "Watering the roots, even of fast growing trees, will rare- ly become needful if the soil is deep and is kept mellow But whenever it is performed, the surface earth should be thrown oft', the water poured in, and the earth replaced. This will admit the water at once to the roots, and leave the surface mellow ; while by watering the top of the ground, the water will perhaps fail to reach the dry soil below, but only "serve to harden and bake the surface. Mulching, or covering the ground about the tree with straw, coarse barn-yard litter, or, what is still better, leaves from the woods, will in nearly all cases obviate the necessity of watering. It is an excellent protection against mid-summer drouths, which so often prove destructive to newly trans- planted trees, after they have appeared in leaf. A corres- pondent of the Horticulturist, mulched 50 trees out of 150, all of which had commenced growth alike. Those which were mulched, all lived. Of the hundred not mulched, fif- teen perished. The weather was hot and dry at mid- summer. Trees received from a distance, and injured by drying, should immediately havem frost for tender trees set out in autumn. 78 TRANSPLANTING. resulted in loss. In the first instance, the trees may h^re been in the best condition, the roots uninjured, the soil just right, and every attending circumstance favorable. In the other, every thing may have been done right, but some acci- dental disaster proved ruinous. A neighbor, as an instance, set out several peach trees in autumn in the best manner; but his soil was low, and became soaked with water in winter, causing their death. Removal from high and exposed, to low and frosty ground, or the reverse, may often influence the result. Even a wet subsoil, where the sur- face has been dry, has destroyed tender trees in winter, as the apricot, without removal. Again, when the soil is a heavy clay, and holds water like a tub, tender trees are in great danger from autumn transplanting, unless provision is made for draining the holes ; which may be effected by running a deep furrow from one hole to the other, along the line of trees, and using brush, cornstalks, or straw, as a temporary under- drain for the water to soak away. As a general rule, the proper seasori for the removal of trees is at any period between the cessation of growth in autumn, — usually a little later than mid-autumn in the northern states, — and its recommencement in spring. The earlier in spring the better; but if deferred till the buds are much swollen, the roots should be coated immediately with mud, and kept moist till again set out. Transplanting may be performed in winter, whenever the ground is open, and the air above freezing; but roots which are frozen while out the ground, will perish unless they are buried be- fore thawing. When it becomes necessary to- keep trees through winter without setting, as often occurs where they are received from a distance, the roots may be placed sloping in a trench on a dry spot of ground, and fine earth thoroughly sprinkled in among them, filling up all interstices ; and if theyare of ten- der kinds, one-half of the stems may be covered with earth. Trees are often badly kept from neglect to fill up the cavi- ties, which may be prevented by dashing in water, as in transplanting.* If received late in autumn, after having * Trees packed for distant conveyance, should alwaj's have the roots coated 'tflfit mud; for if n spring, it will tend to prevent their drying, as warm weather approaSft- es; and if in autumn^ it will assist the more gradual ana safe abstraction of the frost it TRANSPLANTING. 79 been frozen, the roots should be buried as speedily as pos- sible before thawing takes place, the gradual abstraction of the frost by the soil being perfectly safe, in the same way that it takes place every spring when the frozen roots of standing trees are thawed with the thawing of the ground. l^he size for transplanting, must vary with circumstances. Six to seven feet high is large enough under ordinary cir- cumstances, but those much larger may be successfully re- moved if they have been previously prepared by shortening the long roots to induce the emission of a mass of smaller fibres near the centre or stem. This is done one year pre- viously, by running a spade into the earth in a circle about the foot of the stem, if the tree yet stands in the nursery, or by cutting a circular trench around the tree if it is a large standard in open ground. Trees not over four or five feet high would usually suc- ceed best with the usual hasty mode of digging, as a proper balance between the top and the root would be more near- ly preserved, the danger of dying would be lessened, and the vigor of growth being less checked, they would as soon attain a bearing state. On a review of the essential requisites for successful transplanting, they may be summed up briefly as follows : 1. A previous preparation of a rich deep bed of mellow earth to receive the roots, and land which cannot be water-soaked. 2. Removing the tree v,-ith as little mutilation of the roots as practicable. 3. Paring off the bruised parts. 4. Shortening-in the head, in a greater or less degree, to correspond with the necessary loss of roots. 5. Immersing the roots in mud. 6. Settling the earth with water. 7. Planting no deeper than before. 8. Staking or embanking to prevent injury by the wind. 9. Watering the stems and branches only, before the ap- pearance of the leaf. 10. Mulching, where danger of mid-summer drouth is feared. they should happen to be frozen. In addition to this, they should be copiously packed m damp moss, which retains moisture a long time, and does not heat. For sea- voyages, however, the moss should not be damp, as the sea-air will preserve the - auisite degree of humidity, which otherwise would be excessive and injurious. CHAPTER VIII. CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. The cultivator, having transplanted his trees in the best manner, and secured them from disaster by every means which skill can devise, has a still more important task yet to perform, — the cultivation of the soil. It is more important, because it is not commenced and finished in a day, but needs constant attention for years ; and' in ordinary practice it receives greater neglect. For, of the thousands of trees which are every year transplanted in all parts of the country, the assertion may be made with safety, that more are lost from neglected after-culture, than from all other causes 'put together. To purchase and set out fine fruit trees of rare sorts, in a baked and hardened soil, whose entire moisture and fertility are consumed by a crop of weeds and grass, might very aptly and without exaggeration be compared to the purchase of a fine horse, and then perpetually to exclude him from food and drink. Here is the great and fatal error with a large portion who attempt the cultivation of fruit. We may not incorrectly divide these into three classes : 1. Those who, having procured their trees, destroy them at once by drying them in the sun or wind, or freezing them in the cold, before setting out. 2. Those who destroy them by crowding the roots into small holes cut out of a sod, where, if they live, they main- tain a stunted and feeble existence, like the half-starved cattle of a neglectful farmer. 3. Others set them out well, and then consider their labors as having closed. They are subsequently suffered to become choked with grass, weeds, or crops of grain— some live and linger, others die under the hardship ; or else are demolished by cattle, or broken down by the team which cultivates the gn^ound. CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. ^ A neighbor purchased fifty very fine peach trees, hand- somely rooted, and of vigorous growth ; they were w^W set out in a field containing a fine crop of heavy clover and timothy. The following summer was dry ; and a luxuriant growth of meadow grass nearly obscured them from sio-ht. What was the consequence ? Their fate was precisely what every farmer would have predicted of as many hills of corn, planted and overgrown in a thick meadow, — very few sur- vived the first year. Another person bought sixty, of worse quality in growth ; he set them out well, and kept them well hoed with po- tatoes. He lost but one tree ; and continuing to cultivate them with low hoed crops, they now afibrd yearly loads of rich peaches. Another neighbor procured fifty good trees. Passing his house the same year late in summer, he remarked, " I thought a crop of wheat one of the best for young peach trees ?" — " Just the reverse ; it is one of the worst — all sown crops are injurious ; all low hoed ones beneficial." — *' Well," answered he, " I have found it so — my fifty trees all lived it is true, but I have lost one year of their growth by my want of knowledge." On examination, they were found in excellent soil, and had been well set out. All the rows were in a field of wheat, except one which was hoed with a crop of potatoes. The result was striking. Of the trees that stood among the wheat, some had made shoots the same year, an inch long, some two inches, and a very few, five or six inches. While on the other hand, on nearly every one that grew with the potatoes, new shoots a foot and a half could be found, and on some the growth had been two feet, two and a half, and three feet. Other cases have furnished nearly as decisive contrasts. An eminent cultivator of fine fruit, whose trees have borne for many years, remarks: "My garden would be worth twice as much as it is, if the* trees had been planted in thick rows two rods apart so that I could have cultivated them with the plow. Unless fruit grows on thrifty trees, we can form no proper judgment of it. Some that we have cultivated this season, after a long neglect, seem like new kinds, and the flavor is in proportion to the size." The thick rows, here alluded to, may be composed of 6 D* CtrLTlVATION OF THE ao.t. trees from six to twelve feet apart in the rows. This mode admits of deep and thorough cultivation, and the team can pass freely in one direction, until close to the row, where the soil need not be turned up so deeply, or so a3 to #**■■* # * # * * **#*** * * * * * # * Fig. 42. Fig. 43. injure the roots. Fig. 42 exhibits this mode of planting , and fig. 43 another mode, where the trees are in hexagons, or in the corners of equilateral triangles, and are thus more equally distributed over the ground than by any other ar- rangement. They may thus be cultivated in three direc- tions. For landscape effect, this is undoubtedly better than by any other regular order. Trees are frequently mutilated in cultivating the ground with a team ;* to obviate this difficulty, arrange the horses when they work near the line of trees, one before the other, ad tandem. Let a boy ride the forward one, use long tra- ces and a short whipple-tree, and place the whole in the charge of a careful man who knows that one tree is worth more than fifty hills of corn or potatoes, and no danger need be feared. In the absence of this arrangement, oxen will be safer than horses. When it becomes necessary for trees to stand in grass, as in some instances near dwellings, a circle of several feet round each tree must be kept mellow by the spade, fig. 44. The work should be shallow near the tree to prevent injurj^ to the roots, and gradually deepen as it re- ^ cedes. This operation when re- !fSS-& peated several times during sum- Fig. 44. mer, has been known to increase the growth five fold. But a not less important result is the * When bark is accidentally rubbed off, if in early summer, the fresh surface should be left untouched, and a new bark will soon form and cover the surface. Rub bing the wound with earth, spoils this surface, and leaves a bad wound. CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. ^ exclusion of the mice, for which this is by far the most ef- fectual method, if the surface is raised nine or ten inches round the tree just before winter, fig. 45. The grass no longer affords these animals any hiding place, and when they reach the bank of fresh earth, they are immediately diverted from their course, and never attack the stem. Such a circle of dug earth facilitates the application of manure, which may be spread about the tree late in autumn, when the '"^ soluble portions are carried down among the Fig. 45. roots by the autumn and spring rains, after which it is turned beneath the soil with the spade. Unless, , however, this circle is of large size, it can afford but very partial benefit. The size should increase as the tree ad- vances in growth. In very small trees, most of the roots are within a foot or two of the stem, but their circumfe- rence forms an annually increasing circle. Hence the fre- quent practice of applying manure, or digging the ground closely about the base, as exhibited in the annexed fig- ure, (46,) is com- paratively use- less. Hence, too, the practice of plowing a few furrows only on each side of a row of large trees in an orchard, is greatly inferior to the cultivation of the whole sur- face. Among the crops which are best suited to young trees, are pota- Fig. 46. toes, ruta bagas, beets, can'ots, beans, and all low hoed crops. Indian corn, fboufifh a hoed crop, is of too tall a growth, shading young 84 CUtTlVATION OF THE SOIL. trees too much by its formidable stalks. All sown crops are to be avoided, and grass is still worse. Meadows are ruin- ous. An acquaintance who purchased a hundred peach trees and placed them in meadow land, lost most of them by the overgrowth of the grass ; and the following winter, the mice, who avoid clean culture, destroyed the remainder. Every one was lost. A clean, mellow, cultivated piece of ground, kept so a few years, might have saved the whole of them, and brought them into bearing. A chief reason of the fatal effects of sown crops, is the impossibility of mellowing the ground by repeated culti- vation. For this reason, a low crop of peas has been found much worse than a heavy growth of Indian corn. A large peach orchard was sown with peas, and bordered on one side with corn, in which one row of the peach trees stood. Such was the benefit derived by them from the hoeing given to the corn, that the single row was most con- spicuously visible by the deeper green of its foliage, at the distance of half a mile. Low hoed crops have been recommended. But the more frequently the plow or cultivator passes among them, the greater will be the benefit to the tree. A friend, who well understands thorough cultivation, found that his young and newly planted standards which stood among the small seedling trees of his nursery, and which received the benefit of constant and continued working till autumn, made twice the growth of those in a field of beets, and which was kept well hoed only through the early part of the season, or till the crop covered the ground. Some of the former made shoots the first year four feet in length. The best peach orchard for market crops in western New York, is kept mellow by deep and thorough tillage without any other crop, and the improved quality and amount of the fruit is found of greater consequence than any other pro- duct of the land. The same course is pursued with the best of the great peach orchards which supply the city of Philadelphia. A very mistaken policy is the selection of uneven oi stony ground for orchards, which cannot be cultivated or occupied with any thing else. The truth should be unal terably fixed on every farmer's mind, that the orchard CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL. S6 should have the best piece of land on the farm, so long as clean, thrifty trees, loaded with fair, large, and high- flavored fruit, are to be preferred to light crops of what is half grown and distorted, with deficient flavor; with the ad di'ional difference that the former may be brought into full bearing in one-third of the time required for the latter. Note. In connexion with the cultivation of the soil, the restoration of trees of feeble growth will be much hastened, if the trunk and principal branches are scrubbed several times in a season, with a brush dipped in soap-suds, first scraping the bark, should it be rough or mossy. r CHAPTER IX. DISTANCES FOR PLANTING- TREES. Persons about to plant orchards and fruit gardens, are often at a loss to know the most suitable distances to place the trees. The guiding mle should be to allow space enough that when the trees attain the largest size, the sun's rays may freely enter on every side. The roots as well as the tops should have free space. As a general rule, the tops should never approach nearer than one-half their diameter. Some varieties of the same kind of fruit grow to a much greater size than others, but as an average, the following distances may be adopted, varying with the amount of land, and with the wishes of the owner, whether to obtain imme' diately a large amount from a small space, or to make a permanent orchard that shall long continue without becom- ing crowded. Apples. In fertile districts of the country, where the trees may attain great size, and where there is plenty of land, 40 feet is the greatest distance required. The usual distance is two rods or 33 feet. Where the most is to be made of the land, and where thinning-in the limbs is prac- ticed when the trees become too large, 25 feet distance may be adopted. For pyramids on apple stocks, 10 feet ; for P5''ramids or dwarf standards on Doucain stocks, 8 feet ; for dwarf round-headed trees on paradise stocks, 6 feet. Pears. Large growing standard varieties, on pear stocks, 20 feet ; dwarf standards on quince (with stems pruned up 2 or 3 feet, the heads with natural growth, or slightly thin- ned by pruning but once a year, for orchard culture,) 8 ieet ; pyramids on pear stocks, 8 to 10 feet ; on quince, 6 feet. It should never be forgotten that pears on quince should be so placed as to admit of high or enriching cultivation. It is quite useless to plant them and then neglect giving them the best care. Peaches. It is usual to allow about 20 feet for peach trees that are never shortened-in, but permitted to spread out and take their natural course. But if shortened-in an- 86 DISTANCES FOR PLANTING TREES. nually as they should be, or even triennially, by cutting back three-year branches, they may occupy only 12 feet. Peach trees budded on the plum, which reduces their growth a little, may be kept cut back so as to require a space of only 8 or 9 feet. Cherries. Common standards, 20 feet apart ; pyramids on common stocks, 10 feet ; on Mahaleb stocks, 6 feet. Dukes and Morellos require only three-fourths of this space. K Plums. Standards, 15 feet ; pyramids 8 to 10 feet. Apricots. One-fourth more space than for plums. Quinces. 6 to 8 feet. Grapes. Most vigorously growing native sorts, on a trellis 8 feet high, 25 feet apart ; on a 12 feet trellis, 16 feet apart. Foreign grapes one-half this distance.- Gooseberries and Currants. 4 to 5 feet. Raspberries. 3 or 4 feet. For the above distances, the following is the number of" trees required for an acre : 40 feet apart, 33 " 25 « 20 " 15 « 21 trees. 40 « 69 " 108 « 193 « 12 feet apart,. 10 « 8 « 6 « 4 « trees. 435 680 1,208 2,720 rs"' •o ""t? " ^ 0 <& © J 53 ^ji IS?- *^i «: «» , ^■^ €^ €5f 0> r^i @ « e <> <& &' ^ $S •^i D ^ ^ ^ © i^ 0 0 -^ Si ,e» ^^ & e. ^ m s ^ ^35- e ^-> © 9 ^iP (0 ^ m tl ^ 4 ?> ij gJ f^ ^> fh €t ^ %^ o # %^ <3 a o ^ 3> ^i3 t"^ ^ @ # i^ Q Q _M- M- ^ c? 0 0 <& Si <.!. C^ i^> ^ Arrange^ment to facilitate cidtivatian. The above is an arrangement of kinds of different sizes, into rows for culti- vation both ways with horse-iabor. The larger sorts are in wide rows as explained on page 81. Fruits which are stung by the curculio are planted at one end, and when the fruit is forming, pigs and geese are confined to that part, by th© hurdle fence a a, run across for the occasion. CHAPTER X. PRUNING. No well managed fruit tree is ever allowed an ur. disturbed natural growth. If the knife should never approach it after its lirst removal from the seed bed, it would become a dense mass of branches, shoots and leaves, like a bush in a hedge- row, and produce small and imperfect crops. Pruning is therefore resorted to by every cultivator, but by many with so little knowledge of its true principles, that the remedy is sometimes even worse than the disease. Pruning has two principal objects; one, to give form to the tree, and to promote the vigorous growth of the shoots and branches ; and the other, to check the growth of certain parts in order to favor the production of crops. 1. To direct the growth. This department of pruning should be commenced in the earliest stages of growth. By watching in time the course that the tree or. branches are taking, it becomes very easy to alter any objectionable form. " Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined," will apply throughout in giving form to every young tree. Crooked and crowded branches may be prevented without using any tool larger than a small pruning-knife, by the early removal of superabundant shoots, or by altering the growth of others. It is even better to dispense altogether with the pruning knife, and merely pinch off the fresh shoots while yet soft and green. The strength of the soil and the energy of the tree is not then expended in producing what is after all to be cut and thrown away as useless. This branch of the subject will perhaps be more distinctly understood by an explanation of a few practical details in connexion with these principles. Every young tree needs attention as soon as it commences growing from the bud or graft, near the surface of the earth. If, as is the case with most trees, they are intended for Standards^ that is, trees with a naked stem three to five feet 88 pnuNiNG. high, tne side-shoots of this stem must be pruned off neither too soon nor too late. If too soon, the trees become slender, top-heavy, and bend over and assume a crooked form. If too long neglected, they then become low, bushy, and much of the vigor of the tree is uselessly expended in producing what has to be cut off and thrown away. Instead, therefore, of pruning off the side-shoots closely and at once, it is better to remove only a very few of the larger ones at the bottom, and pinch off the ends of all the rest, which directs the sap into the leading shoot, and the tree thus advances more rapidly in height, at the same time enough is left to form wood on the stem and stiffen it, and to furnish stout well proportioned trees. These stumps are all afterwards pruned closely. Sometimes a side-shoot will be disproportionately large, in which case it should be cut off closely at once, before it makes a crooked stem, and renders a large wound necessary in its removal. By treatment similar to this, any form may be given to a tree ; for as the sap tends naturally to all parts of the tree, and more strongly to the growing points or summits, by pinching off or cutting back any part, we throw the sap and vigor of the tree into the rest. If we wish to alter the form of the tree but slightly, shortening the tips of the shoots will be sufficient ; but if a decided change is wanted, the shoots must be freely cut back or wholly removed. An even, well-balanced, and properly thinned head for standards, may be obtained by an early application of the preceding rules; varying their adaptation to the peculiar form of growth of each variety. For example, the Early Strawberry and Northern Spy apples, and the Madeleine and Louise Bonne of Jersey pears, are remarkable for the tendency of their leading shoots to run straight upwards, and it is consequently requisite, in most cases, to cut back the upright leader in order to form open and spreading heads. With other sorts of more diverging growth, the only care needed is to keep the head evenly balanced, and properly thinned. The mode of pruning old neglected apple trees, with a view to restoring the vigor and fruitfulness of the trees, is more particularly pointed out on page 124-5; it maybe only necessary here to remark that the chief requisites to PRUNING. 89 keep steadily in view during the operation, is, 1. To avoid cutting- off large limbs except-in cases of absolute necessity. 2. To admit light equally into all parts of the tree by thin- ning out the branches. 3. To remove all crooked or badly growing limbs, and preserve a handsome evenly distributed top. 4. To do the work gradually, or in successive years, and commencing by preference at the top or centre, which will favor an open top. 5. To give a coating on all fresh wounds an inch or more in diameter, of the composition made of shellac dissolved in alcohol, just thick enough to be of the consistence of paint. It is applied with great ease and rapidity, adheres firmly, keeps out the air, and not being a heavy application, but only a thin coating, it offers no impediment to the forming-lip of the new growth as it closes over the wound. A bottle of this composition at all times at hand, would be found a great convenience. A shilling's worth of gum-shellac dissolved in a quart of al- cohol, is all that is necessary, and is immediately ready for use. If too thick, it is at once rendered more liquid by the addition of alcohol, and vice versa. The most convenient way to use it, so that it may be instantly ready at all times, is to fit into the cork of a large-mouthed bottle, a brush of convenient size, the cork thus forming a sort of handle to the brush, which remains within the bottle when not in use. The season for pruning old orchards is late in autumn or in winter, or at mid-summer ; but not in spring when the flow of sap is apt to injure and cause the decay of the wood at the wounds. Pyramids. For pyramids, (a form of training applied most frequently to dwarf pears,) the early treatment is quite different from that of standards. As the sap tends to the summit of the tree, producing the strongest side-shoots to- wards the top, and the shortest and most feeble towards the bottom, the natural form of the tree gradually becomes a trunk or stem with a branching head. To prevent this result, and give a strong broad set of branches at the bottom, a thorough and regular system of shortening-down must be adopted at the outset. The following is a brief outline of the course usually pursued. 90 PRTTNIPTG. After the single shoot from the bud has grown one sea- son, (fig. a,) it is cut down so as to leave not over one foot, and if the tree is weak not over six inches, (fig. b.) As a conse- quence, the buds on this remain- ing portion, receiving all the sap, make a vigorous growth. The upper one must be convert- ed into a leader, by pinching off early the tips of the others, beginning first with the upper ones which will be the strongest, and gradually descending as the season advances to the lower ones, which should be left the longest in order to give them the most strength, (fig. c.) Six inches of naked stem below the branches should be left, by rubbing off' all shoots below ; and if in a region liable to deep snows, this space should be a foot, to prevent splitting oft' the limbs by the weight of the snow, and for which object the tree should not be cut down lower than eighteen inches at the close of the first season. The pruning after the second year's growth, consists in cutting down again the leader for a second crop of side shoots ; and these side shoots, and the new leader, are to be treated precisely as those below were treated the year before. At the same time, the last year's side shoots, on the lower part, are to be cut back, (the longest at the bottom so as to give a pyramidal form,) in order to insure the growth of the buds upon them. The new side shoots thus caused, are to be pinched off' so as to convert them into fruit spurs, (according to the process described hereafter in this chap- ter,) except one shoot left on each as a leader, and another, if needed, to fill up the space made by the widening limbs. The pyramid may now be said to have been fairly formed ; and it is only re- quisite to continue and prolong the same process for successive years. Fig. d^ d—Four-year j>!/ramid. represents a four-year pyramid three PRUNING. 91 times pruned, each section being shown at the figures 1, 2, 3, and the cross-lines indicating the place for the fourth pruning. Fig. e represents a per- fectly pruned p\^ramid in bearing. After the tree has attained sufli- cient size, its further extension is prevented by pruning back the shoots. If the fruit spurs become too numerous, a part of them are to be pruned closely out, so as to give an even and not crowded crop. When spurs become too old, they may be mostly removed for new ones to spring from their bases. Some varieties of the pear throw out side shoots spontaneously the first year. Such trees may be treated in a manner not unlike the ordinary two-year pyramid. On the contrary, such sorts as have ^ small or flat buds, may need a «. more severe cutting back than others, in order to arouse the buds into action and induce them to break into shoots. Throughout the whole process of pruning and training pyramids as well as every other tree, the frequent error of allo-\ving the shoots and branches to become too thick and to crowd each other, should be carefully avoided. The size and beauty of the fruit, and its perfection in richness and flavor, where there is plenty of room for the full, vigorous, and healthy development of the leaves which supply all the 7naterial for the growing fruity will repay well the' labor required for this excellent result. Dwarf apples on (paradise stocks) are usually trained to a round and rather spreading open head, the same principles to be applied as in forming dwarf pears, with the exception of the form given to them, and being more dwarfish in growth, less shortening of the shoots is required. Small, slow growing varieties, as the Melon, Early Joe, Red Canada, Hawley, Jonathan, Ladies' Sweet, Summer Pearmain, Dyer, Lady Apple, Lowell, and Wagoner, may be pruned into pyramids and kept small, so as to stand not 9^ PEUNIN(». further than twelve {eet apart. Thriftier varieties, on Dou- cain stock, may be treated in the same way. The Cherry and Plum may be pruned in the form of pyramids on the same principles as the apple and pear. The Morello and Duke cherries may be treated either as pyramids or as smaller, rounded, open-headed dwarfs. PRUNING TO PRODUCE FRUITFULNESS. Leaf and fruit buds. The distinction between leaf and fruit buds, and a knowledge of the causes tending to the formation of each, lie at the foundation of this important department of pruning. Fruit-buds are in general distinguished by their rounded and obtuse form ; while leaf-buds are slenderer and more acute. In the accompa- iO nying figure, A represents a portion of the branch of a pear tree ; bh b are fruit-buds on the extrem- ities of short spurs ; c is a leaf-bud, on a one-3'^ear's shoot. The fruit-spurs are nothing more than stunted shoots, originally produced from leaf-buds, but which, making but little growth, become fruit bearers. In the pear and some other trees, they are never less than two years 0 d, and they often continue to bear for many years. B exhibits the appearance of the two kinds of buds as seen on the cherry; b b being the rounded fruit-buds ; and c c the leaf-buds, distinguished by their slender and acute points. Cause of the formation of each. Whatever tends to a free circulation of the sap, and consequently to a rapid growth, causes the formation of leaf-buds rather than fruit-buds. On the contrary, whatever tends to retard the motion and increase the accumulation of sap in any part, induces the production of fruit instead of leaf-buds. Thus, in the ex- amples just given, as soon as small stunted shoots are TKvmsG. . 93 formed, they become furnished with fruit-producing buds. The vigorous one-year shoot of the cherry (B) is mostly sup- plied with leaf-buds; but the short spurs on the second year's wood, which are but shortened branches, are covered with fruit-buds, with only a leaf-bud in the centre. • This also explains the chief reason that young and vigor- ous trees, whose wood and bark are comparatively soft and yielding, and through whose large and unobstructed vessels the sap flows without restraint, do not bear so freely as those whose older and more rigid parts impede the circula- tion. A young tree kept in a v^y thrifty condition may not produce fruit-buds for many years ; while if checked in its growth by imperfect culture, it will bear at a much earlier age. Some free-growing varieties, as the Bartlett pear, from a constitutional peculiarity, will bear at one-third of the age required for others, as the Dix and Tyson. The production of fruit-buds may be accomplished artifi- cially by checking the growth of vigorous trees ; but such treatment, out of the ordinary course of nature, though some- times useful, should be cautiously applied, as the first crop gives still another check, and often materially injures the tree and the quality of its subsequent crops. Summer priming. Another and an unobjectionable mode of attaining the same end, is summer pruning, which is effected by pinching off the soft ends of the side-shoots after they have made a few inches growth. In these the sap immediately accumulates, and the young buds upon the remainder of these shoots, which otherwise would produce leaves, are gradually changed into fruit-buds. To prevent the breaking of these buds into new shoots by too^reafan accumulation of the sap, a partial outlet is left for its escape through the leading shoot of the branch, which at the same time is effecting the desired enlargement of the tree. In the an- nexed figure (c) a branch is represented with its side-shoots thus undergoing conversion into fruit-spurs, the dotted lines showing the position which these shoots would have taken if left unpinched. It will be seen that two great objects are here attained, — the fruitfulness of the tree, and the "^ increased vigor of the leading-shoot, by directing the sur- plus sap to its growth. This constitutes essentially the art of summer 'pruning dwarf and pyramidal trees, more especially the pear and apple, t It may be applied with great advantage to young standards, to produce early fruitfulness. It often happens, and especially when the pinching is done too early, that the new buds send out shoots a second time the same season. When this occurs, these second shoots are to be pinched in the same manner as the first, but shorter ; and third «nes, should they start, are to be similarly treated. The bruising given by pinching off with the thumb and finger, is more apt to prevent this result than clipping with a sharp knife. Pruning the koots. This has been tried to a limited extent only, and has proved useful in checking over-luxu- riant growth attended with unfruitfulness. Its tendency, by lessening the supply of sap, is to render trees more dwarfish, and operates not unlike grafting on dwarf stocks. It should be attempted only in connexion with deep, rich cultivation. It is performed w^hile the tree is dormant, by means of a spade, ground sharp, and thrust down through the soil at a suitable distance from the stem.* For full directions in all the departments of pruning, the reader is referred to Barry's " Fruit Garden^^'' the most complete work on this branch of the subject, which has yet appeared in this country. * The particular modes in which pruning and training are applied to various kinds of fruit treesL will be found described on the pages which separately treat of those fruits. • CHAPTER XI. IMPLEMENTS, ETC. The more common tools needed, are the shove\ the spade, and the hoe, for digging holes, transplanting, and cultivating the ground. Tho rake is useful in mixing manures with the soil for filling the remote part? '^x large holes. INSTRUMENTS. The pruning-knife, fig. 47, is a large hooked knife, for removing useless branches. The pruning-saw is needed in taking off larger limbs ; lattached to a handle seve- Fig. 47, ral feet long, it will reach those at a distance from the ground. The direction of the teeth should be the re- verse of the common saw ; that is, they should Fig. 48. point towards the ope- rator, constituting what is called the draw^saw, fig. 48. Be- ing thus only subject to a pulling strain, it does not require so thick a blade as a thrust-saw^ with tl* teeth in the usual wa For this reason, it \ less liable to become broken or twisted. The Fig. 49. bmv-sawy fig. 49, is a light saw for catting near the ground. The prwmTig'Chisd may differ but little from those of a common carpenter, fixed ^1— «ag5Bsi 'III jato the end of a long pole ' or handle, for cutting off small branches at a con- ^'^■^- siderable height. It \a placed against a limb, and the sttoke of a malkt separates it 96 IMPLEMENTS. Small shoots are removed by the hooked part, show; in fig. 50. The budding-knife^ fig. 51, should have a broad, flat blade, ___^_=_^__ *^® ^^S^ ^^ which is to be rounded outwards, for the more ready incision of the Fig. 51. bark. The thin ivory blade or haft at the extremity of the handle, as the budding- knife is commonly made, may be dispensed with in nearly all cases, the bud when set m, lifting the bark as it slides downwards, more perfectly than by any other mode, after the corners of the bark are* lifted with the point of the blade. The grafting-tool (fig. 52) is r^ Fig. 5± useful in cleft-grafting large apple trees. It may be made of iron, the edge set with steel. It is used for splitting the stock, after it is sawed ofll'and pared. The part a should be two inches broad with a sharp edge, which should curve inwards, that the bark, in splitting, maybe cut first, to give it a smooth flat face. The wedge b opens the stock to receive the graft. By the hook c it is hung on a twig close at hand, when not in use. Grafting wedges for common use, may be made by grinding down large cut nails. The grafting-shears^ a recent invention, have effected a great improvement in cleft-grafting, rendering the work much more expeditious and perfect. They consist of a short thin blade ol the best steel, a, fig, 53, two or three inches long, set at an angle of about a hundred and twenty degrees with the handle Z>, which ^'s:- 53. moves it against ^ concave bed in the wooden piece, c. The angle which the olade and its bed form with the handles, imparts a sawing motion to the knife, which renders it more efl^ective. It may be used on stocks an inch or an inch and a half in 'diameter. Pressing the top of the stock from the operator with one hand, it is cut off* with remarkable ease by a single IMPLEMENTS. 97 stroke given to the shears with the other hand. Another perpendicular stroke slits the stock for the graft, leaving a perfectly smooth face cut for its reception. The expedition and perfection of the work is thus greatly facilitated. Small shears attached to a yole and worked by a cord, ^fig. 54,) are useful for cutting grafts on tall trees ; in removing the eggs of caterpillars, (see chapter on the apple ;) and in taking oif fine fruit to prevent bruising, by attaching a basket to the pole immediately under the shears. The blades of these shears, forming an oblique angle with the shaft at a little dis- tance above the pivot, make a draw-cut in- stead of a crushing-cut^ and are for this reason more effective. Apples, and some of the Fig- 54. harder fruits, may also be gathered with a wooden hook in the end of a pole, to draw the fruit from the branch, caught in a basket just underneath. In using the long handled pruning-saw, the pruning- chisel, the graft-cutter, or the fruit-gatherer, the operator may stand on a ladder or high stool, as an additional assis- tance in reaching the higher parts of the tree. Self-sustaining fruit-ladders are very useful in gathering fine fruit, to prevent mutilation and bruising of the bark and branches. Fig. 55, is one of small size and simple construction, is easily carried in one hand, and will raise one's feet a yard or more from the ground. It consists of a small piece of light plank at the top, supported on legs not larger than common chair legs. Fig. 56, repre- sents one from eight to twelve feet high, the two single legs moving on joints, for closing against the ladder in carrying, and spreading like a tripod in setting up under the tree. The folding-ladder may be closed toge- ther with the facility of a pair of com- passes ; it then becomes a round stick, easily carried in one hand. It is made of strong light wood, and its construction may be Fiff. 56. 98 IMPLEMENTS. readily understood bv the annexed figure, (57,) representing the ladder as open, as half closed, and as closely shut. An enlarged longitudinal section shows the manner in which the rounds lie in the grooves or concave beds in the sides or styles ; above which "J o / / / /' ; ; "; • y i \ ''•■ 1 Fig. 57. is a cross-section exhibiting the semi-oval form of the styles. The ends of the rounds turn on iron pins, slightly riveted outside. The rounds rest- ing on shoulders, when the ladder is opened, render the whole stiff and firm. A lad- der of this construction is found very useful, not only in fruit-houses, where a com- mon ladder could not be conveniently carried, but in pruning standard trees, be- cause it can be thrust through t the branches like a round pole, without the least difficulty, and when once there, it is easily opened. The orchardisf s hook consists of a light rod, with an iron hook at one end, and a -^=g=^ piece of wood made to *=^ slide along it. In using if the fruit-gatherer draws ^'°- 5S. down the end of a branch with the hook, and fastens it by the sliding piece to another Dranch below. The slider passes freely along the rod, but ceases to slide by the friction of the side-strain whenever it is in use, fig. 58. Trellis, for grapes and espaliers. Cedar, or other du- rable posts should be used, set four or eight feet apart. The horizontal bars or strips should be let in the posts, and should be from six to twelve inches apart. Net screens are useful in preventing the attack of birds Dn rare and valuable fruits on young trees. The net should oe dipped in tan to prevent mildew when rolled up wet. Labels for standard trees are useful in retaining the names of the varieties. Purchasers of trees usually neglect LABELS. 9Q the names, and the labels received with the trees being soon lost, nothing more is thought of them till they begin to bear. Curiosity is then excited to know the "new kinds." Con- jecture is set on foot, and the greatest confusion follows. Serious and innumerable mistakes are made and perpetuated in this way in all parts of the country. Permanent labels are therefore important and necessary. The simplest is made of a slip of wood, three inches long and half an inch wide, suspended to the branch by a loop of wire, of which copper is best, fig. 59. The name will ^';^~^'v^ last three or four years, if written with a pencil on a very thin coat of fresh white paint. Better and more durable labels are made of small pieces of sheet- zinc, written upon with a mixture of two parts (by weight) of verdegris, two of sal-ammoniac, one of lamp-black, and thirty of water. The ingredients are to be mixed in a mortar with a small por- tion of water at first, and the whole added afterwards. Preserve the mixture in a well corked bottle, shaking it repeatedly at first, and keep the cork downwards to prevent the escape of ammonia, and it will remain fit for use for years. If the pieces of zinc are suspended by copper wire, it should be firmly twisted round the zinc so as not to remain loose (fig. 60,) or else the constant motion from wind, will soon wear off the wire. The wire should be nearly as large as a small knitting needle, to pre- vent cracking off by long use. The loop should be large, and pass round a side-shoot, instead of a main branch to prevent the danger of cutting in by the growth of the tree ; and should be attached below a small fork, to prevent its blowing off the end of the branch. The wire may be wholly dispensed with by the following contrivance : cut the zinc into long triangular strips, half an inch wide and six to ten inches long. Draw the narrow or slender end round the twig, bring it through a hole punched mid-way between the ends, and clinch or twist it with the Fig. 60. 100 LABELS. B MOORPARK Q) fingers or a small pair of pinchers. These labels may be cut and punched by a tinman at a cheap rate. Sheet tin may be used instead of zinc, using a sharp awl to write the name, and being particular to cut through the tin coating. Oxidation soon renders the letters distinct. Lead labels, (fig. 60,) stamped with type, and suspended with copper wire, well twisted against the hole, to prevent wearing by the motion of the wind, are very durable. Fig. 61, shows the mode of stamping, by sliding the sheet lead between two plates of iron, «, h, screwed together, and setting the types successively against the upper plate, a, and stamping one at a time. The letters are thus kept in a straight line. The imprinted end of the sheet lead is then cut off, and forms the label.* No person, who plants an orchard or fruit garden, should depend wholly on labels, which may be lost ofl:', to distinguish the names of his trees. The rows, and the kinds in each row, should be registered in successive order, in a book kept for the purpose. This will facilitate the replacement of any lost label. * It is sometimes a matter of convenience to mark llie names on specimens of the fruit itself. Tliis i-s quickly and permanently done by tracing the name with a Wnnt fctick, or a pencil, pressing liard enough to indent the surface, but not to tear the skin. It succeeds best on pears, the writing soon changing color and becoming conKpicuous. Fig. Gl. CHAPTER XII. TERMS USED IN DESCRIBING FRUITS. It is only by a uniform and definite use of terms, that descriptions can be made intelligible to the reader. A full explanation of these terms hence becomes a matter of im- portance. Distinctive characters should be permanent, and not liable to variation with a change of locality, soil, season, or climate ; or, if variable, the nature of such variation should be distinctly pointed out. To assist the cultivator the more fully to understand written descriptions, the devo- tion of a few pages to a clear explanation of the terms usee in this work, may prove useful. /. Growth of the tree^ shoots, and leaves. The form of growth often affords a good distinctive cha- racter of varieties, not liable to great variation. Young trees, only a few years old, usually exhibit peculiarities of growth more conspicuously, than old trees, of irregular spreading branches. Hence, in all cases, where this cha- racter is mentioned, it refers to young trees not more than three or four years from the bud or graft, unless otherwise expressed. 1. Shoots are erect, when they rise nearly perpendicularly from the main trunk or stem, as in the Early Strawberry apple and Bartlett pear, fig. 62. Diverging, when they deviate from the perpendicular at 9n angle of about forty-five degrees, considerable variation oeing found in the same tree ; as in the Domine and Ribston Pippin, fig. 63. Spreading, when they more nearly approach -< horizontal direction, as in most trees of the Rhode Island Greening, fig. 64. Drooping, when they fall below the horizontal, a ^orm 102 TERMS USED. which many spreading shoots assume, as they grow into the large branches of older trees. j^scendini^, when they curve upwards, as in the Graven- stein apple, and small Red Siberian Crab, fig. 65. Erect trees usually partake more or less of this quality, but the Early Harvest is Iree from it. Irregular, when they assume no very distinct growth but more or less a mixture of the preceding, as Black Gillifiower, and Summer Bonchretien pear. Straggling, similar to the next preceding, but with shoots more slender and curved, as Winter Nelis and Black Worcester pear, fig. 66. Fig. 64. Fig. 65. Fig. 62. Fig. 63. Shoots are straight, as in the Early Harvest and Northern Spy apples ; Jlexuous, or more or less deviating from a straight line, as in the Swaar and Roxbury Russett. This distinction is very apparent and uniform in young and very thrifty trees, but not in older ones of feeble growth. They are siout, as in the Red Astrachan ; slender, as in the Jonathan apple, and Winter Nelis pear. Trees with erect straight shoots when young, usually form more regular and compact heads in older trees ; and those of a spreading habit, more irregular or drooping heads. Some trees which grow very rapidly when young, are small when of full size, examples of which are found in the Late Strawberry and Tallman Sweeting. Others at first g/ow more slowly, but ultimately become large, as Esopus Spitzenburgh. Some varieties, again, continue TEEMS USED. 103 to increase rapidly in size at all periods, as the Northern Spy ; while others of feeble growth when small, never attain much magnitude, as the Early Joe and Sme Qua Non. 2. The color of the shoots varies greatly in the same variety at different periods of the year, as well as with dif- ferent degrees of exposure to the sun, and with a change of soil, climate, and season. When fresh or very young, all have a greenish color, but gradually assume various shades of yellow, olive, brown, red, purple, and nearly black, as the season advances, and as they become bare and are exposed to the sun and weather. For this reason, in describing the color, the terms must be relative, and can only be correctly applied by a comparison at the time with the color of other sorts. During winter, and early in the spring, the shoots of most trees become so much darker than at other times, that it is only practice and by placing the different sorts side by side, that accuracy may be attained. Skilful culturists will readily distinguish, by a glance at the color of the shoots, many of the kinds they cultivate ; but the peculiar cast is hard to describe in words, in the same way that it is impossible to describe the hand- writing of an individual, so as to be known from fifty others, although many can, at a glance, know the pen- manship of hundreds of different persons. A few of the most strongly marked cases, however, present peculiarities of color, which form useful points of distinction. No one, for instance, could easily mistake the yellow shoots of the Bartlett and Dix pears, for the dark brown or purple of the Tyson and Forelle ; or the light greenish cast of the Bough and Sine Qua Non apples, for the dark color of the Northern Spy, or dark brown of the Baldwin ; nor the downy or greyish appearance of the Ladies' Sweeting and Esopus Spitzenburgh, for the clear shining brown of the Gravenstein and Red Astrachan.* 3. The Buds sometimes afford distinct characteristics. As examples, the large, compact, and projecting buds of the summer Bonchretien, always contrast strongly with the smaller, more rounded, and softer buds of the Madeleine. * Nearly all shoots are more or less downy at first, but the down disappears as hey eiow older. Hence the terra must be used relatively. In plums, the smooth, or lowny shoots, afford in most coses good disUactive points. 104 TERMS USED. Buds are large on the Swaar and Golden Sweet ; small on the Tallman Sweeting and Rhode Island Greening. 4. The Leaves in a large number of instances, are of use in distinguishing different varieties. They are eyew, (not wrinkled,) as in the Bartlett pear and Baldwin apple, fig. 67. Fig. 67. Fig. 68 Fig. 69. Fig. 70. Fig. 71. Wavedy as in the Tallman Sweeting, and Beurr<5 d'Au- malis pear, fig. 68. W7-inkhd, when the waves are shorter and more irregu- lar, as in Green Sweet, fig. 69. Flat, as in the Madeleine and Skinless pears, fig. 70. Folded and recurved, as in the Easter Bcurre and Bon- chretien Fondante, fig. 71. Large and wide as in the Red Astrachan and Huling's Superb. Narrow, as in Dyer apple, and Van Mons Leon le Clerc pear. Erect, as in Early Strawberry, fig. 72. Drooping, as in Dominie, fig. 73. But these two last are indistinct characters, and only to be resorted to in a few very , >remarkable instances, as most leaves are (iCi ml ^erect on new shoots, and become spread- ' ing or drooping as they grow older. The color of the leaves may sometimes 72 Fi 73 ^^^^^^ ^^ description, as light green in the ig- • ^s- ■ YgiiQ.^ Bellflower and Rambo ; deep green, as in the Rhode Island Greening ; and blueish green, as in Peck's Pleasant. The serratures, or saw-teeth markings on the margins of leaves, are characteristics of importance, in many varieties of the apple, and on the peach they are so well defined as TERBIS USED. 105 to form a basis of the classification of varieties. The latter will be found particularly described in the separate chapter on the peach. Leaves of apples are, Serrate, or cut with teeth like those of a saw. Sharphj serrate, when every serrature ends in a sharp point, as in the Fall Pippin, fig. 74. Douhly serrate, when the serratures themselves are again minutely serrated, as in the Vandevere and Drap d'Or, fig. 75. Coarsely serrate, as in the Swaar. 71— Sharply Serrate. 75— Doubly Serrate. 7G — Crenatc. Crenate, when the teeth are rounded, as in the Esopus Spitzenburgh, fig. 76. Obtusely crenate, when the teeth are unusually rounded, as in the Bough. Finely crenate, when the teeth are small, as in summer Queen. When the serratures are partly rounded, and irregularly 106 EXPLANATION OF TERMS. Fig. 77. by the great difTerence and rather deeply cut, they become toothed, as in Ladies Sweeting-, fio-. 77. Many varieties present inter- mediate degrees, as, Serrate-crenate, partaking some what of both, as Jersey Sweeting, Summer Rose. Crenate-toolhed, as in Bevan's Favorite. Serrate, slightly approaching toothed, as in Rambo. Flowers. — In apples, pears, cherries, and most other kinds, but little difference exists in the flowers. In the peach and nec- tarine, however, an important division in classification is made between those with large and small petals; one class, including the Early Ann, Grosse Mignonne, and others, having large showy flowers ; and another class, comprising Early Crawford, George IV., and many more, having flowers with small narrow petals. II. FORM OF THE FRUIT. In the following pages, the base of a fruit or any other part or production of a tree, is the portion towards the branch or root. This is in accordance with the language imiver- sally adopted in describing plants. It has. however, been more or less departed from in the common language used to describe fruits, and especiall}'' so as applicable to the pear. This deviation from scientific accuracy tends to confusion, and if simplicity of expression is sought, ambiguity must be avoided. The apex of the stalk of a fruit, however, to avoid the chance for a mistake, may in all cases be termed the insertion. The term apex should be understood as applying to the part most remote from the branch or root. In fruits, it is the part opposite to the insertion of the stalk lau pears, this part is usually denominated Fig. 78. the crown. EXPLANATION OF TERMS. 107 The axis is a line connecting the base and apex. A longitudinal section is made by cutting an apple from base to apex. A transverse section, by cutting it at right angles to the axis. The length, is the longitudinal diameter ; the breadth^ the transverse diameter. A fruit is round when nearly spherical, as Fameuse, Green Sweet. Roundish, when varying slightly from round, or when the length and breadth are nearly equal, as Dyer and Gra- venstein. 79— Oblate. 80— Conical. 81— Ovate. 82— Obconic. Oblate, flat, ox flattened, when the height is much less than the breadth , as Rambo, Maiden's Blush, fig. 79. Conical,\vhQn tapering from, the base to the apex, as Bul- lock's Pippin, fig. 80. Ovate, or egg-shaped, when the length rather exceeds the breadth, with a rounded taper from base to apex, as in Esopus Spitzenburgh, fig. 81. Obconic,* or reversed conical, when the smaller end is at the base or stalk, as in the Tyson pear, fig. 82. Obovate, or reversed ovate, is when the smaller end of an egg-shaped fruit is at the base, as the Buffum and Dearborn Seedling pears, fig. 83. 83— Obavute. 84— Oblong. 85— Round-ovate. 86— Oblate-conical. Oblo7ig, when the length exceeds the breadth, and the * This term is chiefly applied to pears, and is nearly equivalent to pyrivnidal, but ■ mors precise in its meaning. 108 EXPLANATION OF TERMS. sides are nearly parallel, as Kaighn's Spitzenburghj fig. 84. Obtuse^ when the parts are rounded or blunt. Acute^ when any part, as the neck of a pear, tapers to nearly a point. Fruits may partake of forms variously combined, as. Round-ovate^ when nearly round, with a slight rounded taper to apex, as Lady's Sweeting, fig. S5. Round-conical^ nearly the same as the last, but with the taper less rounded. Oblong- cojiical, as Yellow Bellflower. Oblong-ovate, as Black Gilliflower. Oblate- corneal, as Rhode Island Greening, and Hawthorn- dean, fig. 86. Depressed, pressed down, sunk, or shortened, applied to the apex of peaches, strawberries, &c. Flattened at the ends when the base and apex only are flattened, as Winter Pearmain. An oblong fruit, though not flat, may be flattened at ends ; a conical fruit may be flattened at base. Compressed, pressed together, when the sides are flattened, as in some apricots, plums, &c. The CAVITY is the hollow in which the stalk or stem of a fruit is placed. The BASIN is the depression which contains the calyx, eye, or remains of the blossom. A cavity may be shallow , narrow, deep, or broad. It may be obtuse, or some- what blunt or rounded at bottom, as in the Petre pear and Pomme Grise apple, fig. 87. Acute, when simply ending ^. ^„ in a sharp point at bottom, as Fig. 99. Tj n • i ^ OQ Baldwm, fig. 88. Acuminate, when ending in a long drawn out taper, as Fall Pippin, fig. 89. The Holland and Fall Pippin are distinguished from each other by the rather obtuse cavity of the former, and acuminate cavity of the latter. The BASIN is always narrow in any fruit having a narrow EXPLANATION OF TERMS. 109 Fig. 87--Obtuse. Fig^ 88. Fig. 89. or pointed apex, fig. 90 ; it is usually wide in fruits having a wide or obtuse apex, as Rambo, fig. 91 ; but where the rim or boundary is broad and obtuse, the basin may be narrow, as in the St. Lawrence and Gravenstein, fig. 92. It is distinct when well defined. Abrupt, when the depression breaks ofT suddenly from the rim, fig. 93. \iir Fig. 90. Fig. 91. Fig. 92. Fig. 93. Even, when not furrowed or wrinkled. Angular J with several corners. Wrinkled^ having small irregular hollows and ridges. Waved, with gentle and irregular undulations of surface Furrowed, when more regularly channelled. Plaited, having small, straight, and regular ridges. nibbed, with larger and more obtuse or rounded ridges. The peculiar forms of pears render some additional terms necessary : Many pears have a neck, or narrower part towards the stalk, and a body, or larger part towards the crown, fig. 94. They are distinctly pyriform^ when the sides formed by the body and neck, are more or less concave or hollowed in, as in fig. 94, shown by the dotted lines. Turbinate, or top-shaped, when the body is nearly round, and a short rounded acute neck, as in the Bloodgood, fig. 95 no EXPLANATION OF TERMS. The form of different pears is further distinguished by the form of the different parts : The neck mav be lo7i^, as in Calebasse. Narrow, as in Beurre Bosc, fig. 96. Short, as in Glout Morceau, fig. 97. Obtuse, as in Bartlett. Acute, as in Jargonelle, fig. 98. Fifr.94. Fig. 95. Fig. 96. Fig. 97. Fig. 98. Ohconic, as in Capiaumont. Distinct, as in Beurre Bosc. Obscure, as in Seckel. The body may be heavy or large, when greatly exceeding in size the neck, as Catillac. Light or small, when not much larger than the neck, as Washington; in which case the fruit approaches oblong in form. Ohlate, or flattish, as in Frederick of Wurtemburg. Roimd, as in Jargonelle. Conical, as in Vicar of Winkfield. Ovate, as in Marie Louise.* Cherries may be round, cordate or heart shaped, or ovate. Stone Fruits usually have a furrow on one side, extend- ing from the stalk to the apex, termed a suture, (literally meaning a seam,) which sometimes occurs on both sides. It is large, when wide and deep ; distinct, when clear or well defined ; obscure, when faint ; obsolete, when not existing, or only a faint line on the surface. Cotou OF FRtriT.— The lightest colored fruit is white, as the Snow peach ; next, yellowish white ; pale yellow ; yei- * Cultivilion /nflueiices considerably the form of pears. iThus, on a young thrifty tree, the Seekel pear has a sliglit iTeck ; on an old heavily laden tree, the neck ia Obsolete. The body, when ovate or slightly conical oa young trees, becomes •ooiulsd on older trees, aod eveu flattened in rar* instauceft. EXPLANATION OF TERMS. Ill low ; and deep yellow. The addition of red produces suc- cessively, orange yellow, orange, orange red, rich warm red. Stiades of red, clear red, crimson when darkened, purple when blue is added, violet, less blue than in purple. Am- ber is a very light yellowish brown. Fawn color is a light reddish brown, with a slight admixture of grey, A fruit is striped, when in alternating broid lines of color ; Streaked, when the lines are long and narrow; Marbled, when the stripes are wide, faint, irregular or waving ; Bloichcd, of different abrupt shades, without any order or regularity ; CloLulid, when the blotches are broader and more softly shaded ; Stained, the lighter shades of a blotched or clouded apple; Splashed, when the stripes are much broken and all sizes ; Mottled, covered with nearly confluent dots ; Dotted, when these dots are more distinct ; S;,otied, when the dots become larger. Texture of Fruit. Hard, those which need the artifi cial aid of cooking to soften them sufficiently, as the Catil- lac pear. Breaking, when tenderer than the preceding, but not yielding to the simple pressure of the mouth, as Summer Bonchretien. Buttery, when the flesh forms a soft mass, yielding to the pressure of the mouth, as in the White Doyenne and Seckel pears. Melting, when the flesh becomes nearly or entirely liquid by this pressure, as in the Madeleine. These qualities may be combined, as breaking and melting, in the Washington; breaking and buttery, in the Onondaga ; buttery and melt- ing, in the Tyson, and in most of the best varieties of the pear. The texture may be fine, granular, coarse, gritty, fibrous, tough, crisp, or tender. The Flavor may be sweet, neutral, slightly sub-acid, or mild sub-acid, sub-acid, acid, very acid, oi austere ; aromat' 8 112 EXPLANATION OF TEBMS. or spicy ; 'perfumed or possessing odor and with more or less of a shade of musk; astringent, usually a defect, but some- times an excellent quality, if in a very minute proportion ; rough, astringent and austere ; vinous, rich, high-flavored, and rather acid ; sugary or saccharine, sometimes nearly sweet, possessing the qualities of sugar, which may be mixed with acid. The Quality is designated by first, second, and third rates ; and fruits perfectly worthless by still lower grades. A second rate fruit, to be worthy of cultivation, must possess other good qualities in a high degree, as hardi- ness, productiveness, fair appearance, &c. Very few fruits as low as third rate, can ever be worth retaining, and only for extreme earliness or other uncommon quality. Fruits that possess desirable qualities, are usually designated by three degrees of flavor; the lowest, including the best of second rate fruits, or " good second rate," are termed good; the lower grade of first rate fruits are termed very good, or fine ; and the highest quality of all, are best, very fine, or excellent. Examples, — Maiden's Blush apple. Napoleon pear, Lombard plum, and Crawford's Early peach, are good ; Khode Island Greening, Bartlett pear, GraflSon or Bigarreau cherry, and Red Gage plum, are very good on fine; and Swaar apple, Seckel pear, Downton cherry, and Green Gage plum, are excellent or le^t. FART II ON THE DIF FERENT KINDS OF FRUITS. PART IL ON THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FRUITS. Throughout the following part of this work, to enable the reader to perceive at a glance, the character and quality oi a fruit, without the trouble of reading every separate de- scription, the different degrees of excellence are indicated by the type used for the name. Those varieties which have been admitted as eminently worthy of cultivation, by a large vote in many different parts of the country, are printed in LARGE CAPITALS; those next in quality and value, and in nearly all cases fruits of first quality, are designated by SMALL CAPITALS J those worthy of a place only in large col- lections, or whose character has not yet been fully estab- lished, are in Italics ; while such as have been superseded or are unworthy of cultivation except on the trial grounds of the Pomologist, are in common Roman type. A few new varieties of high excellence, which promise to become ^[enerai favorities, are given in ITALIC CAPITALS. It is scarcely necessary to remark that the task of thus el ssing the numerous varieties, is one of extraordinary difficulty. The diversities of tastes, the changes wrought by soil, culture, and climate, and the different estimates placed upon delicious flavor alone, productiveness, handsome appearance, early maturity or long keeping, would wholly preclude entire unanimity in any one case. The author has endeavored to weigh properly all the different objections and recommendations, according to the best information to be obtained ; and in this labor he has been generously assisted by several of the most eminent Pomologists of the country. It has been the aim to admit, in no instance, any new variety, that cannot deservedly rank among those of high excellence ; all others being such as have either been known by extensive dissemination or by descriptions in books. 116 NAMES AND SYNONYMS. Names and Synonyms. When more than one name for a single variety has been widely known, it has been the aim of the author to select the one most commonly nsed. Foi this reason, those adopted in Downing's " Fruits and Fruit Trees of America," have in nearly all cases been retained, a work more extensively circulated than any of a similar character. It happens, in some instances, that the original or correct name may have been for a long time partly or wholly thrown aside and a new one substituted ; thus, William's Bonchre- tien has given way to the name Bartlett ; Pomme Royal to Dyer ; Epargne to Jargonelle ; Williams to William's Favorite. In such cases, it can be hardly proper to tax the whole community to make a change, to rectify the error of an individual ; and the more common name has been retained. A pomological writer, like the compiler of a dic- tionary, should confine himself as nearly as practicable to general usage, and not to the manufacture of new names. Old and popular names, as Bough and Pennock, have hence been preferred to the newer ones of Large Yellow Bough and Pennock's Red Winter. In a few instances, however, to prevent mistake or con- fusion, it becomes necessary to choose the appellation the less widely known. Preference is also given to English names. Thus, the example of Downing has been followed in the adoption of such names as Blue Gage, Purple Gage, and Echassery, as used by Lindley, instead of Azure Hative, Reine Claude Violette, and Echasserie, by Thomp- son. The course pursued with foreign names is more fully explained on a future page. Cases of difficulty occur where usage differs with a change of locality. The fruit known as the Butter pear of Pennsylvania, the Virgalieu of New York, and the St. Michael of New England, evidently requiring a general name, the original European appellation of White Doyenne has been chosen. The Ortley or White Detroit apple, fur- nishes a similar case. Decisions can hardly be satisfactory to all parties, however carefully opposing claims may have been weighed ; and the voice of the public at large can only finally settle such disputed questions. CHAPTER I. THE APPLE. ** The apple," says Downing, " is the world-renowned fruit of temperate climates." Although less delicious than the peach or pear, it possesses, from its great aardiness, easy- cultivation, productiveness, its long continuance through the whole twelve months, and various uses, an importance not equalled by any other fruit. Its value as a table fruit, or for cooking, and its increasing importance as an article for exportation, are well known. But its great value and cheapness as food for domestic animals is very imperfectly comprehended or understood. Take for example, a brief estimate : — Where land is fifty dollars per acre, an acre of good productive apple trees may be planted and brought into bearing for as much more, making the entire cost one hundred dollars. These will yield, as an average, four hundred bushels annually, or ten bushels per tree, if the hest cultivationis given. The annual interest of the orchard, at six per cent., is six dollars ; the annual cultiva- tion will not exceed six more, or twelve dollars as the cost of the whole crop on the trees, or three cents per bushel. In many fertile parts of the country, where one plowing and two or three harrowings each year would be all the cultiva- tion needed, the cost of the ungathered crop would be only a cent and a half per bushel. The value of sweet apples for cattle and swine has proved to be fully equal to the best root crops. No land-owner need therefore fear to plant extensively, with a view of being furnished with a copious supply of food for domestic animals, needing not, like other crops, the yearly attention and care of procuring seed and planting. 118 PROPAGATION OF THE APPLE. PROPAGATION. Raismg the Seedlings. The seeds are most easily ob- tained from the pomace of cider mills. They will make the most thrifty plants, if the apples are selected from the most rapidly growing sorts. The pomace is to be broken up fine, in a large wash tub, mixed with water, stirred, and allowed to stand a few seconds, when the seeds will settle to the bottom, and the apple pulp is then racked off. A man will thus wash out half a hushel of seeds in a day. The clean seeds are more evenly and conveniently sown than in the pomace, which may be done either in autumn or spring. If not done till spring, they should be kept through the win- ter, mixed with clean, moist sand, or with fine peat or pul- verised muck, a'd exposed to the frost, which will tend to split the exterior horny covering. If mixed with soil or loam, it will be more difficult to separate the seed in dropping. The seeds may be sown in drills from one to two feet apart, to be kept clean with the hoe. Or where land can be afforded, they may be sown in wide drills, three feet apart, for the cultivator to pass between. When sown in the autumn, on soils which have a large admixture of clay, the seed should be covered with fine muck or peat, to pre- vent the formation of the crust on such soils, often so hard that the young plants cannot rise through it. A compost made of peat and one quarter of its bulk of ashes, is still better. If sown in the spring, the seed should be mostly covered with soil, with only a sprinkling of muck on the surface ; otherwise the seeds or young plants may perish by becoming too dry before they are well established. *A sprinkling of fine manure will accomplish nearly the same purpose. The seedlings are treated in three different ways. They nay be set out into nursery rows in the spring, when a year ^id, to be budded the second summer ; they may be taken up and root-grafted as soon as large enough ; or they may be planted into rows and grafted at any subsequent period. 1. Budding. When the young plants are vigorous and the land fertile, the budding may sometimes be done the first year after removal to the nursery rows, but usually the second summer will be found best, when the trees are of sufficient size, and in the highest state of vigor, and PROPAGATION OF THE APPLE. 119 when, as a consequence, the bark will separate freely, and the work be expeditious as well as sure of success. These are headed back the following spring, according to the treat- ment described in the chapter on budding. 2. Root-grafting. This is done by whip or tongue grafting, already described on a previous page. When per- formed on a large scale, by nurserymen, the season selected is the latter part of winter, and before the commencement of the usual spring operations. It is wholly performed within doors, and consequently the seedlings must be taken up the preceding autumn. Most of the part above ground is cut off, to save room, and they are then packed in tight boxes, to be secure from mice, in a common cellar. The usual practice is to fill the interstices among the roots with moist earth ; but pulverised muck is better, as it admits a more easy separation of the trees, and they are less covered with grit, and more easily washed. Trees of two years' growth are usually quite large enough, and sometimes one- year seedlings will do. When ready to commence grafting, roots enough for one day's work are taken, the side roots trimmed within about a quarter of an inch of the main root, and they are cut in pieces about four inches long ; the upper piece may have a portion of the stem attached. They are then w^ished by stirring them in a pail of water, leaving them in the water, and taking out small quantities to dry, as wanted for use. Scions for half a day's work are then cut about four inches long, and a portion prepared for setting by cutting the usual slope and tongue at the lower end. The roots are then cut one by one in the same way, and the grafts inserted. The place of union is then covered with grafting wax. This may be applied, either directly in a melted state, with a small brush, which is best and most expeditious; or by rolling tightly round, a small strip of wax plaster. Tying with strings is wholly needless, if the grafting has been properly done by crowding the tongue and cleft closely together, so that the parts cannot be easily displaced. Wax for this purpose, being placed always beneath the surface of the soil, should be softer than for other grafting, to facilitate its more ready application, and to prevent any danger of scorching the bark by heating it in melting. A larger F 120 PROPAGATION OF THE APPLE. portion of tallow or oil in the wax described under grafting, will accomplish this purpose. When the grafting is completed, the grafted roots are to be packed away in boxes, till the ground opens. Raisin boxes, or those of similar size, will prove convenient. Fine mould or peat, from the box in which the roo*s were packed, is sprinkled over the bottom, the grafts are placed in, slant- ing, in successive layers, and all the spaces filled with mould or peat. A strip of board, with a length equal to the width of the box, to press against each successive layer while applying the mould, is found convenient. The mould should reach within an inch or two of the tops of the grafts, and should be compactly filled among them. During the whole of the work, each heap of grafts must be kept with a label, and every box sufficiently marked, to prevent all possibility of mistake. It is a practice with many cultivators to place the boxes in so warm a place, that the grafts may make a growth of a few inches before setting out. But unless the soil is very favorable, the result is often unsuccessful. As a general rule, for all localities, the grafts should be set out as early as practicable in spring, and before they have made much growth. Waxing is sometimes omitted ; but in light or gravelly soils, and especially if dry weather succeeds, the omission is attended with great loss. The most favorable soils, are rich, rather moist, and rather heavy loams. If light or gravelly, there is more dan- ger from midsummer drouths, which often prove quite de- structive. Grafting the whole root entire will much lessen the difficulty. The grafts are most expeditiously set out with a dibble, or a sharp tool, shod with iron or steel, about an inch and a half in diameter, one stroke of which into the mellow soil forms a hole for the roots, and two or three lighter strokes press the earth closely Fig. 100. about them. Fig. 100 represents a convenient form for this instrument, which may be made of the handle of a broken spade. Fig. 101 shows the graft and root, ready for setting out. To keep the whole moist, till sufficient growth takes place, the place of union between the root and graft. PROPAGATION OF THE APPLE. 121 should be at least three inches below the surface. Espe- cial care is needed to fill up closely the hole made by the tool, and that no cavity is left about the lower part of the root, which is sometimes done by the inexperienced workman. The chief care afterwards is to keep the ground constantl}?- cultivated, and perfectly clean, which will increase the growth during summer, and exclude mice in winter; the trees are to be trained up to one leading stem, not trimming so closely as to make them slender ; they are to be kept straight, by ty- ing them when necessary to upright stakes ; and all Fi>! 101. destructive insects must be watched and destroyed. If the ground is rich and kept perfectly clean, they will grow from one and a half to two feet the first summer after grafting ; to three or four feet, the second summer ; five to six or seven feet the third summer, when many of them will be large enough for removal to the orchard, and most of the remainder in one year more. If suffered to remain longer in the nursery, they should be taken up and set out again, for the purpose of shortening the long roots, without which subsequent transplanting would be attended with too great a check in the growth, if not actual danger to the tree. Root grafting is extensively performed in large nurseries, but on unsuitable soils, budding is found the most certain of success, the buds being rarely destro3^ed, and only by the most unfavorable winters. The bud remaining dormant the first summer, the growth is one year later than on grafted stocks of the same age ; but this difference is made up by the more rapid growth of the shoot from the bud, which is usually twice as great as that of a graft on the root. To obtain handsome and good trees, the bud should be set within two or three inches of the ground. An industrious man will set and wax in a day 500 root grafts, or the same number of buds, tying them in for him- self. If a careful boy ties the buds after him, 1000 per day will not be a severe task. PLANTING ORCHARDS. Soil. The apple is a vigorous and hardy tree, and will grow upon most soils. It does best however, on those tha 122 PLANTING APPLE OECHARDS. are deep, rich and fertile, such as will give good crops of Indian corn. Hard, shallow, and wet grounds are to be avoided. Improvement by manuring, and deep cultivation, IS desirable, as a great difference in quality and productive- ness results from a difference in fertility. The application of lime, where not abundant in the soil, is of great impor- tance. Distance. Where the quantity of ground is limited and in rare cases, trees may for a time stand within fifteen or twenty feet; but for large and permanent orchards they should not be nearer than thirty feet. There is however, a material difference in the size of varieties, hence a varia- tion may be allowed. But this variation in distance should not break the rows which are to be preserved for con- venience in cultivation. The rows may be kept entire, by varying the distance in one way only, as in the annexed figure. The middle portion is for trees of the largest size, as the Spitzenburgh, Fall Pippin, and Rhode Island Greening ; those of smallest size, as Bough, Yellow Har- vest and Sine Qua Non, are on the left ; and those of middle growth, as the Swaar, Black Gilliflower, and Tallman Sweeting, are on the right. ***** * * * * #### ***** * * * * **## ***** * * * * *#** ***** * * * * **** ***** * * * * **** This distinction in the size of the trees, is only necessary in the most extensive orchards. Transplanting. Full directions have been given in a pre ceding chapter, where the superior advantages of broad, deep, and loose beds of earth, made by heavy subsoiling and manuring, have been pointed out ; or in the absence of this excellent preparation, by digging large holes to be filled with rich mould, or manured surface-soil. This care is often thought unnecessary with so hardy a tree as the apple. But a just comparison of the two modes would exhibit its eminent advantages. Take, for instance, the least efficient of the two modes, that of digging large holes. A hundred holes, six feet in diameter, may be dug by a RENOVATING OLD ORCHARDS. 12S man in eight days, — and filled with rauck or rich mould in four days more ; the cost with team, eleven dollars. A hundred small holes may be dug in four days ; cost, three dollars ; difference, against large holes, eight dollars. The trees planted in the large holes would probably yield with good attention, a bushel a tree, in five years, making 100 bushels ; the sixth year 120 bushels ; the seventh, 150 ; the eighth, 190 ; the ninth, 240 ; the tenth, 300 ; total 1000 bushels, — worth, at 20 cents. $200. The other would not probably produce 100 bushels in less than ten years, which would be worth $20. Difference in favor of large holes, S180, to balance $8, against them. Although the calcu- lation cannot be precise, it is probably a tolerable ap- proximation, and must appear moderate when the increased size of the trees and superiority of the crop for many years afterwards is taken into account. The objection that such work must be done at a very busy season of the year, may be obviated by digging the holes and filling them at some other time. CULTIVATION. The importance of thorough cultivation, has been already loticed, and cannot be too well understood. If two speci- rnens could be exhibited side by side, the one showing the stunted, lingering, mice-eaten and moss-covered trees, caused by neglect ; and the other, the vigorous and thrifty yrowth, and the fair and abundant crops, resulting from ^ne and clean culture ; none could fail to be satisfied of the superiority of the one and impolicy of the other. RENOVATING AND PRUNING OLD ORCHARDS. As soon as the first symptom of failure in old orchards ppears, they should, in addition to good cultivation, be Treely manured in connexion with the application of lime or leached ashes, as directed already under the head of Special Manures, The change which may be thus wrought, can hardly be understood by one who has not witnessed the result. The following experiment, similar in nature, but differing m the mode of performance, described by H. W. Rockwell of Utica, N.Y., cannot fail to be interesting :* * Horticulturist, Vol. II-, p. 267. 124 PRUNING OLD TREES, *'The experiment was performed upon three trees stand- ing in my grounds, none of which were less than thirty years old. One of these trees, an old-fashioned [Newtown] Pippin, and a great favorite, had borne moderately \ the other two made out between them, to " get up" about a dozen apples a year, just to let me know, I presume, that they " could do it," but were perfectly indifferent how it was done. " I, last summer, undertook the renovation of these trees. For this purpose, I opened between them trenches, say ten feet in length, two feet in depth, and about eight feet equi- distant from tree to tree. The roots which were encoun- tered in this operation, were, of course, all cut off, the trenches filled with well rotted manure^ and closed. 1 finished by giving each of the trees about a peck of char- coal mixed with the same quantity of ashes, and now for the result. I have this year gathered from the " two out- casts" just mentioned, instead of my annual dividend of a dozen apples, from six to eight bushels a piece of as hand- some fruit as you ever saw, with about the same propor- tion from the third, which has always been a moderate bearer." Pruning. The mode of treating large trees, has been already adverted to in the chapter on pruning. There are some owners of or- chards who most er- roneously suppose that when trees be- come old, heavy pru- ning will restore their vigor in the ab- sence of good culti- vation ; while the correct mode of treat- ^" ment, is, very mode- rate and graduo* Fig. 102. . . ^ prunmg in connex- ion with the best of cultivation. The foregoing correct por- traits of actually existing specimens of bad pruning, unhappily have too many originals over the country ; fig. 102. This GRAFTING OLD TREES. 125 Fig. 1C3. most unsightly mode of trimming is often adopted when a removal of the top by grafting is intended. Grafting new tops on old trees. It often happens that fruit on large trees is worthless, and it becomes an import- ant object to change the top by grafting or budding it with some better variety. In this case, instead of cutting off large branches and grafting them at once, it is better to prune the top in part, as shown by fig. 103, which will cause an emission of vigorous shoots. — These are then budded or grafted with ease and success. And, as the grafts gradually extend by growth, the remainder of the top may, by successive excisions, be entirely removed. Where trees are not too old, and the ground is kept cultivated, good sized trees are thus obtained much sooner than by setting out young ones. To give a well shaped head to such newly formed trees, and to prevent the branches from shooting upwards in a close body near the centre of the tree, the old horizontal boughs should be allowed to extend to a distance in each direction, while the upright ones should be lopped. This is distinctly exhibited in fig 103. The following judicious mode of renewing the old tops of trees formerly regarded as worthless, is given by George Olmsted, of Hartford, Ct., in the Horticulturist : — " These trees I commenced grafting six years ago last spring. / began on the top^ and grafted one-third of the tree each year. It therefore required three years to complete the entire heads of the trees. " I like this method better than any I have ever tried for grafting large trees, as it gives the grafts a good opportuni- ty to get well started. Cutting off and grafting the top first, gives the grafts there the best possible chance, while the necessary reduction of the top throws the sap into the re- maining side branches, which fits them well for grafting the following year ; and the third year, the lowest branches beiii^ made ready in the same way, may be grafted success- 126 GATHERING AND PRESERVING APPLES, fully. By this mode, it will be seen that when the grafts are put in on the side branches, they are not shaded by the heavy shoots above them, and they have an unusual supply of nourishment to carrry them forward. Those who have attempted to graft the whole head of a large tree at once, are best aware of the great difficulty in the common mode of getting the grafts to take on the side limbs. " One of these large trees so treated, is probably more than 75 years old, and has now an entirely new and vigorous head, grafted with this excellent variety. When I began with it, the fruit was only fit for cider, and it was question- able whether the tree should not be cut down. By grafting it in this manner, I have added surprisingly to its value. Two years ago, (the bearing year,) I obtained from it 10 bushels of apples ; last year eight bushels, and this year, (only six years from the time I began to graft it,) I gathered 28J bushels of excellent fruit ! "I consider this tree now worth SlOO ; the cost of grafting it was about $5; and the latter was all repaid two years ago — the first season the grafts bore fruit." The hearing year of apple trees which yield excessive crops, is only every alternate year ; but by thinning out a large portion of the fruit while yet small, the exhaustion will not be so great as to render the tree barren the second season, and it will bear annually. By picking off all the young fruit, the bearing year may be entirely changed, or one bough may be made to bear one year, and another bough the second year. GATHERING AND PRESERVING. It is of great consequence in gathering all kinds of fine fruit, to avoid bruising ; the high quality of some sorts is nearly destroyed by carelessness, and they are rendered unfit for home use or for market. Hence careful hand picking becomes indispensible. Preserving in barrels is usually most convenient. They should be filled sufficiently to cause a slight pressure when the barrel head is put in, to prevent rattling ; and the bar- rels should rest on their sides and not on the ends. Winter fruit has been preserved with great success and with much freshness, by alternating the layers of apples in the barrel GATHERING AND PRESERVING APPLES 127 with layers of dry chaff mixed with a small portion of dry pulverised lime. Apples may be well kept till spring, if buried late in autumn; but to prevent swelling, cracking, and a loss of flavor, they should be placed in a box or on a bed of straw, and entirely excluded from contact with the damp earth. Where cool cellars are at hand, they are kept best for winter use on large shelves. The mode of gathering and packing apples for exporta- tion, as practiced by R. L. Pell, of Ulster county, N. Y., who obtams nine or ten dollars per barrel for his Newtown Pippins in the English markets, will serve as a model for the care taken to prevent bruising: — "In autumn, when the apple harvest commences, men are employed, each with a hand basket and hook, to attach the basket to a limb of a tree, and a step ladder. The apples are picked one at a time, and laid into the basket. When the basket is full the man comes down from the tree and takes two apples at at a time and places them in two-bushel baskets. When there are enough large baskets filled for a load, they are lifted by two men on a sled, and drawn by oxen to a large building, where they are taken from the sled and put on the flocy, two apples at a time. They are piled up 18 or 20 inches high, where they remain three weeks. At the end of this time, the apples having become dry, ihey are taken tv;o at a time and packed in new barrels, the size and kind of those used for flour. The barrels being headed up are lifted on a sled and drawn to the North River ; they are then carried by men on board a steamboat and taken to New- York. When shipped on board a vessel for London, the barrels are hoisted one at a time from the steamboat, and when lowered on board the vessel are caught on a man's shoulder, and then taken by two men and placed in the coolest part of the vessel. " Upon the arrival of the vessel in London, the barrels are hoisted from the vessel and lowered on a hand-barrow, and then carried by two men to the warehouse, in the same manner that we carry a looking-glass. "It is seen that by the foregoing precautions the apples are never shakeTiy jolted, or jarred, and they arrive in London in far better order than apples usually taken to our city mar- K:ets. Q F* 128 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO APPLES. "Apples for shipping have sometimes been packed in char- coal dust, dry sand, — and at other times separately wrapped in paper, in the same manner as oranges are shipped, — but they can be shipped with as much success without anything with them, if only managed with care in other respects. " In shipping fruit, none but the very best should be sent ; all that are small, imperfect, or the least bruised, should be rejected. Those persons who pay from nine to twenty-one dollars per barrel for apples, expect to have the best.*" . DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS. 7he Caterpillar, (Clisiocampa Americana.) This has been a most serious enemy to the apple in most parts of the country. It has its seasons of increase and decrease. Some years it has nearly stripped whole orchards ; and again it has diminished in numbers in successive years, till few could be found. There are many species which feed on the apple leaf; but the only one of importance, is that known as the coni' vioii orchard caterpillar, which is hatched in spring as soon as the leaf buds begin to open. At this time, it is not the tenth of an inch long, nor so large as a cambric needle, but it continues to increase constantly in size for several weeks, until two inches long and a quarter of an inch in diameter. It then spins a cocoon and passes to the pupa state. In the latter part of summer, it comes out a yellowish brown miller, lays its eggs and dies. The eggs are deposited in cylinders or rings, containing three to five hundred each, encircling the smaller branches, and usually within a few inches of the ex- tremity. The accompanying figure (fig. 104,) represents one of these masses of eggs of the natural size. They remain through winter, protected from the wea» ther by a vesicular water-proof varnish, and hatch in spring, as just stated. Each collect tion of eggs, makes a nest of caterpillars • B. G. Boswell. Fig. 104. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO APPLES. 129 One nest is enough to defoliate a large branch, and when several arq on a tree, the size and quality of the fruit is seriously lessened. The best mode for their destruction, is to cut off the smaL branches which hold the eggs during autumn or winter, and commit them to the fire. The most convenient imple- ment is a long pole, armed with a pair of clipping-shears, worked by a cord ; or a sharp hooked knife, on the end of a pole, will answer nearly as well. The eggs are seen at a glance, after a little practice ; a cloudy day should be selected to prevent pain to the eyes. If this work is done just at the moment the eggs are hatching, it will be equally efficacious, and the webs or downy covering of the young insects render them conspicuous. Every nest of eggs thus removed, which is done in a few seconds, totally prevents a nest of caterpillars in the spring, and is far more expe- ditious and effectual than the usual modes of brushing off the caterpillars with poles, brushes, or washing them with soap-suds, ley, or white-wash. The Borer. (Saperda hivittata.) This insect enters the tree and cuts into the solid wood near the surface of the earth. It is a dangerous enemy ; for while only a few small holes are perceived in the bark outside, it may have per- forated the wood internally in all directions and reduced it to a mass of powder. It has not yet become very extensively spread, but in some parts of the country it has become a mo3t serious evil, and has been allowed to multiply till it has destroyed whole orchards. The perfect insect is a brown and white striped beetle, about half an inch long, which flies at night. It deposits its eggs late in spring or the first of summer, in the bark near the surface of the ground, and sometimes in the forks of the branches. The first indication of its presence, is the appearance of numerous small round holes, as if the bark had been perforated by buck-shot. These holes will soon become more visible by the ejected dust. It is nearly impossible to save a tree, unless taken early. At the first, the insect may be cut out with the point of a knife. If deeper in the w^ood, it may be extracted by a flexible barbed wire, or punched to death in its hole by 130 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO APPLE a flexible twig. To prevent the insect from emerging and laying its eggs, it is doubly important that this be done early in the spring ; but the trees should be repeatedly examined at other periods of the year. To prevent the entrance of the borer, remove the soil a little about the roots, and then wash the whole trunk and larger forks of the branches, with a mixture of tobacco water, soft soap, and flour of sulphur. The proportions are, a pint of the sulphur, a gallon of soft soap, and enough tobacco water to reduce the whole to the consistence of paint. This should be done in spring, before the insect lays its eggs. It is stated by A. J. Downing, that this mix- ture is so offensive to the insect in its winged state, that no tree was touched which had been coated with it ; — although the coating had been on for several weeks. He also recom- mends injecting, by a syringe, this liquid into the holes; and plugging up the holes in spring with pieces of soft pine dipped in tobacco water, to prevent the escape of the perfect insect. Not only the apple tree, but the quince, mountain ash, and hawthorn, suffer greatly from the attacks of this insect. The Canker worm. (Aiiisopteryx pomeiaria.) This caterpillar appears to have been as yet chiefly confined in its destructive ravages, to portions of New-England. The accompanying figures represent the perfect insect, the male with wings, the female nearly destitute. (Fig. 10-5.) The canker worm at- >v ^- tacks both fruit and leaves ; when Jjjg^ numerous, the small webs they make, ^^yp^ added to the destruction of the B foliage, give the tree the appearance Fig. 105. of having been scorched. The re- medies consist in various contrivances to prevent the female insects ascending the tree, but none have been yet dis- covered of easy, safe, and efl!ectual application. One of the best is to encircle the trunk with a canvass belt, coated with a mixture of tar and train oil. The mixture needs repeatedly renewing. Applying the tar directly to the bark endangers the life of the tree. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO APPLES. 131 The Apph-worvi, {Carpocapsa pomonana,) attacks the fruit, Dy entering at the blossom, and feeding at the core. In some Fig. 106. years, it has been so common, as seriously to injure the quality of the crop. The best preventive is to allow swine to pick up the wormy fruit as it falls, thus destroying the enclosed insect, and preventing its spread. The above figures, (106,) exhibit the apple-worm in its different stages ; <2, the larva ; b, the same magnified ; c, the cocoon ; d, the pupa within the cocoon ; e, /, the perfect msects; g, the young larva, just hatched, after having been deposited within the calyx ; /j, 2, Ar, Z, the progressive work of the larva within the apple, till it escapes.* The Wooly Aphis ^ {Aphis lanigera,) a European insect, falsely termed American blight, is a species of aphis or plant-louse, covered with long, white, cottony hair. In England it has proved very destructive ; and on young trees in this country it has done some injury. It is destroyed by whale-oil soap, and by lime-wash. Other species of aphis often infest the young leaves ; they are easily killed by a solution of whale-oil soap, which may be applied by a syringe or by immersing the branches. * The curculio or pl^m \yeevil, when very numerous, attacks the apple, and its pe- culiar cresceut-shaped incisions may 1)0 perceived on the skin of tender varieties. The larva, liowever, rarely reaches the core. But the apple worm never attacks the plum, wliich has no permanent calyx for the lodgment of its eggs. 132 EFFECT OF CLIMATE AND SOIL. The Blight, which sometimes kills the terminal shoots of the branches, has been variously ascribed to the sting of an insect, and to the effects of weather. The cause does not appear to have been satisfactorily ascertained. It rarely proves a formidable disaster, although trees are occasionally much disfigured by it, and temporarily checked in growth. The Bark-louse (a species of Coccus) which infests the bark of apple and pear trees, may be destroyed by soap-wash or ley, applied early in summer. THE DEPREDATIONS OF MICE, May be prevented by a small mound or bank of fresh earth, thrown up to the height of a foot around each tree, late in autumn, to be removed in spring. Trees laid-in or buried in a trench for keeping through winter, are sometimes seri- ously injured by the attacks of mice. This may be safely guarded against by placing the trees more nearly in an up- right position, and banking up a foot high on all sides. CHANGES WROUGHT BY CLIMATE AND SOIL. This subject has been treated, as applied to fruits gene- rally in a former part of this work ; a few brief remarks on the variations in the apple may be interesting. The winter apples of the northern states, when cultivated further south, are changed to autumn apples ; and as far south as Georgia, some of our good keepers ripen nearly by the end of summer. The Baldwin and Khode Island Green- ing at Cincinnati and at St. Louis, cease to be winter fruits. There are few or none of the northern apples which succeed well as keepers as far south as Carolina. This is owing to the long southern summers. It has been found that varie- ties originated in the southern states are generally best adapted to the climate of that region. Some varieties are greatly influenced by a change of cli- mate, and others but slightly. The Ribston Pippin, so ex- cellent at Montreal, is of little value a few degrees further south. The Rhode Isljyid Greening and the Roxbury Rus- set, on suitable soils, throughout New- York and New-Eng- land, present the same characteristics of flavor and appear- ance • the Baldwin, so fine at the east, greatly deteriorates EFFECT OF CLIMATE AND SOIL. 133 in northern Ohio ; and the Belmont, which has been pro- nounced the most valuable of all apples at Cleveland, is un- worthy of cultivation at Cincinnati. These changes in the latter instances, may perhaps be ascribed to a difference in soil ; and the application of special manures, as lime potash, &c., on those unfavorable soils, has improved the quality. The periods of ripening, given in the following pages, are intended to apply to the northern states. A dif- erence of about two or three weeks exists between fruits cultivated at Boston and Rochester, and in central Ohio and southern Pennsylvania and other differences of latitude nearly m the same ratio. VARIETIES. SYNOPSIS OF ARRANGEMENT. Division I. Summer Apples. Class I. Sweet Apples. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. Class II. With more or less acidity. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. Division II. Autumn Apples. Class I. Sweet Apples. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. Class II. With more or less acidity. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. Division III. Winter Apples. Class I. Sweet Apples. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. Class II. With more or less acidity. Section I. Color striped with red. Section II. Color not striped. The characteristics which constitute these division! md subdivisions, are not in all cases perfectly distinct. Sum- mer apples gradually pass into autumn, and autumn into winter apples. A few, but the number is extremely small SUMMER APPLES. 135 possess nearly a neutral flavor between a dead sweetness and slight acidity. Again, apples classed with those that are striped, some tomes present a nearly uniform shade of red ; and, in rare instances, the brown cheek of a green or yellow variety exhibits faint stripes. Bat these may be regarded rather as exceptions to general characters, which are on the whole as clearly defined as any other distinctive points of the different varieties. Controll- ing circumstances will produce changes in all fruits, and descriptions are not founded on extreme exceptions, but on average characteristics. The SIZE is designated by comparison ; — for example, the Swaar and Baldwin are large; Herefordshire Pearmain and Tallman Sweeting are medium ; English Golden Pippin and Lady Apple are sviall. Qualifying terms give a more precise meaning, — as the Fall Pippin and Monstrous Pippin, are very large ; Hawley and Dutch Mignonne, are quite large; Bullock's Pippin and Early Strawberry are rather small ; and the Siberian Crab is very small. DIVISION I.— SUMMER APPLES. Class I. — Sweet Apples. Section I. — Striped with red. Red and Green Sweet. Very large, long conical ; stripe^ with light red; stalk short, basin narrow, flesh swee., with a second or third rate flavor. Baking. Late summer. Section 11. — Not striped. BOUGH. {Syn. Large Yellow Bough, Sweet Bough, Early Sweet Bough.) Large, roundish, remotely conical- ovate, sometimes distinctly conical ; pale greenish yellow, stalk one-half to an inch long, basin narrow, deep ; flesh white, very tender, with an excellent sweet flavor. Ripens from the middle to the end of summer. A moderate and regular bearer. Shoots yellowish, somewhat irregular, ascending; tree round-headed ; lesi/es c^>*.usely crenate. 136 SUMMER APPLES. Golden Sweet. Medium or rather large, roundish, slightly flattened; greenish, becoming pale yellow; stalk an inch or more long, slender ; cavity acuminate ; basin moderate ; flesh very sweet, good, hardly first rate. The fruit is always fair, the tree a free grower, and very pro- ductive. Buds large ; leaves sharply serrate. Late in summer. Valuable for domestic animals. Spice Sweeting. Larggi^ roundish, flattened at ends ; color whitish green, becoming whitish yellow, with white specka beneath the skin ; stalk rather short and thick ; basin very smooth and round, wide and distinct, rim quite obtuse flesh rather firm, very sweet, but not wholly pleasant. A good baking apple, but very subject to black spots or scabs. Late summer and early aututnn. Cultivated in New-York and New-England. There are several sorts known by this name. Class IL — With more or less acidity. Section I. — Striped with red. American Summer Pearmain. (Syn. Early Summer Pearmain, of Coxa.) Medium in size, oblong, slightly inclining to truncate-conical ; nearly covered with fine broken streaks and dots of red ; stalk nearly one inch long ; basin round, even, distinct ; very tender, often bursts in falling, sub-acid, flavor fine. Continues to ripen for several weeks in late summer and early autumn. Needs good and rich cultivation, (growth rather slow. This is distinct from the English Summer or Autumn Pearmain, in its larger size, higher red, more oblong form, and superior quality. Fig. 145. Benoni. Medium in size, roundish, sometimes obscurely conical ; deep red, in distinct broken stripes and dots stalk half an inch long ; basin small ; flesh yellow, ten- der, rich, sub-acid, of good flavor. Late summer. Good bearer. Has not succeeded well in all localities. A native of Dedham, Mass. Bevanh Favorite. Medium in size, roundish, slightly flattened, obscurely conical ; color with broad distinct brilliant red stripes ; stalk long, rather stout ; cavity SinVIMER APPLES. 137 shallow, rather obtuse; calyx large, basin slightly plaited; flesh rather firm, flavor pleasant and sub-acid. Two weeks later than Early Harvest. A native of New Jersey. Suc- ceeds better at Cleveland and in New Jersey than in western New- York. Borovitsky. Roundish, slightly angular ; pale green, trans- lucent, sunny side faintly striped; basin large; flesh white, firm, juicy, sub-acid, agreeable. Late summer. Russian. Cole. (Sijn. Scarlet Perfume.) Medium in size, roundish- flattened, sometimes slightly conical ; bright crimson in obscure stripes ; stalk slender ; basin broad ; sub-acid, second rate flavor. Late summer. English. Devonshire Quarrenden. (Syn. Red Quarrenden.) Size medium, variable; round-oblate, remotely conical ; striped with rich crimson ; stalk short, deep set ; basin very shallow, plaited ; flesh crisp, juicy, sub-acid, pleasant, second rate. Late summer and early autumn. English. Early Chandler. Medium in size, roundish, slightly flattened, striped light rich red or greenish yellow ; stalk half an inch long; basin rather wide, shallow, wrinkled; rather acid, not rich, second rate, flesh very tender, skin thin. Variable in appearance. Middle to end of summer. Growth erect, vigorous. Origin, Conn. ; cultivated mostly in Ohio. Early Joe. Size medium or rather small ; oblate, some- times obscurely approaching conical ; smooth and regular ; color, with numerous short, broken, red stripes on yellow ground, a nearly uniform deep red to the sun, with con- spicuous white specks ; stem three-quarters of an inch long, rather thick ; cavity shallow, acute ; basin small even ; flesh fine grained, very tender, slightly crisp, juicy, sub-acid, spicy, excellent. Ripens the last two weeks ot summer. Shoots dark, growth slow. A profuse bearer. Origin, East Bloomfield, N. Y. Fig. 109. Early Red Margaret. {S2jn. Red Juneating, Striped June- ating, Early Red Juneating.) Rather small, round-ovate, lightly striped with dull red, and somewhat russeted 138 SUMMER APPLES. SUMMER APPLES. 139 stalk half an inch long, thick ; basin plaited, narrow, very- shallow ; flesh sub-acid, tender, good when fresh. Ri- pens at wheat harvest, scarcely earlier than Early Har- vest. Shoots erect, downy. Moderate bearer. Fig. 133. Early Strawberry. {Sy7i. American Red Juneating, of Manning.) Rather small, roundish, varying to round- ovate, and sometimes quite conical; surface indistinctly and finely striped with bright and deep red, tinging faint- ly the flesh ; stalk tender, three-quarters to an inch and a half long ; basin small and narrow ; flesh white, tender, sub-acid, rather brisk, pleasant, not very rich. Ripens one to three weeks later than Yellow Harvest. Growth, very erect ; leaves erect, finely crenate. Productive. Good in all localities. Garden Royal. Belo',y medium, roundish, slightly flat- tened at ends, even and regular ; surface with small, bro- ken, red stripes on yellow ground, deep red to the sun ; stalk short, or half to three-fourths of an inch long, slen- der, cavity acute ; calyx large, open ; basin very shallow; flesh yellowish-white, exceedingly tender and fine grained; flavor mild, sub-acid, fine. A poor grower, but a first- rate dessert fruit. Late summer. Origin, Sudbury, Mass. Irish Peach. Medium in size, roundish, slightly flattened, obtusely ribbed ; yellowish green, washed and streaked • with brownish-red ; stalk short ; flesh white ; flavor second rate, sometimes third rate Tune Apple, of Virginia. Size medium ; striped with red ; stalk attached to a large protuberance on one side of the cavity ; flesh white. Growth vigorous, a profuse bearer alternate years. Ripens in southern Virginia the last of 6th month, (June.) River. Size medium or large, slightly oblate, ribbed ; color yellowish-green in the shade, purplish-red, striped with darker red, next the sun, with some blue bloom ; cavity deep ; flesh greenish-white, juicy, a little coarse, pleasant, sub-acid, variable in quality, often fine. Tre« of vigo- rous growth, a poor bearer. After Early Harvest. Mass. 140 SUMMER ArPLBS. I SUMMER APPLES. 141 Sors OF Wine. Medium size, round-ovate, dark red ; stalk long, slender; flesh white, often stained red, moderately juicy, sub-acid, of good flavor. Valuable for its free growth and fair fruit. Late summer. The Sapson is smaller, firmer in flesh, and less valuable. Slimmer Hagloe. Size medium, roundish-oblate ; streaked with bright red on yellow ground; stalk rather short and thick ; flesh very soft, rich, of fine quality. Ripens at the end of summer — an excellent culinary variety. Shoots •dark, strong, thick ; terminal buds very large. This is wholly distinct from the Hagloe Crab, a late, small, ill-shaped, ovate fruit, cultivated only for cider. Summer Queen. Rather large, roundish-conical, somewhat ribbed ; striped with bright red on rich yellow ground ; stalk an inch and a half long; cavity small, acute; basin small, furrowed; flesh yellowish, rather acid, spicy, very rich. Fine for cooking. Late summer. Good on warm, sandy soils, poor on cold clay. Shoots light colored, leaves finely crenate. The Early Pennock, of Ohio, resembles the Summer Queen, but is much larger, and inferior in quality. Summer Ramhour. {Syji. Rambour d'Et'-, Rambour Franc.) Medium or large oblate, pale greenish yellow, slightly streaked with red ; stalk short ; calyx large, deep set ; slightly sub-acid, good. Middle to late summer. Good bearer. Dry, if over-ripe. May prove the Oldenburgh. Summer Rose. {Syn. Woolman's Early, Woolman's Striped Harvest.) Medium or rather small, roundish-oblate , yellowish, blotched and streaked with red ; stalk rather short ; basin round, slightly plaited ; flesh very tender, slightly crisp, texture fine, mild sub-acid, juicy, excellent. Begins to ripen with wheat harvest, and continues a month. Fine in all localities. Better in quality for the table than Early Harvest, but less productive. Fig. 107. TetofsJcy. Size medium ; roundish, or round-oblong ; hand- somely striped red on yellow ground ; flesh white, juicy, sub-acid, good second rate. End of summer. Russian. 142 SUMMER APPLES. Williams' Favorite. {Syn. Williams, Williams' Red. Williams' Favorite Red.) Size medium, sometimes rathej large ; oblong-ovate, remotely conical, very smooth; color, mostly fine dark crimson stripes ; stalk three-quarters to one inch long, enlarged at insertion, cavity shallow ; ba- sin small and shallow, even or somewhat ribbed; flesh yellowish white, moderately juicy, with sometimes a tinge of red near the surface, mild, agreeable, fine. Ripens for several weeks late in summer. Its handsome appearance has partly contributed to its high reputation. Origin, Roxbury, Mass. Fig. 108. Section 11. — 'Not Striped. Buffingtonh Early. Medium or rather small ; oblate, slight- ly ribbed ; surface smooth yellowish white, with a faint blush; cavity wide, deep; basin shallow, slightly furrowed ; flesh very tender and delicate, with a rich, sub-acid, ex- cellent flavor. Two weeks later than Yellow Harvest. Equalled in quality by few summer apples, but a mode- rate bearer. Origin unknown. EARLY HARVEST. (S^/tz. Yellow Harvest, Prince's Har- vest, Early French Reinette, July Pippin.) Size medi- um, roundish, usually more or less oblate, smooth; bright straw color, when ripe ; stalk rather short and slender ; calyx moderately sunk ; flesh nearly white, flavor rather acid, fine. Ripens at wheat harvest, and for three weeks afterwards. Shoots erect, slightly diverging, straight, often forked. Very productive. Needs rich cultivation to be fine. Good throughout the northern states. 110. The Tart Bough is similar, but two weeks later, and infe- rior in quality ; the growth more vigorous and upright. July Branch, of Virginia. Size medium; bright yellow, very handsome ; flesh yellow, flavor sprightly. Bears al- ternate years, and moderately in the intermediate years. Growth luxuriant. Ripens in southern Virginia at mid- summer. hymarCs Large Summer. Large, roundish, flattened at ends; pale yellow; sub-acid, high flavored, rather fine in SUMMER APPLES. 143 quality. Ripens at the end of summer. Tree a poor bearer till large. Conn. Mank's Codlin. Size medium ; roundish, oblong-ovate ; pale yellow, with an orange blush ; stalk fleshy ; basin shallow, plaited ; flesh firm, brisk, sub-acid. Culinary. English. Oslin. Rathef small, roundish-oblate, lemon yellow mm- gled with some green ; stalk short, thick, cavity rather shallow ; basin shallow, a little plaited ; flesh fine, crisp ; flavor spicy, good, hardly first-rate. Red Astrachan. Rather large, sometimes quite large, roundish-oblate, slightly approaching conical, rather smooth j nearly whole surface brilliant deep crimson, with a thick bloom like a plum ; stalk one-half to three- fourths of an inch long ; calyx in a small slightly uneven basin ; flesh white, rather crisp ; good, rather acid, very slightly austere. A few days after Early Harvest. Ex- cellent for cooking. Shoots stout, dark brown, diverg- ing and ascending ; leaves broad. This apple, although of second-rate flavor, is rendered by its earliness and very handsome and fair appearance, by the vigor and pro- ductiveness of the tree, and its excellent culinary quali- ties, worthy of general cultivation. Sine Qua Non. Size medium ,* roundish, inclining to co- nical ; smooth, pale greenish yellow, shaded with reddish brown to the sun; stalk quite slender, nearly an inch long; basin smooth or very slightly plaited ; flesh green- ish white, fine grained, delicate, very tender, moderately juicy, of a fine, agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Shoots green- ish yellow, growth slow ; fruit always fair, tree very pro- ductive. Ripens two weeks after Early Harvest. Origin, Long Island. Fig. 111. Summer Bellflower. Rather above medium, round-ovate, slightly oblong and conical, yellow, with sometimes a faint orange blush, stalk an inch long, cavity shallow ; basin small, smooth, slightly five-sided ; flesh white, fine- grained, tender, rich, sub-acid, fine. Shoots vigorous upright ; bears well every year. Origin, Dutchess county N. Y. New. 10 ^ 144 AtTTUISIN APlL-4 Summer Golden Pippin. Small, ovate, flattened at apex , bright yellow, stalk short ; flesh firm, crisp, and rich. Last of summer. English. Sugar Loaf Pippin. Rather large, long ovate-conical, regu- lar, handsome, smooth, pale yellowish white ; stalk short, sub-acid, second or third rate. Admired in England; good for cooking, fair, productive. White Astrachan. Medium in size, roundish, slightly coni- cal, ribbed at apex, smooth, nearly white ; stalk thick and short ; flesh white, pellucid, sub-acid, dry. Of little value here ; fine in England. Russian. White Juneating. (S^/^z. Bracken, of Ohio.) Small, round, sometimes slightly oblate, smooth, very regular; pale greenish yellow, or light yellow ; very thin russet round the stalk ; stalk slender, three-quarters of an inch long, set shallow; basin very shallow; tender, sub-acid, not rich, becoming dry, second or third rate flavor. Ripens a little before Yellow Harvest. Growth upright, rather stout. Productive. For cooking only. The May apple, of Virginia, is a fruit similar in character and quality to the White Juneating, where it ripens about the first of summer, bearing every year. Large quanti- ties are sent to Baltimore for tarts. DIVISION II -AUTUMN APPLES Class I. — Sweet Apples. Section I. — Striped with red. Beauty of the West. Large, round, smooth, marked with small stripes of red on greenish yellow; stalk short; sweet, second rate. Blenheim Pippin. {Sy7i. Woodstock Pippin, Bleinhim Orange.) Large, roundish-conical ; mottled and striped orange-red on yellow ground ; stalk short ; sweet, second or third rate flavor. Used for baking. English. AUTUMN APPLES. 145 Graniwinkle. Size, medium; roundish, slightly oblong, dark red, somewhat rough, flesh yellowish orange, sweet, rich. Cider. N. Jersey. Late autumn and early winter. Jeesey Sweeting. Size, medium ; round-ovate, often oblong-ovate, somewhat conical ; thickly striped with fine red on greenish yellow ; stalk one-half to an inch long ; cavity rather irregular ; basin wrinkled, distinct ; flesh whitish, very sweet, juicy and tender, good second rate or nearly first rate in flavor. Good in all localities. Early and mid-autumn — immediately follows Golden Sweet. Shoots stout, short jointed ; leaves crenate-serrate. 143. Peach-Pond Sweet. Size, medium ; roundish-oblate, re- motely conical ; delicately striped light red on pale greenish yellow ; stalk slender, varying in length from half an inch to an inch; tender, rich, sweet. Nearly or quite first rate. Mid-autumn. Origin, Dutchess County, New-York. Fig. 142. Section 11. — Not striped. Autumnal Swaar. (Syn. Sweet Swaar.) Large, oblate, sometimes very slightly ribbed ; rich yellow ; stalk an inch or more long, varying from long and slender, to thick and fleshy at insertion ; cavity and basin wide and slightly ribbed ; flesh tender, yellowish, not juicy, with a very sweet, spicy, agreeable flavor. Mid-autumn. Growth vigorous, shoots diverging, tffoe spreading. One of the finest autumn sweet apples. Haskell Sweet. Large, oblate, regular, greenish, a warm brown cheek ; stalk one-half to three-fourths of an inch long, moderately sunk ; basin rather deep, nearly even, flesh tinged with yellowish brown, very tender, sweet, good. R. Manning says this is the best of autumn sweet appies. Fig. 155. Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet. Very large, roundish, ribbed most towards the stalk ; pale green ; stalk short ; calyx small, basin abrupt ; flesh white, sweet, tender, not juicy; second or third rate. Ripens through autumn, into win- ter. A valuable culinary sort. 146 AUTUMN APPLES, Pumpkin Russet. {Syn, Sweet Russet.) Large, round, slightly flattened, yellowish green, partly russeted ; cavity wide, shallow ; basin small ; flavor rich and sweet. Through autumn. Distinct from the Sweet Eusset cul- tivated through western New-York, which is a more conical fruit. Summer Sweet Paradise. Large, roundish, sometimes remotely oblong, and slightly flattened at the ends, regu- lar, pale green; stalk rather thick, three-quarters of an inch long ; basin large, distinct ; flesh, tender, sweet, rich, aromatic, of first rate flavor. Ripens first of autumn. Shoots spreading, leaves sharply serrate. Origin, Penn. This is totally distinct from the Dwarf Paradise, used for stocks, which bears a small, third rate, sweet, summer fruit. Fig. 154. Tifft Sweeting. Medium in size, flat, greenish yellow, with russet network, and a warm, light brown cheek; stalk one inch long, cavity wide, obtuse ; flesh yellowish, rich, sweet, fine in flavor. First rate, but a light bearer. New England. Class IL — With more or less Acidity. Section I. — Striped with red. Alexander. Very large, conical, flattened at base, regular ; streaked with bright red on greenish yellow ; stalk small, cavity rather deep ; calyx large, basin deep, even ; flesh rather crisp, sub-acid, second or third rate in flavor. A moderate bearer. Late autumn. Very showy, its only recommendation. Russian. Beauty of Kent. Very larf^e, roundish, somewhat flattish- conical, fair, smooth, and rather obtuse; nearly the whole surface striped with rich purplish red ; stalk three-fourths to an inch and a half long, slender, cavity acuminate ; calyx small, basin deep, narrow ; flesh tender, slightly sub-acid, third rate in flavor. One of the most beautiful and magnificent in appearance of all apples. Late AUTUMN APPLES. 147 autumn. Growth strong and upright, shoots dark. English. Cooper. Rather large, round-oblate, sides unequal, greenish yellow and pale red ; stalk slender, deep set ; basin deep ; flesh crisp, juicy, pleasant, but not very high flavor , Mid- autumn. Cultivated in central Ohio. Cornish Aromatic. Medium in size, roundish, angular ; rich red on a pale russet ground; stalk short, cavity deep ; calyx small, basin narrow ; flesh yellow, sub-acid, aromatic; quality fine, but the fruit not fair. Late autumn. English. Doctor. (Syn. De Witt.) Medium in size, or large; regu- lar, oblate ; yellow, clouded and streaked with red ; stalk and calyx deep set ; flesh breaking, tender, aromatic, brisk, fine flavor. Late autumn and early winter. Suc- ceeds well in Pennsylvania and Ohio; less esteemed further north. Origin, Pennsylvania. Dutchess of Oldenhurgh. Medium or rather large, roundish, a little flattened at the ends ; light red in broad broken stripes and splashes on yellow ground ; stem short, in an acuminate cavity; basin deep and narrow; flesh yellowish white, sub-acid, second rate, very handsome. Good for cooking. Early autumn. Shoots dark, ascending. English Suminer Pearmain. {Syn. Autumn Pearmain, Summer Pearmain.) Size, medium ; roundish, slightly oblong-conical ; streaked and shaded with light dull red ; stalk short; basin broad, shallow, slightly plaited; moderately juicy, rich, high flavored. Growth slender, slow, becoming somewhat irregular. Early autumn. Distinct from the American Summer Pearmain, and from the Winter Pearmain. With the latter, this has been confounded,, the name Autumn Pearmain having been applied to both. Fameuse. {Syn. Pomme de Neige.) Medium in size, round, often oblate, even ; handsomely striped and blotched with fine deep red on whitish ground, — where much exposed, a deep, nearly uniform red; stalk three- fourths of an inch long, slenderi cavity small; basin 148 AritTMN APPLES ATTTUMN APPLES. 149 quite small, slightly wrinkled ; flesh very white,* juicy, sub-acid, a little spicy, pleasant, but not very rich. Late autumn. Shoots dark, diverging, somewhat flexuous. Gloucester Cheese. Large ; bright red, with some indistinct stripes ; flesh white, crisp, flavor high. Growth strong. A native of Virginia, where it is one of the best early autumn apples, l^ginning to ripen by the end of summer. JRAYENSTEIN. Rather large, roundish, slightly oblate, obtusely and obscurely ribbed, surface a little wavy ; striped and splashed with bright red on a yellow ground; stalk three quarters of an inch long, cavity rather deep ; calyx large ; basin deep, narrow; flesh tender, juicy, very rich^ sub-acid or rather acid, high flavored. Mid-autumn. Productive, handsome, and excellent. Fine in all lo- calities. Shoots strong, becoming smooth, and shining, ascending. German. Fig. 114. Hunter. Size, medium ; roundish-oblate, slightly conical ; striped with various shades of red, sometimes slightly russeted, with minute prominences under a smooth skin ; s-talk three-fourths of an inch long, slender, cavity narrow, deep; calyx small, basin rather deep; flesh white, with sometimes faint pink streaks, crisp, tender, juicy, flavor excellent. Mid-autumn. Origin, Newtown, Delaware Co., Pa. New. Jeffries, Medium or rather large ; round-oblate ; yellow, red, and deep red, striped ; stalk very short, slender ; cavity and basin, deep ; flesh yellowish white, remarkably lender and juicy; flavor very pleasant. Ripens first of autumn. Origin, West-Chester, Pa. New. Jewetfs Red. {Sy?i. Jevvett's Fine Red.) Medium or rather large, roundish, slightly oblate, striped red on yellow or slightly greenish yellow ground, with conspicuous white dots ; stem nearly an inch long, cavity acuminate ; basin rather shallow ; flesh remarkably tender, fine grained, mild sub-acid, slightly aromatic ; nearly first rate. Mid-autumn. Cultivated in the northern parts of New England. ♦ Wh«iice the name Pomme de Neige, or " Snow Apple." 150 AUTUMN APPLES. Kane. {Syn. Cane, Cain.) Size, medium ; roundish oblate, often obscurely conical, regular; surface fair and beautiful, highly polished, indistinctly striped with bril- liant light crimson, gradually merging into delicate blush color on the shaded part ; stalk often very short, cavity acute, narrow ; basin regular; flesh yellowish white, with a pleasant, good flavor. Hardly of the highest quality, but much admired for its beauty. A native of Kent Co., Delaware. Kenrick's Autumn. Large, roundish, flattened at base ; bright red on a pale yellowish green ground ; stalk long ; flesh a little stained with red, sprightly, sub-acid, second or third rate. Early autumn. Kerry Pippin. Medium in size, oval, yellow streaked with red ; stalk with a projection on one side at the insertion ; flesh yellow, tender, crisp. A third rate fruit. Irish. Kilham Hill. Rather large, roundish, slightly conical, somewhat ribbed ; striped with red on light yellow, stripes often obscure ; flavor good at first, but becomes dry and worthless. Early autumn. Fair and productive. Essex county, Mass. King of the Pippins. Medium size, roundish-oblate, ob- scurely conical; striped rich yellowish red; stalk one inch long, cavity shallow ; calyx large, basin deep, even ; flesh, firm, sub-acid, second rate in flavor. Growth upright ; tree productive. Late autumn. Admired in England, unsuccessful here. Late Strawberry. {Sy7i. Strawberry, Autumn Strawber- ry.) Size medium ; roundish, slightly conical, sometimes faintly ribbed ; nearly whole surface with small broken streaks of light and dark red; stalk slender, about an inch long ; basin ribbed ; flesh yellowish white, slightly flbrous, very tender and juicy, with a fine, very agreeable, sub-acid flavor. Young trees of remarkable thrifty growth, leaves sharply serrate, which at once distinguishes them from the crenate leaves of the Early Strawberry. Ripens early in autumn, and often keeps till winter. Very pro- ductive. One of the best early autumn apples. Fig. 147. AUTUMN APPLES. 151 Leland Spice. {Syn. Leland Pippin.) Large, roundisn obscurely conxcal, slightly ribbed; whole surface witr* brilliant red streaks on yellow ground, dotted with yel- low ; stalk half an inch long ; cavity and basin ribbed ; flesh yellowish white, sub-acid, spicy, rich, fine. Origin^ Sherburne, Mass. Fig. 144. Lyscom. Large, round, with broad, broken, distinct, pale red stripes, on yellowish or greenish yellow ground ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender ; calyx deep set ; flesh fine grained, mild, slightly sub-acid, moderately rich, good second-rate flavor. Middle and late autumn. Mass. Melon. {Syn. Watermelon, Norton's Melon.) Medium or large, roundish, often slightly conical, frequently a little irregular ; color, with stripes and dots of bright red on yellow ground, or clear red on pale yellow ; stalk an inch long, slender, cavity acuminate ; basin deep; flesh white, tender, very juicy, fresh, and pleasant, spicy, sub-acid, or slightly sub-acid, fine-flavored. Growth rather slow. Late autumn and early winter. Origin, East Bloomfield, N. Y Nonsuch (English..) (St/tz. Nonsuch.) Size medium j regu- lar, oblate ; striped with dull brick red, on greenish yel- lov7 ground ; stalk short, slender ; basin wide, shallow ; flesh white, soft, sub-acid, second rate. Wholly unlike the Old Nonsuch of New-England, or Red Canada. Rambo. (Si/72. Romanite of N. J.) Size medium; oblate, smooth, streaked and marbled with dull yellowish red, on pale yellowish ground ; dots large ; whitish ; stalk an inch long, rather slender ; basin broad, slightly plaited ; flesh tender, rich, mild sub-acid, fine flavored, often ex- cellent. Fine in nearly all localities. Late autumn and early winter. Known by the erroneous name of Seek- no-further in Philadelphia market. Red Ingestrie. Rather small, oblong or ovate ; mottled with red : stalk short, slender ; basin wide ; flesh firm, juicy, rather high flavored. Admired in England; un- worthy of cultivation here. Early and mid-autumn. Republican Pippin. Large, round-oblate, striped wuth red on a mottled reddish ground, greenish yellow in the shade, G* 152 AUTUMN APPLES. Stalk an inch long, slender ; cavity sometimes with radia- ting russet rays ; flesh tender, sub-acid ; with a pleasant, first-rate, peculiar, somewhat walnut flavor. Ripens early and mid-autumn ; hut is a good cooking apple in summer. Excellent for drying. Origin, Lycoming county, Pa. New. Rihston Pippin. Medium or rather large, roundish-conical; clouded and striped with yellowish red, on a yellow and slightly russeted ground ; stalk slender, often short, cavity rather wide ; basin narrow, angular ; flesh yellow, crisp, granular, juicy, with a very rich and rather sharp or acid flavor. First-rate as far north as Maine, often second- rate further south ; but its quality is usually suffered to deteriorate needlessly by remaining too long on the tree. Late autumn and early winter. Shoots diverging or spreading; buds and young shoots rather hoary. English. Ross Nonpareil. Medium or small, roundish, obscurely conical; color thin russet and dull red, blotched, and ob- scurely striped ; stalk slender, cavity rather acuminate ; basin small ; flesh greenish white, with a rich aromatic or fennel flavor. Late autumn. Very productive. Irish. Scarlet Pearmain. Medium size, conical, rich crimson; stalk slender, deep set ; calyx open or spreading, basin deep, slightly plaited ; flesh white, tinged with pink, crisp, juicy, good. Early autumn. Productive. Eng- lish. Smokehouse. Medium or rather large, oblate, regular; mottled and indistinctly striped with red on yellow ground ; a slight greenish cast at the crown ; stalk one inch long, slender, cavity wide, acute ; basin rather distinct ; flesh yellowish white, rich, aromatic, fine sub-acid flavor. Near- ly or quite as good as Rambo, which it somewhat re sembles. Origin, Chester Co., Pa. St. Lawrence. {Syn. Corse's St. Lawrence.) Large round- ish, slightly oblate, and sometimes a little conical, obtuse whole surface broadly and very distinctly striped with very dark red, on light greenish yellow ground ; stem rather short and slender, cavity wide ; basin round, deep, with AUTTTMN APPLES. 153 a very obtuse rim ; flavor rather acid, moderately rich, agreeable. A very handsome and productive apple, of good second-rate flavor, ripening about mid-autumn. Ca- nadian. Twenty Ounce, {Syn. Eighteen Ounce, Twenty Ounce Pippin, erroneously.) Very large, roundish, remotely conical, surface sometimes smooth, often very wavy ; color striped rich yellowish red on greenish yellow, or yellow- ish white ground; stalk three-fourths inch long; sub- acid, rather coarse, second-rate. Very showy, fair and productive. Culinary only. Late autumn and early winter. Growth in large trees becoming straggling. Western New-York. The Twenty Ounce Pippin is a large, green, third-rate fruit. Section II. — Not striked. Downton Pippin. Small, round-oblate, yellow ; stalk short ; calyx in a wide, very shallow basin; flesh crisp, rich, acid. Latter half of autumn. English. Drap d'Or^ or " Cloth of Gold." Large, roundish, some- times slightly oblong-conical, more frequently rather oblate ; bright yellow with numerous black specks ; stalk short ; basin shallow, plaited ; flavor sub-acid, mild, agreeable. Early 'autumn, extending to mid-autumn. Growth of the tree round, regular, and spreading ; leaves doubly serrate. Dutch Codlin. Very large, roundish, approaching oblong, irregular, strongly ribbed ; pale yellow, tinged with orange in the sun; stalk short, thick; basin narrow, ribbed; flesh white, sub-acid, second or third rate. Early autumn. Growth vigorous. For cooking only. Dyer. (Syn. Pomme Royal, which is the original name.) Rather large, roundish, often approaching round oblong, sometimes slightly flattened, obscurely ribbed ; light yel- low, rarely a faint brown cheek, and sometimes a slight russet network over the skin ; stalk three-fourths to one inch long ; basin often deep and large, ribbed ; flesh very fine grained, tender, very juicy, with a rich sub-acid or rather acid, excellent flavor, having but few equals. Time 154 AUTUMN APPLES. AtTTUMN APPLES. 155 of ripening", variable, from early autumn to winter. Pro- ductiveness, variable. Fig. 115. English Codlin. Rather large, oblong or conical, yellow, stalk short, pleasant, sub-acid, second rate. Culinary. Tree vigorous and productive. Early and mid-autumn. Esteji. Large, oblong-ovate, slightly ribbed, smooth ; yel- low, sometimes a blush; dots large, green and red; stalk one inch long, slender ; cavity very deep ; basin shallow ; flesh white, fine grained, mild sub-acid. Tree vigorous, very productive. Rhode Island. New. Fall Cheese. Size, medium; color, green with a red cheek;' flesh crisp, sprightly, very agreeable. Tree of compact growth, a profuse bearer. Its cultivation is chiefly con- fined to Virginia, and is one of the best apples of that State, ripening the latter half of autumn. Fall Harvey. Large, roundish oblate, nearly regular ; pale yellow ; stalk slender, one inch long, cavity moderate ; basin medium in size, furrowed ; flesh fine grained, juicy, good, rich sub-acid flavor, but hardly first rate, often second rate. Moderate or poor bearer. Essex Co., Mass. Fall Orange. Large, roundish ovate, or oval ; light greenish yellow becoming pale yellow ; rarely a brown cheek; stalk half an inch long, cavity narrow; basin even-rimmed, slightly plaited ; sub-acid, tender, fine — first rate if Avell ripened and fresh from the tree. Shoots very stout, dark colored. Tree bears while very young, fruit always fair. FALL PIPPIN. (Syn. Holland Pippin, erroneously.) Very large, roundish, obtuse, somewhat oblong-conical, a little flattened at the ends, sometimes with large obtuse ribs ; color greenish, becoming a high rich yellow when ripe, with some large shades of green about the crown before fully ripe ; stalk large, in an acuminate cavity ; basin deep ; flesh yellowish, rather firm, becoming tep der, rich, aromatic, excellent. Leaves sharply serrate ; shoots vigorous, rather dark, diverging, becoming spread- ing ; tree large. Late autumn, keeping into mid-winter- 156 AUTUMN APPLES. Mostly a moderate bearer — fruit sometimes water-cored Excellent for cooking. Fine in nearly all localities. FraiMirHs Golden Pippin. Medium in size, oval or ovate ; deep yellow, specks dark, numerous; stalk short, slender; flesh tender, crisp, rich, aromatic. Growth vigorous, upright. Ripens mid-autumn. Golden Noble. Large, roundish-ohlate, very regular, yellow, stalk short, cavity and basin very shallow ; rather acid, rich, good ; always fair. From England, by R. Manning. ,Hawley. {Syn. Dowse.) Quite large, roundish, slightly conical, sometimes nearly round, with a broad obtuse apex, and slightly flattened ; smooth, slightly oily when kept within doors ; pale green becoming yellow, some- times a very faint orange cheek ; stalk one-half to one inch long, slender; cavity wide, deep, acute, sometimes . slightly obtuse ; basin deep, slightly furrowed ; flesh yel- lowish white, fine-grained, quite tender, with a mild, rich, sub-acid, fine flavor. Ripens at mid-autumn. A very val- uable apple. Shoots of rather slow growth. Origin, Co- lumbia Co., N. Y., and cultivated chiefly in western N. Y Hawthornden. (Syn. White Hawthornden.) Rather large, roundish, oblate-conical ; whitish yellow, a blush on the sunny side ; stalk rather stou:t ; calyx in a regular, plaited basin; flesh juicy, sub-acid, pleasant, not rich. Fair, pro- ductive ; for cooking only. Tree spreading. Holland Pippin. Very large', roundish, somewhat oblong, and flattened at the ends, sometimes slightly oblate ; greenish yellow, becoming pale yellow or whitish yellow, with a brownish red cheek; stalk variable in length, usually short, cavity wide, acute ; basin slightly plaited ; flesh nearly white, rather acid, with a second rate flavor. Ripens early and mid-autumn, but is a good cooking apple some weeks previously. Wholly distinct from the Fall Pippin. Fig. 129. Keswick Codlin. Rather large, somewhat conical, obscure- ly ribbed; greenish yellow, becoming light yellow; stalk short, deep set ; calyx rather large ; juicy, pleasant acid: «econd-rate. Fine for cooking ; very productive AUTUMN AFPLfig. 157 Lemon Pippin. Medium size, oval, regular ; pale green, becoming yellow ; stalk short, fleshy, curved inwards, surrounded by a fleshy protuberance ; basin small, even ; flesh firm, brisk, pleasant sub-acid. Late autu.i.n and early winter. Tree erect. Lowell. {Syn. Orange, Tallow apple, Tallow Pippin, Queen Anne, of northern Ohio.) Large, roundish-oblong, obtuse, slightly conical ; green becoming rich yellow ; surface slightly oily ; stalk one inch long, basin deep, furrowed or plaited inside, rim obtuse, even ; flesh yellowish white, rather coarse, rich sub-acid, or rather acid, hardly jEirst- rate, but valuable for its fair surface and great and early productiveness. Early auturrn. Maideii^s Blush. Rather large, oblate, smooth and regular, with a fine, evenly shaded red cheek or blush on a clear pale yellow ground ; stalk short ; cavity rather wide ; ba- sin moderate, even; flesh white, fine-grained, tender, pleasant sub-acid, but not rich, good second-rate. Mid- autumn. Tree spreading. Although deficient in rich- ness, it is admired for its fair, tender, and beautiful fruit, and uniform productiveness. Fig. 148. Menagere. Very large, quite oblate, regular, pale yellow, sometimes a faint blush, stalk short, flavor poor. Middle and late autumn. Culinary only. German. Orne's Early. Rather large, somewhat ribbed, pale yel- low, sprinkled with thin russet, and with a dull red cheek towards the sun. Flesh white, very tender, juicy, and with an exceedingly pleasant and fine flavor. Ripens the first of autumn. This apple was imported from France into Marblehead, Mass., and the name being lost, it re- ceived that of the importer, in the same way that the Williams Bonchretien pear was changed to Bartlett. Porter. Rather large, oblong-ovate-conical, regular, often ribbed at apex ; bright yellow, sometimes a dull blush in the sun ; stalk one inch long, slender, cavity rather small ; basin narrow ; flesh tender, rich sub-acid, of fine flavor. Fair and productive. Early autumn. Good throughout the northern states. Leaves sharp serrate. Fig. 113. 158 AUTUMN APPLES. Quince. Large, oblate ; rich lemon yellow when ripe ; rich, juicy. A great bearer alternate years. Late autumn. Red Ashmore. Medium or rather large, nearly round, smooth and glossy, rich crimson shaded into pale red and pale yellowish white; juicy, delicate, pleasant. Very beautiful. Late autumn. Little known. The Striped Ashmore is a distinct variety. Siberian Crab. This is the Pyrus baccata of botanists, a distinct species from all our common apples, which are varieties of the Pyrus malus. The common Red Siberian Crab is very small, about an inch in diameter, nearly round, with a brilliant scarlet cheek, on a pale clear, waxen yellow ground, stalk very long and slender ; tree very productive, and bears when very young. Too hard for preserving, but makes excellent jelly. The Large Red Siberian Crab, (P. prunifolia,) is about twice the size of the preceding, round-ovate, calyx prominent, skin pale red and yellow. Some seedlings also from the com- mon Red, have been triple the size of the original. The Yellow Siberian Crab is larger than the common, of a fine rich yellow. Stroat. Rather large, roundish, regular, very slightly coni- cal; pale yellowish green; specks small, clear; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, in a rather obtuse cavity ; basin small, slightly furrowed ; flesh tender, rich, mild, sub-acid, flavor fine. Late autumn. Not good in some localities. The name is from the Dutch, stroot* a street, the place of its origin. Surprise. Medium or rather small, roundish, skin yellow, flesh red. Quality worthless ; sometimes cultivated for its singular red flesh within the yellow skin. To7?ipki7is Apple. Large, roundish-oblong, rather angu- lar, slightly ribbed near the apex, smooth ; color rich yel- low; stalk short, small, cavity narrow; calyx small, basin deep, plaited ; flesh tender rich, sub-acid Last half of autumn. May prove to be the Dyer. * Proiiouiicetl strole. WINTEE APPLES. 159 Wornisley Pippin. Size medium, roundish, slightly coni- cal ; pale greenish yellow ; stalk rather long, calyx deep sunk ; flesh white, firm, crisp, high-flavored, but too acid. English. Yellow Ingestrie. Small, clear rich yellow, tender, deli- cate, juicy when fresh, crisp, spicy. English. Of little value in this country. DIVISION III.— WINTER APPLES. Class I. — Sweet Apples. Section I. — Striped with red. Bailey Sweet. {Syn. Patterson Sweet, Edgerly Sweet.) Large, regular ovate, often slightly and sometimes con- siderably ribbed ; the whole surface frequently a full bright red, in small, broken, indistinct stripes and dots, on light ground ; stalk slender, one inch long ; cavity small, narrow, slightly ribbed ; basin small, plaited ; flesh very tender, not juicy; a pure, mild, rich sweet 5 fine. Early winter. Origin, Perry, "Wyoming Co., N. Y. New. Hartford Sweeting. (Syn. Spencer Sweeting.) Rather large, roundish, slightly flattened ; striped with fine red on greenish yellow ground ; stalk slender, cavity rather shallow, round; calyx large, basin shallow; juicy, ten- der, rich, agreeable. Keeps through winter and spring. Productive. Growth slow, shoots becoming drooping. Although hardly first-rate in quality, valuable for its great productiveness and long keeping. A native of Hartford, Connecticut. Ladies' Sweeting. Rather large, roundish-ovate, apex narrow ; striped with red on pale yellowish green ground, a nearly uniform shade of fine red to the sun ; faintly marbled or clouded with white over the red ; and cavity faintly rayed with white ; stalk short, cavity small ; calyx and basin small; tender, juicy, agreeable, fine, rich. 160 WINTER APPLB3. WINTER APPLES. 161 Through winter and into spring, A profuse hearer. Growth not vigorous. Newburgh, N. Y. Fig. 118. Phillips^ Sweeting. Medium or large, roundish, slightly flattened and conical, regular ; mottled red, yellow, and dark red; flesh rich yellow, tender, juicy, crisp, sweet. Very handsome ; resembles Ladies' Sweeting, but more showy and not equal in flavor. Early winter ; Growth upright, vigorous. Central Ohio. RamsdelVs Stveeting. {Syn. Ramsdell's Red Pumpkin Sweet.) Rather large, oblong, obscurely conical, regular; dark rich red, with a blue bloom ; stalk short ; basin rather deep, even ; flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, rich, good second-rate, or nearly first-rate. Tree vigorous, up- right, very productive. Late autumn and early winter. Conn. Sweet Baldwin. Medium or rather large, round, often round- oblate, very obscurely conical, very regular ; color a fine deep red indistinctly striped on yellow ground ; stalk three-quarters of an inch long, slender, cavity very even; basin rather small, nearly smooth ; flavor, very sweet, nearly first-rate. Early winter. Fig. 155. Sweti Pearmain. {Syn. English Sweeting, of Rhode Island.) Medium size, roundish or ovate-conical ; dark rich red, with rough dots ; stalk an inch long, slender, cavity wide, rouad ; calyx wooly, basin very small ; flavor sweet and rich- Early winter. Introduced from England before the revt lution. Section II. — Not striped. Broad WELL. Rather large, slightly conical, somewhat oblate ; skin thin, smooth, greenish yellow ; stalk short, small, deep set; flesh white, tender, sweet, juicy, fine- often first rate, and one of the best winter sweet apples. Keepb through winter late into spring. Ohio. New. Cann. Size, medium; conical; green with a brownish shade near the stalk ; very sweet. Early winter. N. J. Danveks Winter Sweet. Medium or rather large, roundish, remotely oblong or conical, obscurely ribbed ; 162 WINTER APPLES. greenish yellow, becoming a rather dull rich yellow, — sometimes an orange blush; stalk three-quarters to one inch long, cavity acute ; basin smooth, narrow ; flesh yellow, sweet, rich. Growth vigorous, tree productive. Green Sweet. Large or medium ; nearly round, slightly approaching ovate-conical, regular ; surface green, with greenish white dots ; stalk about an inch long, mode- rately thick, cavity rather small and narrow, round, acuminate ; basin, small, slightly furrowed ; flesh greenish white, with a very sweet, spicy, good flavor. Fair, pro- ductive, and a long keeper. Old-Town Crab. {Syn. Spice apple of Va.) Rather small; greenish yellow, with brown specks ; flesh crisp, sweet, fragrant, juicy, sprightly. Growth strong, trees compact. Cultivated in southern Virginia ; keeps there through winter into spring. Sweet Russet. Large, ovate-conical, largest at middle, tapering slightly to base, and much narrowed to apex; green becoming yellow, with patches of russet ; stalk one-half to an inch long, cavity narrow ; basin narrow, uneven ; flesh tender, rather spongy, with a good and quite sweet flavor. Fair and productive. Considerably cultivated in western New York and elsewhere. Early winter. Tallman Sweeting. (Syn. Tolman's Sweeting.) Medium or rather large, roundish oblate, slightly conical; clear light yellow, with a clear brownish line from stalk to apex; stalk nearly an inch long; cal3^x in a distinct, slightly wrinkled basin ; flesh white, firm, rich, very sweet. Excellent for winter baking. Keeps into spring. Young tree vigorous, upright, shoots becoming spreading ; leaves wavy. Productive. Wells' Sweeting. Medium in size, roundish, tapering slightly to base and apex; color light green, with a brownish cheek ; stalk short ; basin shallow ; flesh very- white, tender, rich, agreeable. Early winter. New burgh, N. Y. WINTER APPLES. 163 Victuals and Drink. Large, roundish, often oblong- conical, more or less irregular; dull yellow, slightly russeted ; stalk rather slender; basin shallow, slightly ribbed ; flesh fine grained, breaking, rich, sweet, light. Ripens late autumn and early winter. A moderate bearer. Newark, New Jersey. Class II. — With more or less Acidity. Section L — Striped with red. American Pippin. (Sy?i. Grindstone.) Medium size, ob- late, regular ; light dull red on dull green ; dots whitish, conspicuous ; rather rough ; stalk short, often quite fleshy ; basin very shallow ; flesh very hard ; mild sub-acid. Long keeping, but poor. Shoots crooked, irregular. BALDWIN. Rather large, roundish, with more or less of a rounded taper towards the apex ; shaded and striped with yellowish red and crimson on yellow ground ; stalk three-quarters of an inch long, rather slender ; calyx in a narrow, slightly plaited basin ; flesh yellowish white, with a rich, mild, sub-acid flavor. Young tree vigorous, upright, shoots dark brown, diverging and ascending. Very productive. Ripens through winter. A first rate winter apple through New-England and New- York; unsuccessful in northern Ohio. The use of special manures, as lime, potash, and salt has, however, on those unfavorable localities, been attended with the best results, and produced fine fruit ; showing the deficiency to be in the soil. Fig. 117. The Baldwin is liable to vary in character; the Late Baldwin of Maine, appears to be identical, but modified by external causes. Black Apple, of Coxe. Rather small, roundish, slightly oblate ; dark red, nearly black, with a whitish, mealy bloom ; stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long ; basin rather shallow; flesh yellowish red, crisp, juicy, second rate in quality. Early winter. Old tree becoming rather 164 WmXER APPLES. Black Detroit. {Syn. Grand Sachem, Crimson Pippin.) Large, roundish, ribbed, irregular, very dark red ; stalk short, stout ; basin distinct, plaited ; flesh white, often stained red, rather dry, not high flavored. The Bed Detroit is a rounder, firmer, and better fruit, per- haps identical with Black Coal of Ohio. Black GiUijioiuer. Rather large, oblong-ovate, long conical, regular, obscurely ribbed ; surface dark, dull, reddish purple, inclining to greenish yellow where densely shaded ; cavity very narrow, acuminate ; basin very small, ribbed ; flesh greenish v/hite, with a rich, good slightly sub-acid flavor, becoming dry when ripe. Keeps through winter and late into spring. Shoots dark, rather crooked, fruit always fair ; very productive. Rejected by most cultivators on account of its very dry flesh. Totally distinct from the Red or Cornish Gilliflower. * Bhte Pearmain. Very large, roundish, inclining to oblong, slightly and obtusely conical ; dark purplish red in large broken stripes on lighter ground ; bloom conspicuous ; dots large, indistinct ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long; calyx deep set ; flesh yellowish, mild sub-acid, good. Early winter. A thin bearer. Brabant Bellejieur, Large, roundish or roundish-oblong; pale yellow, striped ; calyx large ; flesh firm, rich, sub- acid or rather acid, good flavor. Growth crooked, tree spreading. Winter. Carthouse. {Syn. Gilpin, Red Romanite, of Ohio.) Me- dium or rather small, roundish-oblong, nearly regular, apex flattened ; striped and shaded deep red on greenish yellow ground ; stalk one-half to an inch long, slender ; basin slightly furrowed, wide, distinct ; flesh tough, crisp, fresh, agreeable, mild sub-acid, second-rate. Keeps fresh till late in spring. Much cultivated in Ohio valley and sold at New-Orleans. Fig. 137. Chandler^ Rather large, roundish-oblate, often oblique or irregular, obscurely ribbed; color with a few distinct large broken stripes of yellowish red, and a shade of paler red on greenish yellow ; stalk half an inch long ; basin WINTEE APPLES 165! rather deep ; flesh greenish yellow, sub-acid, rich, nearly first-rate. Early winter. Origin, Pomfret, Conn. Cornish Gillijlower. Medium size, ovate, apex ribbed, very narrow ; dull green, with a brown cheek, slightly streaked; calyx large ; flesh yellowish, firm, rich, high flavor. Ripe through winter. English. Cos or Caas. Large, one-sided or angular, roundish, base wide, apex narrow; greenish yellow with red streaks; stalk short, cavity deep, one-sided ; calyx small, basin shallow ; flesh mild, sub-acid, agreeable, second-rate or nearly first-rate. Ripens through winter. A native of Kingston, N. Y. Court-yendu. {Syn. Court-pendu plat.) Medium in size, flat, regular ; color deep crimson on pale greenish yellow; stalk short, cavity deep; calyx large, basin wide; flesh yellowish, crisp, rich, acid. Early winter. Popular in Europe. French. Dominie. Rather large, roundish-oblate ; surface with nar- row and distinct stripes of light red, on whitish yellow ground; dots or specks large, rough; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, cavity wide, deep, acute ; basin deep, obtusely ribbed ; flesh white, firm, mild sub-acid, spicy, fine-flavored. Shoots very long, vigorous, diverging, leaves drooping, coarsely serrate. Productive. Keeps through winter. This is the "Wells apple of Ohio. Dumelow's Seedling. Medium in size, round, flattened at ends ; clear yellow, with a red blush ; stalk very short ; calyx large, open, deep, sunk; flesh yellow, crisp, with a very brisk sharp acid juice. A good culinary fruit. English. Dutch Mignonne. Quite large, roundish, regular; rich orange, dotted, mottled, and obscurely striped with bright red, slightly russetted ; stalk nearly an inch long, slen- der ; calyx large, open ; basin large, round, even ; flesh firm, becoming tender, with a high, rich, rather acid fla- vor. Early winter. Native of Holland. A large, hand- some, high-flavored, but rather coarse fruit. 166 WINTER APPLES. TVINTER APPLES. 167 Eustis. — {Syn, Ben.) Rather large, roundish, very slightly ovale ; striped and dotted with light rich red on rich yel- low ; stalk very short ; basin narrow, rather deep ; flesh yellowish, rich, sub-acid, fine. Origin, Essex Co., iVlass., New. Golden Reinette. Small, regular, roundish-conical, slightly flattened at base ; rich yellow with red ; stalk long, cavi- ty shallow ; flesh yellowish, rich, mild sub-acid. Early winter. Herefordshire Pearmain. {Syn. Royal Pearmain, Win- ter Pearmain, erroneously.) Medium in size, round-ob- long, approaching obtuse-conical ; surface mostly covered with indistinct stripes and soft clouds of light red on greenish yellow, which on ripening becomes a pale, clear yellow ;* stalk half an inch long, cavity small ; calyx large, open ; basin narrow, plaited ; flesh yellowish white, fine-grained, with a pleasant, mild sub-acid, aromatic, fine flavor. Early winter. Best on light soils. Distin- guished from Winter Pearmain by its stronger shoots, less oblong form, and by the soft shades and clouds of fine red, which cover the surface. Hoary Morning. Large, roundish, slightly oblate ; broadly striped, covered with a downy or hoary bloom; cavity wide ; calyx small, basin shallow, plaited ; flesh firm, brisk, sub-acid. For cooking. English. HUBBARDSTON NONESUCH. Large, round-ovate, largest at the middle, nearly regular ; color with small broken stripes and numerous dots of light rich red on a rich yellow ground ; stalk three-fourths to one inch long; cavity acute, russeted ; calyx open, basin ribbed ; flesh yellowish, very rich, slightly sub-acid, with a strong mix- ture of a rich sweet, flavor excellent. Early winter. Equal to the Swaar in richness, superior to the Baldwin in fla- vor. Shoots rather slender, grey. A native of Hub' bardston, Mass. Loses flavor by keepmg. Fig. 119. Jonathan. Medium in size, round-ovate, or approaching truncate-conical ; regular ; nearly covered with brilliant the fair Permain Tempered, like comliesl nymph, with red and white ^^— Phillips. H 188; WINTER APPLES Stripes of clear red on a pale yellow ground ; stalk slen- der ; basin very distinct, rather deep ; flesh white, very juicy, spicy, sub-acid, moderately rich. Keeps through win- ter. Shoots slender, diverging; tree very productive; fruit always handsome and fair. Fig. 136. Kingston, N. Y. Kentish Filbasket. Very large, roundish, slightly ribbed, greenish yellow, slightly streaked, sub-acid ; only cook- ing. English. Kirk's Lord Nelson. Large, roundish, regular; striped light red on greenish yellow, rather acid, flavor not high. Early winter. Handsome. English. Laquier. {Syn. Lacker.) Rather large, oblate, somewhat irregular ; striped light and dark red on greenish yellow ; with conspicuous whitish specks ; stalk half an inch long; basin furrowed; flesh white, fine-grained, firm, crisp, fresh, mild, agreeable, sub-acid. Keeps through winter. Cultiva- ted in western INew-York ; originally from Lancaster, Pa. Limber Twig. {Sy?t. James River.) Large, dull red, fler:b yellowish, very compact, not high-flavored, but culiivate.i in the south and west for its keeping properties. Tb« tree is ill-shapen, with pendant branches, whence lis name. Distinct from the Willow Twig. Lucombe's Seedling. Rather large, roundish, slightly an- gular, somewhat conical ; greenish yellow in the shade, dashed and spotted with carmine in the sun ; stalk short , basin small, plaited; flesh whitish, firm, not high flavored. Late autumn and early winter. A handsome, English, culinary fruit, of third quality. Margin. Very small, slightly angular, dull yellow and orange; streaked and mottled with red ; firm, high fla- vored, aromatic ; growth slow. English. Marston's Red "Winter. Large, roundish oval, regular slightly narrowed to each end, smooth; striped with bright red and crimson on yellow ground ; stalk half an inch long, slender, cavity russeted ; basin abrupt, round, smooth ; flesh yellowish, fine-grained, tender, juicy, high-flavored. Ripens through winter. Origin, New Hampshire. New. WINTER APPLES. 169 McLellan. (Syn. Martin.) Medium in size or rather large, nearly round, smooth, regular; striped and mottled with lively clear red on yellow ground ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender, cavity narrow; basin narrow, waved; seeds small; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, very tender, slightly sub-acid, agreeable, but not very rich. Early winter. Very productive. A native of Con- necticut. New. Mi7iister. Large, rather irregular, oblong-conical, ribbed, surface more or less wavy, base broad, apex very narrow; very distinctly striped with red on greenish yellow ground ; stalk one inch long, slender, cavity usually wide, shallow, and irregular ; flesh yellowish, moderately rich, sub-acid, • flavor second rate. Productive, fair, and showy. Early winter. Shoots somewhat flexuous. Mother. Large, oblong-ovate, approaching conical ; slightly and obtusely ribbed; color a high warm rich red on yellow ground ; deep red to the sun, — in obscure broken stripes and spots ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, cavity moderate; basin small, plaited; flesh yellow, more so towards the outside, moderately juicy, rich, very spicy, very mild sub-acid, with an admixture of sweet. Somewhat resembles the Esopus Spitzenburgh in exter- nal appearance, and in its rich yellow flesh and spiciness, but nearly sweet in flavor, and less agreeable. Late autumn and early winter. "Worcester Co., Mass. Fig. 136. Murphy. Rather large, round-oblong or round-ovate ; dis- tinctly striped with bright rich red on rich yellow ; stalk one inch long, cavity wide, rather obtuse ; basin narrow ; flesh yellowish, mild sub-acid, good. Early winter. A native of Salem, Mass. Norfolk Beaufin. Large, flat, dark dull copper colored oi livid red in faint stripes; stalk short, fleshy; basin plaited, shallow; flesh hard, rather acid, poor flavor. Only for drying. Winter. English. NORTHERN SPY. Large, roundish, slightly conical, often flattened, sometimes slightly ribbed, handsomely striped with red ; stalk and calyx deep set ; flavor mild agreeable, mild sub-acid, fine. Keeps through winter and late into 170 WINTER APPLES. spring; preserves its flavor remarkably fresh. Shoots dark, spotted, erect, stout. To afford fine fruit, the tree must be kept thrifty by good ruhivation. A native of East Bloomfield, N. Y. Fig. 121.| Pennock. {Syn. Pennock's Red Winter.) Large, roundish, sometimes slightly oblong, flattened at ends, oblique; color deep dull red, with large white dots ; stalk rather slender ; flesh coarse, slightly sub-acid, rather rich, with a slight mixture of bitter and sweet, second or thh'd rate. Very liable to dry rot. Popular in southeastern Penn- sylvania, from its large size and showy appearance. Pound. Very large, round-oblong, striped red on greenish yellow, stalk short, flavor poor. Priestley. Medium or rather large, rcundish-oblong, some- times nearly round ; light dull red in small stripes and numerous dots, with a dense bloom; stalk one inch long; basin small, furrowed ; flavor sub-acid, spicy, good second rate. Growth upright. Pryor's Red. {Syn. Pryor's Pearmain.) Medium or rather large, roundish, irregular, varying, apex often broad, sometimes narrow, considerably or slightly ribbed ; color dull brick red on greenish yellow in dots, shades, and obscure streaks, slightly russeted ; stalk long or short, cavity small ; calyx open, basin narrow ; flesh very tender, mild, rich, sub-acid, agreeable. Resembles in texture and flavor the Westfield Seeknofurther. Highly esteemed in Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia, — where it keeps till spring, — and succeeds well further north. Rawle's Jannet. {Syn. Rawle's Jenneting, Neverfail, Rockremain.) Medium in size, roundish, approaching oblong or obtuse conical, often oblique ; color pale red distinct stripes on light yellow ground ; stalk half an inch long; flesh nearly white, fine, rich, mild, sub-acid, fine texture, crisp, juicy, compact, about first rate. Growth slow; a profuse bearer, with a portion of the crop knotty or under size. Keeps through spring. Highly esteemed in the Ohio valley ; does not succeed farther north. The blossoms open ten days later than usual WINTER APPLES. 171 thus sometimes escaping spring frosts ; and hence the name Neverfail. RED CANADA. (Syn. Nonsuch, Old Nonsuch of Mass., Richfield Nonsuch of Ohio.) Medium in size, roundish- conical, regular ; nearly the whole surface covered with red, and interspersed with large and rather indistinct whitish dots ; stalk about an inch long, in a very wide and even cavity; basin nearly even, moderate; flesh fine grained, compact, with a rich sub-acid, high and excellent flavor. Keeps through winter. Shoots rather slender, leaves wavy. Productive ; fruit smooth and fair. Suc- ceeds equally in New England, New York, and Ohio. This is wholly distinct from the Nonsuch of England, to prevent confusion with which, the name Red Canada is preferred. One of the finest table apples, often keep- ing late in spring. The slender growth of the tree, and its moderate crops in some localities, are the chief draw- back on its value. Fig. 120. Rome Beauty. Large, roundish, very slightly conical; mostly covered with bright red on pale yellow ground ; flesh tender, not fine grained, juicy, of good quality. Ripens early in winter. The large size and beautiful appearance of this new Ohio apple render it worthy of trial, as an orchard variety. Redstreak. Medium size, roundish, rich red and yellow in streaks ; flesh yellowish, rich, firm, dry. For cider only. Scarlet Nonpareil. Medium in size, roundish, regular, yel- lowish green, the sunny side deep red, stalk rather large , flesh firm, rich, acid. English. SPITZENBURGH, ESOPUS. Rather large, round-ovate slightly conical ; surface a high rich red, rather obscurely striped ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, rather slen- der; basin shallow, slightly furrowed ; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, spicy, rather acid, nearly unequalled in its high rich flavor. Keeps through winter. Shoots ascending and erect, rather slender, leaves crenate. Usually a mode- rate bearer. Succeeds best in New- York, its native state. Fig. 123. 172 WINTER APPLES. WINTER APPLE6. 173 Spitzenhurghj Flushing. Rather large, round-conical, red on greenish yellow ; calyx small, basin even ; flesh white, nearly sweet, pleasant, good second rate. Early winter. Growth strong. Spitzenburgh, Kaighn^s. Rather large, oblong-ovate ; some- what conical ; striped with red on yellow ; stalk slender one inch long, cavity small, acuminate ; basin rather deep ; rather coarse. Proves to be a good second-rate fruit at Cincinnati, but north and east is unworthy of cul- tivation. Keeps through winter. Growth irregular. Ori- gin, New-Jersey. Spitzenhtcrgk, Newtown. Medium size, roundish-oblate, smooth; a fine red cheek, wilh a few streaks of deeper red, on clear yellow ; stalk short ; basin wide, even ; fles*" yellowish, firm, flavor mild, agreeable. Origin, Newtowr. Long Island. Vandevere. Medium in size, round-oblate, regular ; color light red in indistinct streaks on yellow ground, often a high red where exposed ; dots numerous ; stalk uniform- ly about half an inch long, cavity and basin wide; flesh light yellow, with a rich, mild, sub-acid, excellent flavor. Early winter. Not always fair — succeeds best on light soils. Shoots spotted; leaves doubly serrate-crenate. Origin, Wilmington, Del. Wageker. Medium or rather large, oblate, obscurely ribbed, shaded and indistinctly striped with pale red, and a full, deep red in the sun, on warm yellow ground; often streaked with russet ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, cavity wide, rather obtuse ; basin even, rather large ; flesh yellowish, very fine grained, tender, compact, mild, sub- acid, very aromatic, excellent. Ripens through winter. A native of Penn Yan, N. Y. New. Watson's Dumpling. Very large, nearly round, regular; yellowish green, faintly striped; stalk short; flesh juicy, pleasant, sub-acid. For cooking. Early winter. English. Wells Apple. Rather large, roundish-conical, slightly ob- late ; bright yellowish green and red ; basin shallow ; 174 WINTER APPLES. WINTER APPLES 17/5 sprightly sub-acid. Fine baking. Shoots slender , tree very productive. (This proves to be the Domine.) Westfield Seeknofurther. {Syn. Connecticut Seekno- further, New-England Seeknofurther.) Medium or large, roundish, often slightly conical, obscurely striped with light dull red, more or less russeted, rarely covered wholly with russet ; stalk slender ; calyx partly open ; flesh ten- der, rich, spicy, of fine flavor. Early and mid-winter. Tree productive, fruit always fair. Leaves sharply ser- rate. Succeeds well throughout the northern states and Ohio. Fig. 153. Willow Twig. Large, roundish, slightly conical, obtuse, very regular; greenish yellow, striped and mottled faint- ly with dull red ; stalk short ; basin very wide and deep, rim obtuse ; flavor sub-acid or rather acid, not rich. A long keeper. Shoots very slender. Cultivated much a3 a market apple in southern Ohio. Wine. (Syii. Hays' Apple, Hays' Winter.) Rather large, often quite large, roundish, slightly flattened ; obscurely striped and mottled with red on yellow ground ; stalk quite short, cavity deep, acuminate ; calyx large, open, basin large ; flesh yellowish white, with a rich sub-acid or rather acid flavor. Early winter. There are several spu- rious varieties under this name. fVinesap. Size, medium ; round-ovate, slightly conical, sometimes obscurely flattened ; color a lively deep red ; stalk slender, three-fourths of an inch long, cavity acute ; calyx small, in a finely plaited basin ; flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, with a rich sub-acid or rather acid flavor. Keeps through winter. One of the best apples for baking. Growth rather irregular, fruit always fair. Differs from the Jonathan, in its smaller size, yellower flesh, smaller basin, and rather inferior quality. Winter Pear main. {Syn. Autumn Pearmain, erroneously. Old Pearmain.) Size, medium ; oblor.g-ovate, ends somewhat flattened ; color, narrow broken stripes of dull red on greenish yellow ; stalk half an inch to one inch long, quite slender, cavity narrow ; basin small, distinct, 12 H* 176 w:ntee apples WINTEE APPLES. 177 wrinkled ; flesh dull yellow, or greenish yellow, tender, with a pleasant, sub-acid, lemon flavor. Does not freeze easily. Fig. 126 Winter Queen. {Syn. Winter Queening.) Medium size, conical, base broad ; deep crimson in the sun, a lively pale red in the shade. Stalk slender, three-fourths of an inch long, cavity wide ; flesh yellowish, mild sub-acid, rather pleasant. Productive. Early winter. N. J. Yorkshire Greening. Rather large, oblate, slightly ribbed ; dull, dark green, slightly tinged and striped with muddy brown and dull red ; stalk short, thick ; cavity and plaited basin, shallow; flesh firm, greenish white, juicy acid. Through winter. A fine English culinary apple. Section 11. — Not striped. Albeharle Pippin. Size, medium or rather large, nearly round ; yellow with brown specks ; flesh pale yellow, sub-acid, with a very fine flavor. Keeps well. Cul- tivated chiefly in Virginia, and in great abundance in Albemarle County, at the foot of the Blue Ridge, and is sent to the Richmond market. Alfriston. Large, roundish, a little ribbed, slightly conical, pale greenish yellow, slightly russeted, stalk short, ten- der, rather acid, third rate. Bedfordshire Foundling. Large, roundish, green, stalk short, calyx open, flesh yellowish, pleasant acid, cooking. Early winter. Handsome. Belmont. {Syn. Gate, Waxen of Coxe ?) Rather large, roundish conical or ovate-conical, apex usually narrow, but sometimes quite obtuse ; faintly ribbed, smooth ; color clear pale yellow, with sometimes a light vermillion blush; and rarely with large thinly scattered carmine dots ; stalk varying from half an inch long and stout, to an inch or more long " and slender ; basin in conical specimens, narrow and shallow ; in obtuse specimens, narrow and deep, with an obtusely ribbed rim ; flesh yellowish white, compact, crisp, becoming quite tender, with a mild, rich, sub-acid, fine flavor. Leaves crenate 178 WINTER APPLES* Early winter. A profuse bearer. Excellent in New York, Michigan, and northern and central Ohio — worth- less at Cincinnati. Fig, 123. The identity of this fruit with the Waxen of Coxe, not having been established, the old name Belmont, (of Ken- rick) extensively used in most places where it is culti- vated, is here adopted. Borsdorff. {Syn. Borsdorffer.) Small, roundish oval, apex slightly conical ; pale yellow, with a full red cheek ; stalk short, slender; basin very shallow, small, even; flesh yellowish white, firm, crisp, with a rich, brisk flavor. Early winter. German. Bourassa. Rather large, ovate-conical, ribbed, somewhat irregular, a rich orange russet on a rich golden surface, dark reddish brown to the sun ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, cavity small, irregular ; basin small and narrow ; flesh fine-grained, sub-acid, rich, fine. Succeeds well far north. Bullock's Pippin, or American Golden Russet. {Syn, Golden Russet, Sheepnose.) Rather small, conical, light yellow, sprinkled and sometimes overspread with thin russet; stalk long, slender; basin very small and nar- row; ribbed; flesh yellowish white, very fine grained, becoming very tender, with a mild, rich, slightly sub-acid flavor. Growth erect, shoots rather slender; leaves sharply serrate ; tree overbears. Early winter. When well ripened, this apple is exceedingly delicate and ten- der ; sometimes it does not become soft in ripening, when the quality is poor, and often worthless. It is too small to become very popular. Mostly poor in N. Y. Fig. 141.> Canada Reinette. {Syn. Reinetle du Canada, Canadian Reinette.) Quite large, somewhat conical and flattened ; rather irregular, ribbed, apex obtuse ; greenish yellow, sometimes a brown cheek ; stalk short, cavity wide ; calyx large, basin rather deep, irregular; flesh nearly white, rather firm, becoming quite tender, juicy, with a good, lively sub-acid flavor. Early and mid-winter. The White Pippin of southern Ohio, closely resembles the Canada Reinette in form, and may prove identical. WINTER APPLES. 179 Catshead. (S?/^. Cathead Greening.) Very large, round,* pale green, stalk half an inch long, cavity deep, basin wide, deep ; tender, sub-acid ; flavor rather poor. Court of Wick. Rather small, regular, round-ovate, slight- ly flattened ; greenish-yellow, with an orange red cheek ; stalk short ; calyx open, basin wide, shallow ; flesh crisp, juicy, with a high acid flavor. Hardy, suited for the ex- treme north. English. Cranberry Pippin. Rather large, regular, oblate, very smooth ; color, a beautiful blush on pale clear yellow, often with large red dots on the sunny side ; stalk slen- der, three-fourths of an inch long ; calyx deep set, basin round, with a full obtuse rim ; flesh white, sub-acid, second-rate flavor. Early winter. Exceedingly beauti- ful i resembles Maiden's Blush, but later, and not equal in quality. Cumberland Spice, Rather large, varying from roundish- conicat o long conical, the tapering sides being nearly straight and not rounded ; color, waxen yellow, with a slight Vermillion tinge near the base ; and with black specks on the surface ; stalk half to three-fourths of aa inch long, cavity wide, slightly russeted ; calyx open, ba- sin even ; flesh yellowish- white, breaking, rather light ; core hollow ; flavor mild sub-acid, with a peculiar and agreeable spiciness, of good second-rate quality. This has been confounded with the Ortley or White Detroit of the west, but is quite distinct. Fig. 128. Aunt Hannahs Size medium, roundish, approaching ovate, straw color, with a very pleasant mild sub-acid, fine fla- vor, resembling in character the Newtown Pippin. Ori- gin, Essex county, Massachusetts. English Golden Russet. {Syn. Golden Russet of New- York.) Size medium ; roundish, usually a little oblong, sometimes slightly flattened, nearly regular; surface sometimes wholly a thick russet ; and at others a thin broken russet on a greenish-yellow skin ; stem slender, from half an inch to an inch long, being longest on ob- ♦ " the Cat's-IIead's weighty orb Enorraou* of its grcwih."— P/iiiiip*. 180 WINTER APPLES. late specimens;* flesh fine grained, firm, crisp, with a rich, aromatic flavor. Shoots speckled ; tree rather ir- regular. Keeps through winter. This is distinct from the English Russet, of straight upright growth, and a very long keeper ; and from the American Golden Rus- set or Bullock's Pippin. English Russet. {Syn. Poughkeepsie Russet.) Medium in size, roundish-conical or roundish-ovate, regular ; sur- face more or less overspead with brownish russet on light greenish yellow ground ; in large exposed specimens, wholly russeted ; stalk one-half to three-fourths of an inch long, cavity moderate, round ; basin smooth ; flesh green- ish or yellowish white, texture fine, rather firm, with a rather rich, aromatic, sub-acid flavor. Keeps through spring, and often through summer for twelve months. Growth upright, shoots lively brown. A profuse bearer. A profitable market variety. Fig. 140. It is distinguished from the English Golden Russet and Roxbury Russet, by its straight upright shoots ; and from the Roxbury by its less flat form, and less acid flavor. Fallawater. Rather large, roundish, and slightly ovate- conical, very regular, smooth ; color, a smooth shade of dull red on light greenish yellow, with a few large, whitish dots ; stalk slender, cavity narrow, acuminate ; basin small ; flesh greenish white, fine-grained, with a mild, slightly sub-acid, good second-rate flavor. Early winter. A native of Pennsylvania. {Syn. Tulpahocken.) Fenouillet Gris. {Syn. Pomme d*Anis.) Small, roundish, slightly flattened, russeted on yellow ground ; calyx small; flesh firm, perfumed, anise-flavored. Leaves very small, growth weak and slender. Fenouillet Jaune. {Syn. Embroidered Pippin.) Small, regular, bright yellow, with russet net-work ; stalk short, calyx small ; flesh firm, with a high, aromatic flavor. Tree low. Through winter. Fenouillet Rouge. Rather small, regular, roundish, a little flattened ; dark brown red on greyish ground ; stalk short ; with a firm flesh, and rich, perfumed flavor. • In all instances, where apples vary from oblate to a more elongated form, th© Kem is longer in the oblate specimens. WINTEH APPLES. 181 Fort Miami. Rather large, roundish-oblong, flattened at the ends, widest at base ; uneven, somewhat ribbed ; color dull brown, obscurely russeted ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, cavity rather wide, irregular ; basin furrowed ; flesh yellowish white, crisp, and of exceedingly high, spicy, sub-acid flavor. Keeps lons^. Ohio. F. B. Elliott. Golden Ball. Large, often quite large, roundish, remotely conical, ribbed ; fine yellow ; stalk short, slender, with fine green rays or furrows radiating from the centre of the cavity ; basin very shallow ; flesh tender, rich, aromatic. Ripens late in autumn, and keeps through winter. Liable to vary in size and fairness. Excellent for cooking. Tree very hardy ; a poor bearer. Cultivated chiefly in Maine. Golden Harvey. Small, roundish, irregular ; dull russet on yellow; a reddish cheek; calyx open, stiff*; flesh of fine texture, spicy, rich, sub-acid. Keeps through winter. Growth slender. Golden Pippin, English. Small, round, regular, rich yellow, dots in the form of short cross-bars ; stalk long, slender ; basin shallow ; flesh yellow, rich, with a fine, sub-acid, first-rate flavor. Keeps through winter. 132. Green Seeknofurther. (Syn. Seeknofurther, of Coxe.) Large, often quite large, roundish, slightly approaching oblong obtuse conical ; greenish yellow becoming yellow, specks large and conspicuous ; stalk very short ; calyx large, basin slightly ribbed, deep; flesh rather coarse, sub-acid or rather acid, of good flavor. This difl[ers from the White Seeknofurther of New England, in its larger size, more conical form, coarser texture, and inferior quality. Growth strong and vigorous, upright. Fig. 151 Lady Apple. (Syn. Pomme d'Api.) Quite small, regular, flat ; a brilliant deep red cheek on light clear yellow ; stalk and calyx deep set ; flesh tender, delicate, sub-acid, flavor good. A fancy apple. Winter and spring. Shoots small, dark, erect Productive. Subject to fire-blight in some localities Fig. 131. 182 WINTER APPLES. Lady Apple, black. Resembles the preceding in form, bu nearly black, and destitute of good flavor. Cukivated only as a" curiosity, from its almost inky blackness. Loudon Pippiri. Large or very large, roundish, slightly flattened, obtuse-conical; greenish yellow; stalk very short ; calyx large, in a smooth even basin ; flesh sub- acid, of a good second rate flavor. Early winter. Much cultivated in northern Virginia ; and from its large size and handsome appearance sells in the Washington market for about twice as much as any other sort. Productive. Male Carle. [Syn. Mela Carla, Pomme de Charles.) Me- dium size, regular, slightly conical ; smooth, clear pale waxen yellow, with a brilliant crimson cheek ; stalk one inch long, slender ; basin rather narrow and deep ; flesh tender, moderately juicy, with a delicate flavor. A native of Italy; succeeds in the middle States, unsuccess- ful in New York and New England. Early winter. Michael Henry Pippin. Size, medium ; roundish-ovate, apex narrow ; yellowish green ; stalk short, rather thick ; basin narrow; flesh yellow, tender, juicy, high flavored. Growth upright. Through winter. Origin, Monmouth Co., N. J. Monstrous Pippin. (Syn. Gloria Mundi, Ox Apple, Balti- more.) Very large, roundish, somevi^hat flattened at the ends, slightly angular or ribbed ; skin smooth whitish green, becoming whitish yellow ; stalk stout, short ; calyx large, basin wide, deep, somewhat ribbed, with an obtuse rim ; flesh white, tender, rather coarse, with a sub-acid, not rich, second or third rate flavor. Late autumn and early winter. Mouse. (Syn. Moose.) Large, rounish-oblong or slightly ovate conical ; pale green becoming greenish yellow with a brownish blush; stalk three-fourths of an incli long, rather slender; basin narrow, slightly plaited ; flesh white, fine-grained, spongy, delicate, mild, sub-acid. A native of Ulster Co., N. Y. Through winter. NEWTOWN PIPPIN. (Syn. Pippin, Green Newtown Pip- pin.) Medium or rather large, roundish, oblique, slightly WINTER APPLES. 183 irregular, remotely conical or else a little flattened ; dull green becoming yellowish green; often with a dull brownish blush ; stalk short, deep set, and surrounded by thin, dull, whitish russet rays ; basin narrow, shallow ; flesh greenish white, juicy, crisp, fine-grained, with a high, fine flavor. Keeps through spring, and retains remarkably its freshness. Tree of rather slow growth, with a rough barl^. The fruit is very liable to black spots or scabs, unless under high, rich, and constant culti- vation, with a good supply of lime in the soil. One oi the best fruits for foreign markets. A native of New- town, Long Island, and has rarely succeeded well in New-England. Fig. 124. Newark King, Size, medium ; conical ; skin smooth, red in streaks on yellow ground ; flesh tender, rather rich, pleasant. Early winter. Origin, New Jersey. Newark Pippin. (Syn. French Pippin.) Kather large, round-oblong, regular; greenish yellow, becoming yellow ; stalk and calyx deep set ; flesh tender, rich, and high- flavored. Growth crooked, irregular. Early winter. Old Nonpareil. Rather small, round-ovate, flattened j greenish yellow with pale russet, stalk slender, calyx small ; flesh rich, acid, sharp. Early winter. English. Ortley, or White Detroit. (Syn» Ortley Pippin, Warren Pippin, White Bellflower, Woolman's Long, Detroit, Jersey Greening, Detroit of the West.) Large, roundish, somewhat oblong-ovate, pale yellow, slightly tinged with pink in the sun; stalk about an inch long, sometimes short, but always slender ; cavity deep and narrow ; basin rather deep, nearly even or slightly plaited ; flesh sub- acid, crisp, sprightly, rich, fine, about first rate. Shoots slender. Fig. 127. Peck's Pleasant. Large, often quite large, roundish, some- times remotely oblong, often a little oblique, usually slightly flattened ; smooth and regular; color, light green, becoming yellow, with a brown blush ; stalk very short, one-fourth to one-half an inch long, thick, rarely longer and somewhat slender ; calyx open, basin abrupt, rather 184 WINTEE APPLES. deep ; flesh compact, very tender, with a mild, rich, fine, clear sub-acid, Newtown Pippin flavor. Early winter — poor, if too ripe. Growth rather erect, shoots somewhat diverging; a good bearer, fruit always fair. The fruit resembles the Yellow Newtown Pippin, but larger, fairer, and earlier in ripening. Origin, Rhode Island. Pickman. Rather large, round, light yellow, with black specks ; flesh firm, juicy. Through winter. A fine culinary variety. PoMME Grise. (Syn. Gray Apple.) Rather small, roundish- oblate, a grey russet ; stalk slender, cavity wide, rather obtuse ; calyx small, basin round ; flesh very tender for a Russet and fine-grained, rich, and high-flavored. Ca- nada. One of the best dessert apples for the extreme north. Pound Royal. (Syn. Pomme Royale, erroneously,) Large sometimes furrowed, roundish, slightly oblong, a little uneven ; surface whitish yellow ; stalk slender, an inch and a quarter long, cavity large ; basin furrowed, irregular ; flesh tender, breaking, fine-grained, mild, agreeable, sprightly. Ripens through winter. Tree vigo- rous, productive. Origin, Pomfret, Conn. RHODE-ISLAND GREENING. (Sy7i. Greening.) Large, roundish-oblate ; green, becoming greenish yellow, always fair, a dull brown blush to the sun ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long ; basin rather small, often slightly rus- seted ; flesh yellow, — a rich yellow if much exposed to the sun, and whitish yellow or greenish white if much shaded, — tender, juicy, with a rich rather acid flavor. Growth strong, young trees crooked or oblique, shoots rather spreading, leaves sharp serrate ; best on light soils; very productive, single trees often yielding forty bushels of fair fruit in favorable years, and neglected orchards 500 bushels per acre. Fine throughout the Northern States, where it keeps through winter into spring ; but fails from a deficiency in the soil, through most parts of central and southern Ohio ; and at Cincinnati and St. Louis becomes an autumn fruit. WINTER APPLES. 185 Roman Stem. Medium in size, round-ovate ; whitish yel- low, with a faint brownish blush ; stalk one-half to three- fourths of an inch long, with a fleshy protuberance at insertion ; cavity shallow; basin narrow, slightly plaited ; flesh tender, juicy, mild, sub-acid, good second rate flavor. Keeps through winter. New Jersey. ROXBURY RUSSET. (Syn. Boston Russet, Putnam Russet of Ohio.) Medium or large, roundish-oblate, remotely conical, partly or wholly covered with rather rough russet on greenish yellow ground, sometimes- a dull brown cheek ; stalk one-half to an inch long, cavity acute J basin round, moderate ; flesh greenish white, rather granular, slightly crisp, with a good sub-acid flavor. Keeps late in spring. Large specimens become conical, with short thick stalks ; small specimens are more flat, and with longer and more slender stalks. Growth spreading, shoots downy. Although not of the highest flavor, its productiveness, uniformly fair fruit, and long keeping, render this variety one of the most profitable for orchard culture. It succeeds well through- out the Northern States, but partially fails in a few localities in Ohio. Fig. 139. The Warner Russet (new) resembles the Roxbury, but is a finer and more vigorous grower. Sam Young. Small, regular, oblate ; bright yellow, partly russetted; stalk short ; calyx large, open ; flesh greenish, juicy, with a rich, fine flavor. Early winter. Irish. Shippen's Russet. Large, roundish-ovate, flattened, taper- ing to apex ; mostly russeted on greenish yellow ground, tinged red in the sun; stalk three-quarters of an inch long, deep set ; basin small ; flesh rather spongy, sub- acid or rather acid, second rate. Surprise. Small, round-ovate, skin light yellow, flesh light dull red, flavor poor. A curiosity on account of its yellow skin and red flesh. SWAAR. Rather large, roundish, slightly flattened at the ends, often considerably oblate, sides regularly rounded, crown as wide as base ; color greenish yellow becoming a rich yellow, sometimes faintly russeted ; and a small 86 WINTER APPLES. blush near the base, when much exposed to the sun; stalk rather slender, three-fourths of an mch long, cavity round, moderate, or often small ; basin small, even ; flesh yellowish, fine grained, compact, tender, with a very rich, mild, aromatic, agreeable, slightly sub-acid flavor. Es- teemed by many as the finest winter table apple. Ripens through winter and keeps into spring. Shoots ascending, buds large, leaves coarsely rounded serrate. Fruit apt to be scabby on old overloaded trees. Not successful in all localities. Fig. 124. Sweet and Sour. A middle sized fruit, with greenish ribs and whitish hollows ; the former sub-acid, and the latter with an insipid or sweet flavor, occasioned by a partially diseased action, not unlike that of the whitish streaks in the leaves of striped or i-'ibhon grass. The wildly absurd story of raising this fruit by placing two halves of dissimi- lar buds together, is wholly fabulous. Tewksbury Blush. (S^/yi. Tewksbury Winter Blush.) Small, round-oblate , yellow with a red cheek ; flesh yellow, •juicy, with a good flavor. Keeps till mid-summer. Very productive. New-Jersey. Victorious Reinette. {Syn. Reinette Triomphante.) Large roundish-oblong, tapering very slightxy each way from the middle ; regular, often a little oblique ; pale yellow with rough specks; stalk half an inch long, cavity very deep; flesh yellowish, rather firm, of second-rate sub-acid flavor. White Seeknofurtiier. Size medium; roundish oblate, slightly obtuse-conical, very pale green becoming yellow- ish, with whitish specks faintly ribbed ; stalk very short, thick, cavity small; basin moderate or rather deep, slight- ly ribbed or uneven ; flesh very fine grained, juicy, mild sub-acid, very agreeable, fine flavor. Cultivated in New- England. Fruit often defective. This is distinguished from the green Seeknofurther of Coxe by its smaller size, and far more delicate texture. Fig. 150. White Winter Calville. Large, rather flat, broadly ribbed, irregular ; color, pale greenish yellow, becoming yellow stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender, deep set WINTER APPLES. 187 basin deep, irregular ; flesh white, granular, tender, light, flavor faintly sub-acid, third-rate. Early winter. French. Culinary. Winter Cheese. Medium in size ; green in the shade, red in the sun ; flesh very crisp, very tender and delicate, sprightly, and of a fine, pleasant flavor. One of the most highly esteemed early winter apples of southern Virginia, closely resembling the Fall Cheese, but a longer keeper. Becomes mealy and insipid after maturity. Wood's Greening. Large, roundish, a little oblique, slight- ly flattened, obscurely conical ; pale green, smooth ; stalk very short, cavity acuminate ; calyx rather large, basin distinct, slightly plaited ; flesh greenish white, or nearly white, fine grained, slightly crisp, tender ; flavor very agreeable, mild sub-acid, first-rate, but not very rich. Vellow Bellflower. {S'jn. Bellflower, Yellow Belle- fleur.) Large, often quite large, oblong-ovate, apex quite narrow and conical, more or less irregular ; surface pale yellow, often with a blush ; stalk slender ; basin ribbed ; seeds long ; flesh very tender, fine grained, crisp, juicy, acid, becoming sub-acid ; excellent. Keeps through winter. Shoots yellowish, rather slender, growth of the tree rather upright ; succeeds best on rather light soils. Adapted to the climate of the northern and middle states, as far south as Kentucky, but fails by premature dropping in a few localities. More tart and less rich in cold sum- mers, and far north. Vellow Newtown Pippin. Medium or rather large, round- ish, slightly oblong and oblique, more or less flattened ; yellow, with a brownish red cheek, purplish before ripe, stalk very short ; flesh firm, crisp, with a rich, mild fla- vor. Closely resembles the Green Newtown Pippin, and believed by many to be identical, differing only by a warmer exposure. It is fairer in some localities than the Green, but is usually inferior to it in flavor. The growth of the two varieties is only distinguished in the large trees 188 COMPARATIVE FORMS Of APPLES. COMPARATIVE FORMS OF APPLES, ON A SCALE ONE-HALF THE DIAMETER, ACCURATELY REDUCED FROM ACTUAL SPECIMENS. Fig- 129— HoK and Pippin. Fig, 130-~FaU Pippin. COMPARATIVE FARMS OF APPLES. 18» Fig. 131. Lady Apple. Fig. 132. Fig. 133. English Golden Pippin. Early Red Margaret. Fig. 131. Two specimens White JuneaU'ng. Fig. 135. Two sfeeimens Ross Nonpareil, Showing the tendency to elongation of the stalk as the fruit assumci h smaller size and more oblate form. Fig. ISS—Jonathan. Fig. l^—Carthouse. Fig. 138— Fa»M«5«. 190 COMPARATIVE FORMS OF APPLES. Fig. 139. Rozbury Russet. Fig. 140. English Russet. Fig. 141. Bullock''s Pippin, or Am Golden Russet. Fig. 142. Peach Pond Sweet. Fig'. 143. Jersey Sweeting. Fig. 144. Leland Spice. Fig. 145. Am. Summer Pearmain. Fig. 146. Garden Royal. Fig 147. Late Strawberry. COMPARATIVE FORMS OF APPLES. 191 Fig. lis— Maiden^s Blush. Fig. liO—Hawthornden. Fig. 150— White Seeknqfurther. Fig. 151— Green Seekno/urther, Fig. tS^—Westfield Steknofurthtr. 192 COMPARATIVE FORMS OF APPLES. Fig. 154— SMmwer Sweet Paradise. Fig. 155— Haskell Sweet. Tkf • 155— Stceef Baidwin. Fig V^^Moiher. CHAPTER II THE PEAR. The tear, vvhen grown to full perfection, is eminently dis- tinguished for its great delicacy, its melting and juicy tex- ture, and by its mild, exceedingly rich, and delicious flavor. Greatly excelling the apple in these particulars, it falls be- low it in importance only in consequence of the less uni- formly healthy habit of the tree. PROPAGATION. The best trees are raised from seedling stocks ; suckers, unless unusually furnished with fibrous roots, are of crooked, one-sided, and stunted growth. Seedling pears are more difficult to raise than those of any other kind of fruit ; and the many disasters to which the young trees are liable, have caused a great and general deficiency, in the midst of an abundant supply of trees of other kinds in the nurseries of this country. Raising the Seedlings. The seeds, after separation from the fruit, should be kept in the way already given for apple- seeds, by mixing with sand or muck. The soil for the seed- bed, should be unusually deep and fertile, rather damp than otherwise, and should have a good manuring with lime and ashes, and an abundant supply of peat or muck, if the soil is not already largely furnished by nature with this in- gredient. A correspondent of the Horticulturist states that he has been eminently successful by the following practice : First make a deep trench with the plow, and finish to the required depth with the spade — two feet — not less. The compost used to fill the trench is made of half a peck of iron filings or blacksmith's cinders, with half a peck of slaked lime, and half a peck of wood ashes, and a peck each of swamp muck and barn-yard manure, thoroughly mixed with 194 PROPAGATION OF '1 HE PEAR. a bushel of soil into a compost. J. Washburn, of Plymouth, Mass., also furnishes the following statement : — " I have a fine lot of pear seedlings, which were [very copiously] ma- nured with compost in the following proportions : — one load of muck, two loads of stable manure, two barrels of iron :tust, one barrel of bone-dust, and two barrels of wood ashes. The whole was composted early in autumn — applied in the fall — and the seed sown the first of May. Other seeds plant- ed on the same land without this compost, but with stable manure, have produced plants that nisted badly, and are not one quarter the size of the first lot, which are fine, strong stocks." The mode of sowing the seeds may be the same as that described for the apple, in drills one to two feet apart. The more thinly they are sown, the less will be the danger of disaster from the leaf blight ; and for this reason, drills near together, with the seeds somewhat sparingly scattered in them, will be found best. The leaf-blight is the most serious evil met with in the cul- tivation of pear seedlings. Its immediate cause has not been satisfactorily explained. It is more formidable in some seasons than in others. Commencing about midsummer, sometimes earlier, but more frequently later, it is first indi- cated by the leaves in certain parts of the seed-beds turning brown ; in a few days they fall off; other portions of the beds are successively attacked, till all the seedlings become more or less denuded, those last affected occupying the most favorable portions of the soil. As a necessary consequence, growth immediately ceases ; and if they are attacked early, and have made but little previous growth, they are nearly ruined, and few will survive the succeeding winter, for they never make a second growth the same year of any value. But if their previous growth has been vigorous, and the blight appears late in summer, much less injury is sustained. The best remedy is the high cultivation, on good new soil.* Wintering the ymtng seedlings. The frequent destruc- tion of the trees the first winter, is another serious evil. The danger is least with those that have made the best well ripened growth ; hence it becomes very important to secure healthful vigor by the adoption of the compost and * See Appendix, page ^jg PROPAGATION OF THE PEAR. 195 cultivation previously mentioned. But in many localities, pear seedlings, which are always remarkably free from fibrous or lateral roots the first year, are drawn out by the freezing of the soil, and either destroyed or greatly injured. Several modes have been proposed to prevent this result, and have been tried to a greater or less extent. One, is to induce the emission of lateral roots, by taking up the young seedlings from the thickly sown beds, early in the season and as soon as four leaves have appeared, cut off their tap roots, and reset them in the nursery rows. Robert Nelson, of Newburyport, Mass., has pursued this course with great success ; but its general utility may be questioned, except during a rainy period or on favorable soils, unless abundant watering is given. A more easy as well as safe mode would perhaps be to cut off the tap roots, at the same age, by means of a sharp spade thrust beneath the soil, and without transplanting. Neither of these modes could be successfully applied except to large, vigorous seedlings, growing in a deep, rich soil. But where the growth of lateral roots has not been ef- fected, and the consequent danger greater, of their being drawn upwards by frost, much protection may be given them by covering the whole ground with forest leaves to a depth of several inches ; and if the rows are near each other, and the trees several inches or a foot high, they will prevent the leaves from being swept off by the winds. The incursion of mice may be avoided by placing the seed-beds as near as practicable to the middle of a clean plowed field, and by encircling the ground with a bank or ridge of fresh earth, thrown up for this purpose, about a foot high. Mice will not pass such a boundary under the snow. Taking up the seedlings late in autumn, and burying them in a cellar, or laying them in by the roots and nearly covering the whole stems, will preserve them safely ; but this mode is liable to the objection of the check in growth necessarily given in transplanting. Budding and Grafting may be performed the second summer if the stocks have made a good growth. The ma- nagement of the young trees is the same as with apples, by crafting or budding near the surface of the ground, and heading down trimming, and cultivation. But as peal 196 DWARF PEARS. Stocks are valuable, budding is to be preferred to grafting, because it may be repeated in case of failure. For the same reason, root-grafting the pear is not adopted, especially as slightly unfavorable causes are apt to produce far greater failures of such grafts than with the apple. Propagation by Layers^ giving every tree roots of its own kind, is easily effected by bending down a vigorous and thickly branched tree, and making layers of every good shoot. In two years at fartherest they will furnish well rooted young plants. DWARF PEARS. For orchard culture, and in most parts of the country where the pear flourishes with great vigor and proves highly pro- ductive, pear stocks will doubtless always be found greatly preferable to all others. The advantages of a dwarf growth on dissimilar stocks, have been already pointed out under the head stocks. Such trees are not so long-lived as on pear roots, and they require more thorough and fertile culture, and care in pruning. But they have some import- ant advantages, such as coming soon into bearing, occupy- ing less than a fifth part of the ground, thriving in many soils where pear stocks will not, and in a few instances im- proving the quality of the fruit. The stocks for dwarfs, which have been more or less used, are the mountain ash, the apple, the thorn, and the quince. Nearly all the experiments with the mountain ash have Booner or later proved failures. Budded or grafted upon apple seedlings, pears sometimes make a feeble growth for a few years ; but unless the grafts themselves throw out roots, by planting beneath the surface, they sooner or later perish. It sometimes happens that grafts of a few varieties inserted at standard height, grow and bear for a series of years. But experiments of this sort are not to be recom- mended, the few instances of success only forming excep- tions to a general rule. The thorn has been extensively used in England, and to some extent in this country, with considerable success. But all other kinds of dis'similar stocks have given way to the quince, which is regarded as much superior for general use to any other. Of the different sorts o( quince, the Angers quince has proved the best. DWARF PEARS. 197 The varieties of the pear do not grow with equal facility upon the quince. A few, as the Duchesse d'Angouleme, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Beurre Diel, are so much im- proved in quality that their cuhivation on pear stocks is wholly discontinued by skilful fruit growers. A larger num- ber flourish well, but are little changed in quality, as White Doyenne and Dearborn's Seedling. A few,- on the other hand, succeed badly or wholly refuse to grow upon quince stocks, without double working, which consists in first bud- ding some freely growing pear upon the quince bottom, and then budding or grafting the "refractory" sort into the pear shoot. As a general rule, double-worked trees do not flourish for a great length of time. Single-worked have done welj for 30 or 40 years under favorable influences. The following list, made out chiefly from the combined experience of European and American cultivators, may prove valuable to those commencing with dwarf pears : Pears succeeding lest on the quince. Louise Bonne of Jersey , Long Green of Autumn, Beurre Diel, Early Rousselet, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Stevens' Genesee, Easter Beurre, Fortunee, Beurre d'Ainalis, Glout Morceau, Vicar of Winkficld, Chaumonielle. Pears usually succeeding well on both quince and pear. Van Mons' Leonle Clerc, Summer Franc Real, Jaminette, Plombgastel, Belle Lucrative, Tyson, Harvard, Doyenne d'Ete, Queen of Low Countries, Bon Chretien Fondante, Dearborn's Seedling, Onondaga, Rostiezer, Osband's Summer, Oswego Beurr6, BufTum, Bartlett, Bloodgood, Napoleon, Madeleine, Capiaumont, Compte de Lamy, White Doyennfe, Duchesse d'Orleans, Grey Doyenne, Forelle, Jargonelle, Jersey Gratioli, St. Germain, Passe Colmar, Beurre d'Aremberg, Delices d'Hardenpont. 198 DWARF PEARS. Pears succeeding on the quince only by douhle-workiii^t, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Ranee, Marie Louise, Ne Plus Meuris, Gansel's Bergaraot Thompson's, Dix, Dunmore, Flemish Beauty, H aeon's Incomparable, Knight's Monarch, Winter Nelis and Seckel, inmost Suffolk Thorn, instances, but sometimes suc- Crassane, Winter and Althorpe, ceeding. Urbaniste, The result is not always the same in different soils and in different seasons. The Seckel, for instance, has wholly failed in one year, and in another, on the same spot of ground, has grown well. The White Doyenne grew fine- ly one summer, and almost totally failed the next. Some sorts which in nearly all cases do well, occasionally prove unsuccessful. A few, uniformly, in all seasons and in all soils, make a rapid and vigorous growth, of which the Louise Bonne of Jersey is perhaps the most striking ex- ample ; some others, again, invariably fail, (unless double- worked,) the most prominent among which stands the Beurre Bosc. Indeed, so averse is this variety to a union with the quince, that it is by no means certain that it may not soon fail if worked in whatever manner. In some places, however, double-working has given it smooth and fair fruit where it has been cracked and blighted on the pear. Both this and the Flemish Beauty, as well as the Marie Louise, and some others, succeed well when grafted on the hawthorn. The changes wrought by the quince stock, are often im- portant and interesting. T. Rivers states that the Beurre d'Aremberg ripens several weeks earlier in winter ; that the Easter Beurre is rendered more productive and matures its fruit, while on the pear it is a bad bearer, and does not ripen; that the Fortunee is a "perfect crab " upon the pear, but on the quince is melting and juicy; that the Glout Mor- ceau is imperfect and ripens badly on the pear, but is always fair and attains a high and mature flavor on quince. As a general effect, the size of the fruit is increased, but in a few cases it is rendered more gritty in texture. Unfavorable soils occasionally preclude the cultivation of some pears, but for the favorable influence of the stock. DWARF PEARS. 199 Thus, at Dorchester, Mass., on Long Island, and in some other places, the White Doyenne only succeeds well upon the quince. The stocks of dwarf pears should be wholly beneath the surface to elude the borer, which avoids the pear. Pruning Dwarf Pears. Dwarf pear trees are usually pruned into the 'pyramidal and conical form, the latter only differing in iis broader shape. The an- nexed figure exhibits these forms dis- tinctly. The principle to be adopted in pruning has been already explained on page 90 ; the extent to which it must be carried, should be such as to keep the trees within ten or twelve feet in height, and from four to six feet in diameter at the base. A greater height increases the difficulty of pruning. The same reason forbids the adoption of a head with a clean stem below, as in common standards. The pyramidal mode of pruning may be applied to pear trees upon pear stocks, J5SS, HaJf-standards, or trees with about two Fig. 157. and a half feet of clear stems, the heads being usually roundish-oval, and pruned only by thinning, are a good form for market orchards. The clear stem facili- tates cultivation, and prevents splitting by deep snows. Dwarf trees may be planted at a distance of six to ten feet apart. They will always need careful at- tention to pruning, and to thorough and enriched cultivation of the ground. Horizontal training, for walls or espaliers, is very rarely practiced or needed in this country. It is occasionally em- ployed in limited gar- dens, to form bounda- ries of walks, without occupying much lateral space, and where it is desired to Fig. 15S. 200 GATHERING AND KEEPING PEARS. grow large and fine specimens of fruit by strong exposure to the sun. The mode may be briefly understood by the ac- companying figure representing a partly grown tree. As the tree advances, shoots will be produced from the sides of the horizontal arms ; these must be stopped or pinched ofl early in summer, to prevent their drawing too hard on the rest of the tree, and a similar course pursued with them to that described on page 90 of this work. The fruit-buds, and all the shoots or spurs supporting fruit-buds, are to be cut closely off wherever too thick for an even crop. Early in autumn the shortened shoots are to be cut down, leaving the fruit-buds, only, to bear the next season. By this regu- larity of pruning, the tree will preserve a neat appearance, and bear regular crops. The horizontal branches may be about one foot apart for large pears, and eight inches for small ; and the trees, if on quince roots, may be about 10 feet apart. GATHERING AND KEEPING THE FRUIT. Nearly all pears ripen with a much finer flavor if picked and matured in the house. The exceptions are very few. Some, which prove only second or third rate when allowed to remain till they soften on the tree, become rich, melting, and delicious if house-ripened. Gathering the fruit while yet hard, will in nearly all cases prevent or greatly diminish the rotting at the core, which otherwise nearly destroys the value of many early sorts. Winter pears should hang upon the tree as late as safety will allow, and when gathered should be kept in a cool room till near their usual period of maturity, when the ripen- ing is to be completed in a warm room, at a temperature of 60 or 70 degrees. They should be kept covered to prevent shrivelling. Some cultivators have wholly repudiated win- ter pears, merely from a want of skill in the management of their ripening, or the want of a good cellar to keep them in. Some sorts, however, as the Beurro d'Aremberg, require but little care ; others, as the Vicar of Winkfield need par- ticular attention. But the transfer from the cool to the warm room is of great importance to most, and will convert tough and hard specimens into those which are juicy, melting, and excellent. DISEASES OF THE PEAR TREE. 201 DISEASES AND ENEMIES. Blight, A most formidable difficulty in the cultivation of the pear, is the blight^ known in its modifications, supposed or real, by the names Jire-blight, insect-hlight, frost-blight, and frozen sap-blight. The causes may be various, but the apearances are the same, — a sudden withering and i .rning black of the leaves on certain limbs during rapid grovvth, and while the rest of the tree remains apparently in full vigor, the evil extending downwards, unless naturally or artificially checked, till the whole tree is destroyed. After a close investigation for years, by the most skilful cultivators of the country, a satisfactory explanation, appli- cable to all cases, has not been made. The earlier theory was, that the hot rays of the sun pro- duced .the disaster, and hence the original name fire-blight. This was confirmed by the fact that the blight was often most fatal in the hottest summers ; and weakened by the opposing fact that shaded portions of the tree were as fre- quently attacked as those fully exposed to the action of the hot sun. It was subsequently discovered that a small insect, [Sco' lytis pyri,) by the supposed infusion of poison, caused the death of the branches, but no general or wide destruction of the pear could be traced to this source. More recently, the frozen-sap theory has been extensively adopted. The explanation by this theory is as follows : — A damp and warm autumn causes a late and unripened growth of wood, imperfectly able to withstand the effects of winter. It is acted upon by severe frosts, not, however, so as to produce immediate death or winter-killing, but so as to result, sooner or later, in disease and partial decomposi- tion of the sap, by which it becomes poisonous in its nature, and by passing downwards through the bark, spreads death in its progress.* This theory is corroborated by many local observations, and by the general fact that the blight is much more de- * A modification of the frozen-sap blight, knov.-n sometimes by the name of frost- blight, occurs early in summer, immediately after unusual and sharp nocmrnal frosts. The young and tender shoots and the branches below them, are observed to die sud- denly within a few days, but protracted in some instances to several weeks. The sap from the dead limbs does not in this case appear to be so deleterious as in other forms of blig'ht, and although sometimes destroying large portions of trees, they more frequently escape after a partial loss of their tops. DISEASES OF THE PEAR TREE. stnictive in the warm and fertile valleys of southern Ohio, where vegetation continues late, is more succulent in its texture, and where the frosts are sudden and sharp, than in the dryer and cooler climate of New England. But this same reason is also adduced in support of the original JirC' Might tneory, and indeed it applies with strength to both. But after admitting that the different theories may be in paU correct, and that the blight may be caused by a combi- nation in a greater or less degree of each assigned cause, we are driven to the conclusion, from a large number of observations, of which these limits wholly preclude even a brief recital, that the cause of the blight, like that of the po- tato disease, remains hid in a large number of instances from our knowledge. And that, whether the latent tendency to disease is only increased and developed by changes of the weather, or whether those changes actually produce them, is yet enveloped in doubt. Happily, however, the remedy is not obscured in uncer- tainty. For whe.ther by an insect, or by the poisonous in fluence of the descending juices, its progress must be ar- rested by an immediate excision of the dead branches. And, as the poison passes downwards some time before its effects are visible externally, the amputation must be made two or three feet below the affected part, if the poison as well as the dead part, is to be removed. Equally necessary is it, that the infection of the diseased limbs be removed as speedi- ly as possible out of the way, by burning. This remedy cannot be effectual, unless very promptly and fearlessly applied. Many cultivators, in fear of mutila- ting their trees, do not cut low enough, and leave the seeds of death remaining in the tree. Others delay the applica- tion of the remedy for a number of days, till cure is hope- less. In extensive and malignant cases, the disaster may be difficult to subdue even by the most prompt measures ; but in ordinary instances entire success w^U follow. In any event, it will be better to cut away and burn by successive portions a whole tree, than to lose it entire by this disease, a result equally certain, with the added evil of spreading the malady. Two contiguous neighbors had each a large pear orchard , '%*je of them neglected all attention, the other spent ten DISEASES OF THE PEAR TREE. 203 minutes daily in the examination of all his trees, and in cut- ting out freshly diseased limbs. The former lost many en- tire trees ; the latter saved every one, and kept his orchard nearly clear. Young trees in close rows have been attacked successively till all perished; in other rows where the affected trees were quickly removed, few of the remainder suffered. Washing the affected parts with a solution of potash and sulphate of iron, (or copperas,^ has in some cases arrested the disease, or destroyed the peculiar fermented odor which attends its more malignant forms, and by which, perhaps, it is sometimes spread. Among preventives^ a good, rich, firm, and dry soil, and a site favoring the early ripening of the wood, and adverse to a late succulent growth, hold an important rank. The bark of the pear is evidently of a very delicate structure, and it becomes more able to resist changes and disease as the growth is moderately vigorous, and healthy and matured. The attempt has been made to select those varieties least liable to blight, but results vary so exceedingly, that nearly all efforts have proved fruitless. But among those which have escaped in the largest number of instances may be named, first, the Seckel, which is scarcely ever destroyed even at Cincinnati, and the White Doyenne. The Made- leine and Passe Colmar appear to be more liable than the majority of sorts. Dwarf pear trees are not usually so subject to blight as others. Cracking of the fruit has been already adverted to under the head of soils and special manures, and the remedy point- ed out. It usually appears in the form of a thick coating of black rust, spreading over the surface, when partly grown causing the skin to crack, shrivel, and dry up» S94 CLASSIFICATION OF PEARS. SYNOPSIS OF ARRANGEMENT. Division I. Summer Pears. Class I. Distinct pyriform. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class II. Obscure pyriform^ ohovate, or turbi7iate Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class III. Roundish or oblate. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Division II. Autumn Pears. Class I. Distinct pyriform. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class II. Obscure pyriform, obovate, or turbinate Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class III. Roundish or oblate. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size Section III. Small. CLASSIFICATION OF PEARS. 205 Division III. Winter Pears. Class I. Distinct pyriform. Section I. Large pears. Section 11. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class 11. Obscure pyriform, obovate, or turbinate. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. Class HI. Roundish or oblate. Section I. Large pears. Section II. Medium in size. Section III. Small. varieties. The quality of pears is remarkably liable to change from external causes. A difference in soil and cultivation exerts so great an influence with many fine sorts, that while they possess the highest flavor when growing on favorable ground kept rich and mellow, they become greatly inferior or even worthless in poor soil with neglected culture. Besides these, there are other influences dependant on a change of locality, all of which taken together, have contributed to the great diversity of opinion which exists in relation to many celebrated varieties. The experienced pomologist will hence perceive the difficulty of weighing evidence for and against the different sorts, and of expressing a degree of quality that shall coincide with the opinions of all. It will be understood, that the quality given on the fol- lowing pages, refers only to pears tested in this country. Some European varieties, which maintain a high character at home, prove of no value here. In describing pears, it may be well to repeat that the term base applies in all cases to the part nearest the tree ; and apex, to the part most remote. This is in accordance with universal practice among eminent botanists. The apex is usually termed the crown; and it is sufficiently evident that the crown (upper portion or surmounting part,) cannot at the same time be the base. 206 SUBIMER PEARS. Fig. 15i—Bartlett. Fig. 155—Bloodgood SUMMER PEARS. 207 DIVISION I.— SUMMER PEARS. Class I. — Distinct Pyriform. Section I. — Large Pears, BARTLETT. (Syn. Williams' Bonchretien,) Quite large obtuse-pyriform, slightly obconic, surface wavy, clear yel- low, sometimes a faint blush ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, stout, slightly sunk; basin little or none; apel slightly plaited, sometimes smooth; flesh nearly white, very fine-grained, exceedingly tender and buttery, with a nearly sweet, sometimes faintly sub-acid, perfumed, fine, moderately rich flavor. Ripens end of summer and be- ginning of autumn ; and far north, is strictly an autumn pear. The fruit, when not fully grown, ripens and be* comes of good quality if kept in the house a week or twOt Growth erect, vigorous, leaves folded, slightly recurved shoots yellowish. Tree very productive, and bears very young. Although not of the first class as to flavor, the many fine qualities of this pear render it a general favo- rite. Fig. 154. Belle of Brussels. {Syn. Belle de Bruxelles, Beauty of Brussels, Belle d'Aout, Belle of August.) Rather large, sometimes only medium, neck rather long, slender, and somewhat obconic ; surface smooth, rich yellow with greenish specks, slightly reddened in the sun ; stalk an inch and a half long, rather stout, fleshy at ends ; calyx scarcely sunk ; flesh white, with a third-rate flavor. Very handsome, but worthless. Late summer. Belgian. Jargonelle^ {Englisji.) {Syn, Epargne, Real Jargonelle.^ Rather large, long pyriform, neck rather slender, acute, body nearly round, or slightly ovate in large specimens ; surface greenish yellow, with a dull brownish cheek ; stalk an inch and three-fourths long, curved, obliquely in- serted ; calyx large, rather erect, basin very small ; flesh rather eoarse, juicy, with a pleasant, refreshing sub-acid, 14 208 SUMMER PEARS^ second-rate flavor. Ripens about two weeks after har- vest, and three weeks or more before the Bartlett. Shoots large, dark brown, becoming rather crooked. The fruit rots badly at the core unless ripened in the house. Ol French origin. Fig. 185. French Jargonelle. (Sjr?2..Bellisime d'Ete, Supreme, Sum- mer Beauty, Red Muscadel.) Size, medium ; pyriform, approaching obovate ; skin shining, light green, becoming lemon yellow, with a rich, deep red cheek ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, slightly sunk ; basin shallow ; flesh white, coarse, breaking, sweet, flavor third rate. Rots at the core. Ripens with the English Jargonelle. Growth strong, upright. Handsome and worthless. Fig. 186. Windsor. {Syn. Summer Bell.) Large, very distinct py- riform, body somewhat ovate or conical ; skin green or greenish yellow, sometimes a dull brownish cheek ; stalk nearly two inches long, fleshy at insertion, not sunk ; calyx erect or closed, sunk little or none ; flesh rather coarse, slightly acid and astringent, of poor flavor. Rots at the core. Ripens middle of 8 mo., (Aug.^ Valueless, but has been cultivated on account of its size and beauty, and the free growth and productiveness of the tree. Sectio7i 11. — Medium in size. Brandywine. Size medium ; obconic-pyriform, neck acute; smooth, dull yellowish green, partly russeted, crown thick- ly russeted ; stalk three-fourths to an inch and a half long, fleshy at insertion ; flesh white, very juicy and melting, of fine flavor. Leaves rather small, shoots pale olive, vigorous, upright -, tree very productive. A native of Delaware Co., Fa. New. Fig. 188. Summer Thorn. (Si/?z. Epine d'Et^.) Size medium ; pyri- form, approaching obconic-turbinate ; surface smooth, greenish yellow, a little darker and sometimes reddened towards the sun ; stalk stout, an inch to an inch and a fourth long, not sunk, fleshy at insertion ; calyx short, basin plaited, very shallow ; flesh tender, melting, with a third rate flavor. Resembles a small Jargonelle. Shoots yellowish brown. SUMMER PEARS. 209 TySON. Size medium, often rather large, obconic-pyriform, sometimes approaching ohconic-obovate ] bright yellow, with a reddish brown softly shaded cheek, often some rus- set ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, inserted into a fleshy prominence abruptly contracted from the rounded neck ; basin very shallow, even ; flesh of fine texture, buttery, very melting, juicy; flavor nearly sweet, aromatic, slightly perfumed, excellent. Ripens the last two weeks of sum- mer. Shoots quite dark brown, erect, vigorous. The tree does not come soon into bearing. Pa. Fig. 161. Winship's Seedling. Sizs medium, obconic-pyriform ; pale lemon yellow, faintly russeted ; stalk an inch and a half long, slender, curved, not sunk ; calyx closed, basin round; juicy, melting, pleasant, second-rate. Late sum- mer. Shoots yellowish. Boston, Mass. Section III. — Small. Early Rousselet. {Syn. Rousselet Hatif, Early Catherine, Cyprus Pear, Kattern.^ Rather small; neck narrow, acute ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, fleshy at insertion ; surface yellow, with a reddish brown cheek ; calyx small, basin shallow ; flesh sweet, pleasant, per- fumed. Ripens v/ith the Jargonelle, and immediately after the Madeleine. A second-rate fruit. Skinless. {Sy?i. Sanspeau.) Rather small, long pyriform, body conic-ovate, regular; skin smooth, very thin, yel- lowish green, often dotted with reddish brown in the sun; stalk about an inch and a half long, slender, curved, ca- vity very small; calyx closed or erect, basin minute, slightly ridged ; flesh half melting, juicy, with a sweet, slightly perfumed, good second-rate flavor. Ripens im- mediately after the Madeleine, or two weeks after har- vest. Growth very vigorous, erect, leaves flat, wavy. A profuse bearer; fruit always fair. Valuable. Fig. 181. The Summer Frankreal, Madeleine, and Julienne, of the next class, slightly approach this class in form. IWO SUMMER PEARS. Class II. — Obscure pyriform, obovate or turbinate. Section I. — Large Pears. Leech's Kingsessing. Rather large ; obovate, approaching obtuse-pyriform ; green, with darker patches; stalk an inch long, sunk little or none on the obtuse base ; calyx small, basin shallow ; flesh buttery, delicate, rich. End of summer. Tree slightly thorny, shoots upright, vigor- ous, greenish yellow. Origin, Philadelphia. Fig. 189. Smith's Moyamensing. Medium or large, sometimes quite large, variable ; round-obovate, rather irregular ; skin lemon yellow, sometimes marked with russet ; stalk near- ly an inch long, fleshy; basin furrowed; flesh buttery, melting, good, but not first-rate. Ripens from midsum- mer till autumn. Productive. Origin, Philadelphia. Dr. Brinckle observes, that this pear, like many others of its season, must be eaten bj' the chronometer, and if taken exactly at the right period, is of first quality. Fig. 190. Section 11. — Medium in size. Bloodgood. Size medium ; turbinate, approaching obo- vate, base contracted abruptly to the stalk ; yellow, touched with russet ; stalk fleshy at insertion, an inch and a fourth long, set on the rounded base without depression ; calyx scarcely sunk ; flesh yellowish white, buttery and melt- ing, with a fine rich, aromatic flavor. Sometimes rots at the core. On some soils, the flavor becomes poor and insipid. Ripens immediately after Jargonelle and Skin- less, or the first half of 8 mo., (Aug.^ Like all early pears, it is best if house-ripened. Fig. 155. Crawford. Size, medium ; obovate ; light yellow, with a brown cheek; flesh white, buttery, sweet, with a third- rate flavor. Late summer. Scotch. Julienne. Size, medium ; obovate, sometimes slightly pyri- form, regular ; whole surface clear ye^.ow ; stalk an inch long, rather stout, cavity small ; calyx small, erect or closed, basin rather shallow • flesh half buttery, sweet, of SUMMER PEARS. 21 1 good second-rate flavor, but often poor on heavy soils. Late summer. Shoots yellowish. Productive, and bears when very young. Limon. Size medium; obovate, slightly pyriform; light yellow, with a reddish brown blush ; stalk an inch and a half long ; cavity round, even, shallow ; calyx slightly sunk ; flesh buttery, melting, of fine texture, with a mild, sweet, slightly perfumed flavor. Late summer. Shoots long, slender, reddish brown. Belgian. MADELEINE. (Syn. Citron des Carmes, Magdelen, Green Chisel, incorrectly.) Medium in size, obconic-obovate, obcurely pyriform; skin smooth, pale yellowish green, rarely a faint brownish blush ; stalk slender, an inch and a half long, cavity very narrow and small ; basin very shallow; flesh very juicy and melting, usually faintly acid, with an agreeable, delicate, fine, refreshing flavor. Matures about midsummer, or at the time of wheat har- vest. Needs house-ripening. Shoots straight, erect, greenish, growth vigorous; tree rather liable to blight. Leaves quite flat. Fig. 163. Muscadine. Size medium; short obovate, regular, some- times slightly oblique ; surface a little rough, yellowish green, thickly dotted ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, rather stout, cavity very small, even ; basin rather wide, shallow ; flesh buttery, melting, a little coarse, rather rich, slightly musky, faintly astringent, good second or nearly first-rate. Ripens end of summer, and early in autumn. Shoots rather thick. Origin, Orange County, New- York. Oshand's Summer. {Syn. Summer Virgalieu, erroneously.) Medium in size, often rather small, obovate, regular, smooth and even ; sometimes remotely pyriform ; green- ish yellow becoming yellow, with a reddish brown cheek, often faintly russeted ; stalk three-fourths to one inch long, slightly sunk in a nearly even cavity ; calyx erect, in a round, nearly even, or slightly wrinkled basin ; flesh white, granular, with a sweet, mild, and fine flavor. First rate in its best state, but soon loses its flavor when ma- 219 SUMMER PEARS. Fig:. 159— Summer FrankredU Fiy. IQO—Rostiezer. Fig. XQl—Tysw, SUMMER PEARS. 213 ture. Ripens early in 8 mo. (Aug.) Shoots yellowish olive, thick. Origin, Wayne Co., N. Y. Fig. 165. ROSTIEZER. Rather small, sometimes medium in size; obconic-pyriform, approaching obovate, regular; skin dull brownish green, with a dark, dull, reddish brown cheek to the sun, with whitish specks, and traces of thin russet; stalk an inch and a half to two inches long, slender, scarcely sunk; basin little or none; flesh juicy, melting, sweet, with a very high, perfumed flavor, of high excel- lence. Ripens late in summer. For rich flavor, it has scarcely an equal among summer pears. Shoots dark. Sugar of Hoyersworda. {Syn. Sucree de Ho)^erswerda.) Size, medium ; obovate, approaching short pyriform ; smooth, pale yellowish green ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, scarcely sunk; basin small; flesh white, juicy, sweet, second-rate. End of summer. Needs house- ripening. Profusely productive. Shoots long, olive brown, leaves narrow. Sugar Top. {Syn. July Pear, Prince's Sugar.) Size me dium, roundish-obconic, turbinate, regular; skin yellow, with light green specks, rarely a very faint brownish blush ; stalk stout, fleshy at insertion, an inch and a half long; basin small; flesh sweet, tender, rather breaking, becoming mealy, third rate in flavor. Very productive. Ripens about midsummer, a few days after the Made- leine. Summer Frankreal. {Syn. Franc R^al d'Ete.) Size me- dium, short-obovate, slightly pyriform, with a very short obtuse neck, body slightly conical, or tapering to the crown ; green, becoming pale yellowish green, often a famt yellowish brown blush; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, thick, slightly sunk ; calyx closed, basin fur- rowed ; flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, rich, and fine. Late summer and early autumn. Shoots and leaves rather downy, leaves large. Fig. 159. Summer St. Germain. Medium size, obovate; pale green; stalk an inch and a quarter long, oblique ; basin very shallow or none; flesh tender, juicy, sweet faintly acid, eccond-rate. 214 SVMMEB PEARS. SUMMER PEAES 215 Vallee Franche. Size medium, obovate or turbinate, acute; pale green, becoming pale yellowish green ; stalk an inch long, not sunk ; basin shallow ; flesh white, rather coarse, juicy, with a simply sweet, third-rate flavor. End of sum- mer. Valueless. Tyson pear, of the preceding class, often approaches this in outline. Section III. — Small, Amire Joannet. {Syn. Early Sugar, St. John's pear, Joan- ette.) Small ; roundish obovate or turbinate, with a very small and short neck; light green becoming yellow, usually with a reddish brown cheek, and with conspicuous red dots ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, fleshy at inser- tion ; calyx large, not sunk ; pleasant and moderately juicy, becoming dry, and with a sweet, second or third rate flavor. Ripens about a week before wheat harvest, and is the earliest pear known, which comprises its merit. Growth stout, upright, vigorous, leaves flat, tree very pro- ductive, bearing when young. Fig. 162. Dearborn's Seedling. Scarcely medium in size, obovate turbinate, regular, smooth ; surface clear yellow, with minute specks ; stalk an inch long, sunk little or none , basin very shallow ; flesh very fine grained, juicy, melt- ing, and of fine flavor. Ripens nearly with the Bloodgood, or middle of 8 mo., (Aug.) Shoots straight, long, dark brown. Tree bears when young ; the fruit always fair and of first quality in nearly all localities. Fig. 166. Edward's Henrietta. Size, a little below medium ; obovate, crown flattened ; stalk set on the rounded point of the neck ; skin smooth, pale yellowish green, dots few ; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity small or none ; calyx closed, basin shallow, faintly plaited, melting, juicy, sub- acid, with a good second-rate flavor. Very productive. Late summer. Origin, New Haven, Conn. Green Chisel. Small, nearly round, color green; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, scarcely sunk ; calyx rather large, crumpled; flesh juicy, slightly gritty, sweet, of second or third-rate flavor. Late summer Shoots erect. J 218 SUMMER PEARS. Hessel. {Syn. Hazel.) Rather small, obovate, yellowish green, thickly dotted; stalk one inch long, oblique ; calyx small; basin shallow ; flesh whitish, juicy, pleasant. Late summer and early autumn. Shoots spreading. Little Musk. {Syn. Petit Muscat, Little Muscat, Primitive.) Quite small, turbinate ; dull greenish yellow ; stalk three- fourths to an inch and a half long, little sunk ; calyx open, basin little or none ; flesh breaking, sweet, very slightly musky, second-rate. Rather better in quality than Amire Joannet, but smaller and a week later, ripening with the Madeleine. Very productive. Manning's Elizabeth. Small, obovate, obscurely pyriform, smooth ; surface yellow, with a lively blush ; stalk one inch long, cavity round, shallow; flesh very melting, saccharine, sprightly, perfumed. End of summer. Bel- gian. Fig. 182. Muscat Robert. {Syn. Musk Robine, Early Queen, D'Am- bre.) Small, turbinate, greenish yellow ; stalk three- fourths of an inch long, surface at insertion uneven, but not sunk ; calyx large, basin little or none ; flesh tender, juicy, pleasant. Ripens with the Madeleine. Ott. Small, roundish, turbinate ; greenish yellow, russeted in part, rarely a mottled red cheek ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, cavity small ; calyx rather iarge, basin shal- low; flesh melting, rich, perfumed, aromau2. closely re- sembling that of its parent 'the Seckel. K.rens quite early, or by the first or middle of 8 mo. (Aug.) Origin, Montgomery Co., Pa. New. Fig. 183. Summer Doyenne. (St/w. Doyenn6d'Ete.) Small ;rouna- obovate, slightly turbinate ; stalk an inch or an inch and a fourth long, rather stout, slightly oblique, not sunk ; ba- sin very shallow ; skin a fine yellow, with a warm cheek brightly reddened at the crown ; and with radiating stripes of greenish yellow from the calyx ; flesh melting, juicy, sweet, with a pleasant but not hisxh flavor. Skin thin ; core small ; seeds small, white. Ripens with the Made- leine, and nearly equal to it in quality. Tree bears very young. Shoots slender, reddish brown. New. SUMMER PEARS. 217 Class III. — Roundish or oblate. Section L — Large Pears. Hampden's Bergamot. {Syn, Summer Bergamot, Lind.; Bergamoted'Ete, Scotch Bergamot.^ Large, roundish, slightly obovate ; green becoming clear yellow, dots small; stalk one-half or three-fourths of an inch long, rather stout ; cavity small, round ; calyx small, closed, basin shallow ; flesh breaking, granular, half buttery and agree- able if house-ripened. End of summer and first of au tumn. Handsome. Growth strong. Section II. — Medium in size. Bergamot, Early. Size medium, roundish-oblate ; pale yel- lowish-green, a few dull red streaks towards the sun or a faint dull red cheek ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, thick, slightly sunk, juicy, sweet, crisp, third-rate. Late in summer. French. Bergamot, Large Summer. Medium in size, roundish, ap- proaching obovate, smooth, clear yellow; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity and basin narrow, deep, and smooth ; flesh breaking, half buttery, not rich. Early in autumn. Tree of free growth and productive. Citron. Size, medium ; roundish ; dull green ; flesh green- ish white, a little coarse, melting, juicy, good. End of summer. Origin, New-Haven, Conn. Fine Gold of Summer. {Syn. Fin Or d'Ete.) Round-tur- binate, skin very smooth, yellowish green, with a brilliant red cheek; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, not sunk; basin very shallow; flesh greenish white, juicy, half- breaking, second-rate. Ripens soon after the Madeleine. Summer Rose. (Syn. Epine Rose, Thorny Rose, Poire de Rose.) Medium size, roundish-oblate ; skin faint yellow, with some russet, and a red russet cheek ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, slender, cavity very small ; basin very shallow; flesh juicy, rather rich, good second-rate End of summer. Soon decays. 218 AUTUMN PEARS. Fig. 167— Paradise d>Automne. Fig. imStune Base. SUMMER PEARS. 219 Section III. — Small, Bergamot, Summer. Small, round, yellowish green, with a brownish cheek ; basin wide ; flesh juicy, moderately rich, soon becoming mealy and dry. Ripens soon after mid-summer. Growth feeble. Summer Portugal. {Syn. Passans du Portugal.) Size, rather small, often nearly medium ; roundish-oblate, regu- lar ; skin yellowish green or pale yellow, with a hand- some red cheek in the sun, formed of the reddened dots ; stalk about an inch long ; calyx stiff, erect ; cavity and basin shallow; flesh white, breaking, tender, juicy, good second-rate. Late summer. Very productive. Shoots upright, reddish brown. Williams' Early. Rather small, roundish, remotely turbi- nate, regular ; bright yellow, sunny side with scarlet dots; stalk an inch and a half long, fleshy at msertion ; calyx very short, erect, basin slightly plaited ; flesh white, granular, juicy half-buttery, rich, slightly musky. End of summer and first of autumn. Shoots dark. A hand- some, good second-rate pear, a native of Roxbury, Mass. Summer Doyenne, of the preceding class, approaches this class in form. DIVISION II.— AUTUMN PEARS. Class I. — Distinct pyeiform Section I. — Large Pears. BEURRE BOSC. [Syn. Calebasse Bosc.) Large, very distinct pyriform, neck rather long and very narrow, acute ; body large oblate ; surface nearly smooth, deep yellow, russeted in patches ; stalk an inch and a half long, slen- der, curved ; basin very shallow ; flesh juicy, buttery, rich, perceptibly perfumed, sweet, excellent. Mid-autumn. Growth moderate, a regular, even bearer. Fails entirely on quince stocks. Belgian. Fig. 168. 220 AUTUMN PEARS. Beurre Diel. {Syn. Diel, Diel's Butter.) Large, some- times very large, thick pyriform, neck short, obtuse, body very large ; small specimens approach obovate ; skin dull yellow, with numerous conspicuous dots, and some russet ; stalk an inch and a fourth to an inch and a half long, stout, moderately sunk ; basin slightly furrowed ; flesh rather coarse, rich, sugary, buttery, juicy, fine. Late au- tumn and early winter. Leaves roundish or broad. Uni- formly fine on quince stocks, second-rate on the pear. Belgian. Fig. 213. Bishop's Thumb. Bather large, long and narrow, distinct pyriform, surface very uneven ; skin dark yellowish green, more or less russeted ; a dull red russet cheek ; stalk an inch and a half long, crooked; basin very shallow, calyx erect or reflexed; flesh juicy, melting, good. Ripens mid-autumn. English. Burnett. Large, obtuse pyriform; smooth, pale yellow, thickly dotted, sometimes slightly russeted; stalk an inch and a half long ; calyx stiff*, basin shallow ; flesh green- ish white, rather coarse, juicy, second-rate. Mid-autumn. Origin, Southborough, Mass. Chelmsford. Large, obconic-pyriform, obscurely ribbed at crown, yellow, with a red cheek, showy; stalk an inch and- a half long, cavity crumpled, shallow; calyx deep- sunk; flesh hard, breaking, sweet; only fit for cooking. Mass. Colmar d'Aremberg. Large, short obconic-pyriform, neck short and narrow, body large and somewhat ribbed ; yel- low, mottled with russet ; stalk oblique ; basin very deep; flesh fine-grained, melting, buttery, but with a poor third or fourth-rate flavor. This new foreign sort has been highly praised, but several years of fruiting in this coun- try have proved it worthless. (Better on pear stock.) r imberland. Large, obovate-pyriform, or obconic-pyriform, orange yellow, with a pale blush, showy ; stalk an inch and a half long, stout ; calyx slightly sunk ; flesh white, melting, buttery, with a poor third-rate flavor. Mid- autumn. Origin, Cumberland, R I. AUTUMN PEARS. 221 Dix. Large, long pyriform, body round-ovate, tapering slightly to the often oblique and slightly flattened and ob- tuse crown; yellowish green, becoming deep yellow; dots numerous, distinct ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, stout at each end, slightly sunk, basin small ; flesh rather granu- lar, rich, juicy, sweet, often excellent, sometimes rather acid. One of the most valuable autumn pears. Middle and late autumn. A tardy bearer. Shoots yellow, rather slen- der, often thorny ; leaves flat. A native of Boston, Mass. Duchesse d^ AngouUme. Very large, very obtuse pyriform, sometimes oblong-obovate, surface very uneven, greenish yellow, often some russet ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, very stout, cavity deep, often wide ; calyx small, basin uneven ; flesh yellowish white, rather coarse, melting, buttery, juicy, sometimes fine, often poor — usu- pjly nearly first-rate, or good second-rate, on quince stocks ; worthless on pear stocks. Ripens mid-autumn, and later. French. Duchesse d'Orleans. Large,often only medium; sometimes long-pyriform, but usually obovate-pyriform, somewhat obconic ; skin golden yellow, slightly russeted, sometimes nearly overspread with russet, with a red cheek ; stalk thick, about an inch and a half long, scarcely sunk ; basin small, even ; flesh buttery and melting, rich ; when well ripened, delicious. Ripens mid-autumn. A very hand- some, fine, new, French variety. Growth rather spread- ing, shoots yellowish. Fig. 206. Frederick of Wurtemhurg, {Syn. Frederic de Wurtem- burg.) Large, short pyriform, neck narrow, very acute, crown broad, bod}'' oblate; surface whitish yellow, rarely deep yellow, often a handsome red cheek, more or less russeted ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, some- times very fleshy, often not ; basin wide, very shallow ; flesh, when well ripened, very melting, buttery, juicy, sometimes delicious, often poor, — varying from first to below third-rate. Needs house-ripening. Early and mid autumn. Shoots yellowish brown, thick. Belgian. Gendesheim. Large, often only medium, obtuse-pyriform, rather irregular, small specimens obovate, approaching 222 AUTUMN PEARS. Fig. 169— Louise Bonne of Jersey. Fig. 170— Flemish Btauty ATJTUMN PEARS. 22i obtuse-obconic ; skin greenish yellow, thickly dotted, slightly russeted ; stalk an inch or more long, oblique ; calyx small, basin narrow, irregular ; buttery, rather rich, gritty at core, second rate. Late autumn. Flemish. King Edward's. (Syn. Jackman's Melting.) Large or medium, neck acute, obconic ; surface rough, greenish yellow, with a dull reddish cheek ; and some patches of greenish russet ; stalk half an inch to an inch long ; calyx small, erect, scarcely sunk ; flesh buttery, melting, some- times good, often rather acid and astringent. Handsome, second-rate. Mid-autumn. Long Green. {Syn. Verte Longue.) Rather large, long- pyriform, the ends rather acute, stem oblique ; surface wholly green ; flesh very juicy, with a good and agreeable flavor. The Striped Long Green is a subvariety. The Lo?7g Gree7i of Autumn^ (Verte Longue d'Automne, or Mouthwater,) is quite distinct, being smaller, much more rounded, stem long, and with a brown cheek ; very juicy and pleasant ; ripens late in autumn, a month after the preceding. Profusely productive, and valuable. LOUISE BONNE OF JERSEY. {Syn. Louise Bonne de Jersey, Louise Bonne d'Avranches.) Large pyriform, neck somewhat obconic, body approaching oblong, taper- ing slightly to obtuse or flattened crown ; slightly one- sided ; surface smooth, pale yellowish green, with a brownish red cheek; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, often fleshy at insertion, little sunk ; basin shallow flesh yellowish white, very juicy, buttery, melting, rich faintly sub-acid, fine. Ripens mid-autumn ; late autumn far north, early autumn at Cincinnati. Very productive ; succeeds admirably and grows with great vigor on quince stocks, and should be worked on no other. Shoots dark brown or purple ; serratures of the leaves rather coarse. This fine variety, like the Bartlett, is hardly of the highest quality, but is eminently valuable for its large, fair fruit, free growth, and great productiveness. Fig. 169. Madotte. Large, pyriform, smooth, yellow, with a little russet ; stalk one inch long, thick at ends, not sunk \ flesh 15 J* 224 AUTUMN PEAKS, half-buttery, dry, third-rate or worthless. Showy. Mid- autumn. Marie Louise. Large pyriform, a little one-sided, or with a curved axis ; body somewhat conical ; surface pale green, becoming yellowish, partly russeted; stalk an inch and a half long, rather stout, often oblique ; calyx small, basin narrow, plaited ; flesh buttery, melting, vinous, when well grown rich and fine, — offen. second or third rate, — variable. Needs rich cultivation or else the fruit will be poor. Mid-autumn. Growth very flexuous and strag- gling, shoots olive gray, petioles very long, leaves nar- row. Belgian. Fig. Sll.v Marie Louise Nova. Rather large ; regular pyriform, neck acute, tapering; skin smooth, yellow, with a brownish red cheek ; stalk one to two inches long, rather slender; basin shallow; melting, juicy, quickly decays, sometimes good, often poor. Early mid-autumn. Belgian. Neill. Large, obovate-pyriform, axis slightly curved, neck 'acute, stalk an inch long ; skin pale yellow, with traces of thin russet; flesh white, buttery sweet. Shoots diverging. Belgian. Onondaga or Swan's Orange. Quite large, obtuse oval- pyriform, nearly in the form of a double cone, neck very short and obtuse, body large and tapering to obtuse apex ; skin roughish, greenish yellow;, becoming rich yellow, dots numerous, often a slight brown cheek, crown often slightly russeted ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, stout, slightly sunk ; calyx small, closed, basin nar- row, ribbed ; flesh slightly coarse, buttery, melting, some- times a little breaking, juicy, rich, high-flavored, fine, but not of the highest quality. Ripens mid-autumn. Growth . vigorous, shoots yellow, ascending. Productive. Origin unknown ; cultivated in western New- York. Nearly re- sembles the Ronville in outline. Fig. 187. PARADISE D'AUTOMNE, or "Autumn Paradise."— Rather large, distinct pyriform ; surface uneven, yellowish orange, with some thin russet patches ; stalk an mch and a half long, not sunk ; basin small, irregular ; flesh melt* AUTUMN PEARS. 225 ing, very buttery, with a rich, high, and excellent flavor. Ripens about mid-autumn. Shoots yellowish, at first up- right, afterwards becoming straggling, growth vigorous. This pear resembles the Beurru Bosc, but is less smooth, more irregular in form, has a less narrow neck, is more melting and sprightly, and of more vigorous growth. 167. Vlumhgastel. Large, pyriform, slightly obconic, crown obtuse ; surface smooth, greenish yellow, crown russeted with a distinct boundary ; stalk an inch long, stout, not sunk ; basin moderate, narrow ; flesh rather coarse, half- melting, juicy, rich, with a good second-rate flavor, about equal in richness to the Bartlett. Middle and late au- tumn. French. New. Queen of the Loio Countries. Large pyriform, neck narrow, body broad or slightly oblate ; surface slightly uneven, dull greenish yellow, crown russeted, with numerous, often confluent russet dots, and a slight blush ; stalk an inch and a half long, curved, not sunk; calyx small, rather deep-set, basin riobed ; buttery, melting, juicy, moderate- ly rich, sub-acid, with a second-rate, Brown Beurre fla- vor. Mid-autumn. Belgian. Reine des Poires. Rather large, obtuse-pyriform, varying to turbinate, regular ; greenish-yellow ; stalk an inch and one-fourth long, slender ; basin shallow ; flesh dry, flavor poor. Mid-autumn. Summer Bonchretien. [Syn. Bon Chretien d'Et^, Summer Good Christian, Gratioli d'Et^, September.) Large, py- riform, somewhat obtusely and irregularly ribbed ; skin yellow, with a rich orange red cheek to the sun ; stalk two inches long curved, sunk or not ; calyx small, in an uneven basin ; flesh granular, breaking, juicy, very sweet, pleasant. Fine for baking. Liable to crack and mil- dew in many localities ; when fair and well grown it is of fine quality. Ripens early in autumn. Growth strag- gling, shoots stout, horny, buds projecting, hard ; leaves roundish, flat. Triomphe de Jodigne. Quite large, pyriform ; stalk short, thick ; calyx sunk ; skin deep yellow, slightly green in 226 AUTUMN PEARS. the shade, deep red in the sun ; flesh melting, of good flavor. Ripens late autumn. Tree vigorous. New. Urbaniste. [Syn. Beurre Piquery.) Rather large, ob- conic-pyriform, obtuse and short, often approaching obo- vate ; skin pale yellow or greenish, faintly russeted ; stalk an inch long, stout, moderately and sometimes conside- rably sunk ; calyx erect or closed ; basin distinct, even ; flesh melting, buttery, with a fine, delicious perfumed fla- vor, and a perceptible shade of acid. In unfavorable localities, it is sometimes hardly first-rate. Middle and late autumn. Does not come soon into bearing. Flemish. Van Mons jLeon le Clerc. Large, long pyriform, or rather oblong-obconic pyriform, obtuse ; surface yellowish green, slightly russeted ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, stout, little sunk ; calyx small, basin very shallow; flesh fine-grained, yellowish white, buttery, melting, rich, fine Ripens middle and late autumn. A native of Laval, m France. The value of this fine new pear is diminishea by its liability to crack and canker. Fig. 215. Section II. — Medium in size. Amande Double. Size medium, pyriform; skin yellow and bright red ; stalk short, fleshy at insertion ; flesh coarse, sweet, tender, second or third-rate, rarely good. Early autumn. Belgian. Andrews. {Syn. Amory, Gibson.) Medium or rather large, distinct pyriform, somewhat obconic, often slightly one-sided ; skin thick, dull yellowish-green, with a broad, dull red cheek ; stalk about an inch long, curved, scarcely sunk; basin shallow, sometimes deep; flesh greenish, very juicy, melting, of a fine, pleasant, agreeable flavor. On some localities not first-rate. Ripens early in autumn. Very productive and fair. Shoots diverging. Origin, Dorchester, Mass. Angleterre. {Syn. English Beurre, of Lind., Beurr^ d'An- gleterre.) Medium size, obconic-pyriform, acute, regular skin thick, dull light green, thickly dotted with russet with a thin brownish russet cheek ; stalk about an inch AUTUMN PEARS. 227 long, slender; basin smooth, scarcely sunk ; flesh buttery, melting, juicy, with a rather poor flavor. Early in au- tumn. Productive. A common market fruit at Paris. Autumn Colmar. Medium in size, obtuse-pyriform ; pale green ; stalk an inch long, slightly sunk ; calyx small, closed, basin slightly furrowed ; flesh gritty at core, buttery, second-rate in flavor. Ripens at mid-autumn. Flemish. Beurre Duval. Medium size, obconic-pyriform, pale green, stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long, under a lip, cavity small ; calyx erect, basin shallow ; flesh greenish white, rather coarse, melting, buttery, good second-rate, variable. Late autumn. Resembles Andrews, but not so good. Belgian. Beurre Van Marum. Medium in size, sometimes rather large, oblong-pyriform, rather irregular; skin yellow; stalk long, slender, cavity flattened ; calyx large, basin shallow, irregular; flesh melting, juicy, sweet, agreeable. Mid-autumn. Productive, and bears young. A good second-rate pear. Flemish. Beurre Van Mons. Medium size, pyriform ; yellow, rus- seted ; a third-rate fruit. Mid-autumn. Calebasse. {Syn. Calabash.) Size medium, or rather large ; long-pyriform, neck elongated, acute, body round, rather small ; surface uneven or knobby, yellow, partly russeted ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, oblique, not sunk ; calyx short, erect, basin small, ribbed ; flesh coarse, breaking, juicy, sugary, pleasant ; second-rate. Early autumn. Belgian. Calebasse Grosse. Very large, obconic-oblong ; smooth, shining, yellowish green; stalk stout, an inch long; flesh rather coarse, half melting, tolerably good. Belgian. CapiaumoTd. (Syn. Beurr^ de Capiaumont.) Size medium; obconic-pyriform, quite acute, approaching turbinate, regular ; skin smooth, yellow, with cinnamon red to the sun, distinctly dotted, slightly russeted ; calyx widely re- flexed, not sunk ; stalk about an inch long, but varying 228 AUTUMN PEARS. flesh white, buttery, melting, moderately juicy, sweet, often astringent, about second-rate. Hardy and produc- tive. Leaves folded, recurved. Ripens about mid-au- tumn. Belgian. ixlara. Size, medium ; oval-pyriform ; clear yellow, with a blush, dotted red ; stalk stout ; calyx and basin small ; juicy, melting, somewhat acid; second or third-rate. About mid-autumn. Shoots stout, dark brown. Belgian. Comprette. Size, medium, or rather large ; obtuse-pyriform; yellowish green, thickly dotted with brown ; stalk short, stout, thickened at insertion ; basin shallow ; flesh but- tery, melting, rich, good, often nearly first-rate. Middle and late autumn. Belgian. Countess of Lunay. Size medium; obovate-pyriform, some- what obconic ; skin smooth, pale waxen yellow, with a thin red cheek ; stalk about an inch and a half long, set without depression on the rounded point of the neck, which is slightly russeted ; basin very small, even ; flesh white, very juicy, melting, fine — nearly or quite first-rate. Mid-autumn. Delices d'Hardenpont. Size medium ; obtuse-pyriform ; pale yellow, dotted in the shade and russeted in the sun ; stalk an inch long, obliquely set, cavity small , calyx small, closed, basin plaited, uneven ; flesh buttery, melting, rich. Mid-autumn. Belgian. Edwards' William. Medium in size, obtuse-pyriform ; yel- low, sunny side with red dots, flesh yellowish white, but- tery and melting, good. Early autumn. Origin, New- Haven. Figue. Medium or rather large, pyriform-pyramidal, regu- lar, body rounding to the apex ; skin thin, green, partly russeted at crown, often a dull red cheek, stalk an inch long, stout, very fleshy at insertion, not sunk; basin none , flesh rather coarse, melting, juicy, rich, high-flavored Late autumn. This pear has been cultivated and proved fine at Boston. There are some doubts of its identity with the Figue of the London Horticultural Society. AUTUMN PEARS. 229 Forelle, {Syn. Trout Pear.) Medium or rather large, pyri- form, approaching oblong-obovate ; green, becoming clear yellow, with a deep vermillion cheek, dots margined with crimson ; stalk an inch long, slender, cavity moderate ; basin rather abrupt and narrow ; flesh buttery and melt- ing, second-rate. Late autumn. Shoots dark, purplish ; leaves small, nearly flat. German. A pear of great beauty, which has contributed to its reputation. Harvard. Medium or rather large, oblong-pyriform ; skin russety olive yellow, and with a reddish cheek; stalk rather stout, sunk little or none, oblique ; basin narrow ; flesh juicy, melting, tender; rots at the core if not house- ripened. First of autumn. Very productive, growth vigo- rous, fruit handsome, rendering it profitable for market, although only second-rate in quality. Origin, Cambridge, Mass. Jersey Gratioli. Size medium; regularly formed; pale brown, somewhat rough, basin round, even ; flesh melt- ing, rich. Growth erect, vigorous, buds hoary. New. Lodge. Size medium, pyriform, neck small, narrow, very acute, sometimes ribbed and irregular ; greenish brown, much russeted ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, rather stout and curved ; basin varying from very shallow to deep and distinct ; flesh very juicy and melting, with a rich, vinous, or sub-acid Brown Beurr^ flavor. Early and mid-autumn. Origin, near Philadelphia, where it proves first-rate, but farther north it does not stand so high. Nayoleon. Medium or rather large; obconic-pyriform, ob- tuse, variable ; green becoming pale yellowish-green t stalk an inch long, stout, slightly sunk ; basin rather large ; flesh uncommonly juicy, melting, moderately rich, good, sometimes astringent. From mid-autumn till win- ter. Needs ripening in a warm room. Very productive, thrifty, hardy. Shoots rather erect. Belgian. Best on warm light soils. Fig. 215. Pailleau. Medium in size, pyriform-turbinate ; skin rough, greenish yellow, partly russeted; stalk about an inch long, very stout; basin small ; flesh juicy, sweet, tolera- 230 - AUTUMN PEARS. bly good ; second-rate. Early autumn. Overbears. Bel- gian. Pitt's Prolific. (Si/ti. Pitt's Surpasse Marie.) Medium size, oblong-pyriform, rather acute ; yellow, with a broad brownish-red cheek ; stalk curved, fleshy at base ; flesh juicy, hard, coarse ; third-rate. English. Pope's Quaker. Size medium, oblong-pyriform, with smooth yellow russet, juicy, melting, pleasant ; second or third rate. Mid-autumn. Long Island, N. Y. Queen Caroline. (Syw. Re ine Caroline.) Medium in size, narrow-pyriform, greenish becoming yellow, with a red- dish cheek ; stalk an inch long, curved, sunk little or none ; flesh white, crisp, dry ; third-rate. Late autumn. St. Ghislain. Size medium ; pyriform, neck narrow, acute, tapering ; surface pale yellow, sometimes a faint blush ; stalk an inch and a half long, curved with fleshy rings at insertion ; basin very shallow ; flesh white, buttery, juicy, with a flne flavor. Growth upright, vigorous, shoots light brown. Somewhat variable in quality, from first to second-rate. Belgian. Early autumn. Styrian. Medium or rather large ; obconic-pyriform ; sur- face warm deep yellow, sometimes a bright red cheek with russet streaks or patches ; stalk an inch and a half long, slender, often fleshy at insertion ; basin small, ir- regular ; flesh slightly granular, crisp, often juicy and melting, second-rate, often nearly first-rate in flavor. A profuse bearer. Ripens mid-autumn. English. Sullivan. Medium in size, oblong-pyriform, neck acute, ta- pering ; greenish yellow ; stalk an inch and a half long, stout ; flesh juicy, melting, second-rate. Early autumn. Belgian. Bilboa and Washington pears, of next class, approach this class in outline. Section III. — Small. Yat. Rather small, pyriform-turbinate, slightly com- pressed ; densely russeted ; stalk an inch long, slender. AUTUMN PEARS. 231 oblique, not sunk ; calyx small, basin shallow ; tender juicy, rather rich. Early autumn. Dutch. A third-rate pear ; soon decays. Class II. — Obscure pyriform, obovate, or turbinate. Section L — Large Pears. Beurre d'Amalis. {Syn. Beurre d'Amanlis.) Large, obo- vate, often slightly irregular, sometimes slightly pyriform, with a short and narraw neck ; dull yellowish green, with some russet, and a dull reddish cheek ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, very slightly sunk ; basin shallow ; flesh buttery, melting and juicy, and rather rich, with a second- rate flavor. Early and mid-autumn. A good grower, great bearer alternate years, and always perfects its fruit. Growth spreading. Belgian. Beurre d'Anjou. Rather large, obovate, approaching ob- conic, obtuse, regular; surface greenish-yellow, a dull red cheek to the sun, clouded with russet; stalk quite short, or half an inch long, slightly sunk, cavity uneven ; basin shallow, round smooth ; flesh yellowish white, fine- grained, buttery, melting, with a high, rich, vinous, ex- cellent flavor. Middle and late autumn. French. 171. Beurre Knox. Large, oblong-obovate, obconic, acute ; sur- face pale green, with some thin russet ; stalk an inch long ; basin small, narrow ; flesh tender, juicy, but not high-flavored. Early mid-autumn. Flemish. Of little value. Brown Beurre. {Syn. Beurre Gris, Gray Beurre, Beurr^ Rouge, Red Beurre, Beurre Isambert.) Large, often only medium; oblong-obovate, with a rounded taper to the stalk ; skin yellowish green, russeted ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, rather oblique, thickening into the fruit ; basin rather shallow; flesh greenish white, very juicy, melting, buttery, with a rich sub-acid or vinous flavor. Early mid- autumn. Highly esteemed by those who prefer a vinous 232 AUTUMN PEARS. flavor. Partially fails in many localities; needs rich, high cultivation. Wood short-jointed, flexuous, leaves folded. Fig. 200. Capucin. Rather large, oval, sometimes obtuse turbinate ; surface greenish, becoming pale yellow ; slightly russeted at ends, reddened next the sun; stalk nearly an inch long, cavity obtuse ; basin deep, narrow, irregular ; flesh green- ish, juicy, crisp, rather rich; second-rate. Mid-autumn. Belgian. Chapman. Rather large, obovate, sometimes slightly pyri- form, obtuse, largest at the middle, tapering each way ; surface clear lemon yellow ; stalk nearly two inches long, cavity shallow, wrinkled ; calyx erect, basin ribbed ; flesh yellowish-white, very juicy, half breaking, rather acid; sometimes astringent ; second-rate. Pa. Chancellor. Large, obovate, green ; stalk an inch long, rather thick, cavity small, irregular ; calyx small, basin contracted ; flesh melting, rich, very agreeable. Ripens about mid-autumn. Origin, Germantown, Pa. New. Copia. Large, broad-turbinate, acute ; yellow slightly rus- seted ; stalk long, stout, fleshy at insertion ; calyx large, basin slightly furrowed ; flesh coarse, juicy, rather rich. Mid-autumn. Origin, Philadelphia. Bumnore. Large, oblong-obovate ; surface greenish, with dots of brownish red russet ; stalk an inch and a half long, stout, fleshy at insertion, scarcely sunk in the obtuse and rounded base ; calyx small, deep-set ; flesh buttery, melt- ing, rich, good, but not first-rate. Early autumn. Eng- lish, raised by Knight. Flemish Beauty. (iSyw. Belle de Flandres.^ Large, obo- vate, often obscurely tapering to the crown, very obtuse ; surface slightly rough, with some reddish brown russet on pale yellow ground ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, rather slender, cavity round, deep, narrow, often acumi- nate, rim obtusely rounded ; basin small, round ; flesh juicy, melting, often with a very rich, sweet, and excel- lent flavor, but variable, and sometimes not high-flavored; needs house-ripening. Shoots dark brown, growth vigo- AUTUMN PEARS. 233 rous, tree productive, and fruit always fair and handsome. Very valuable — its chief and perhaps only deficiency is a frequent want of a full, high, rich flavor. It must be gathered while yet hard, and ripened within doors. The Beurri Spence, so long the " Great Unknown " of pomo- logists, is commonly believed to be no other than this variety. Fig. 170. Great Citron of Bohemia. Large, oblong, yellow, spotted and tinged with red next the sun ; stalk an inch long ; flesh juicy, with a second or third-rate flavor. Jalousie. Rather large, varying from roundish to obovate- pyriform ; surface smooth, deep rich russet, with clear de- fined, lighter dots ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, cavi- ty and basin narrow and small, sometimes rather deep ; flesh white, dry, and with poor flavor. Mid-autumn. Shoots stout, olive. Handsome and worthless. French. Shenks. Rather large, roundish-obovate, obscurely ribbed, crowfl flattened ; light yellow, often a light red cheek ; stalk one inch long ; basin deep ; flesh white, a little gritty, tender, melting, sub-acid, second-rate. Needs house-ripening. Mid-autumn. New-England. Van Buren. Large, obovate, crown flattened ; surface clear yellow, with an orange red blush, dots conspicuous; flesh v/hite, crisp, sweet, for baking only. Handsome. New- Haven, Conn. Van ^ssene. Rather large, obovate, slightly angular; crown obtuse, sides rounded ; skin fair, smooth, dull yellow • stalk an inch and a qurater long, slender, curved, mode- rately sunk ; calyx closed ; flesh white, rather coarse, buttery, melting, rich. Belgian. Onondaga, and Dutchess of Angouleme, of the preceding class, approach this in form. Section 11. — Medium in size. Abbott. Medium in size, oblong-obovate, (like the Wash- ington,) surface even, smooth, dark dull green, with a reddish brown cheek changing to scarlet, stalk an inch 234 AUTUMN TEARS. long; calyx small, closed ; melting, juicy, rich. Early mid-autumn, Good and handsome. Providence, R. I. Al'pha. Medium, obovate, slightly oblong ; greenish yellow, with red dots to the sun ; stalk an inch long, slightly sunk ; basin round ; flesh juicy, buttery, sweet, fine. Mid- autumn. Belgian. Ananas. Medium or large, obovate-obconic, dull o. green- ish yellow, stalk stout, short, fleshy at insertion, calyx closed, basin narrow, angular; melting, juicy, rich. Mid- autumn. France. New. The Ananas d'Ete is distinct, and requires further investigation. Ambrosia. Size medium, round-obovate, slightly flattened at ends ; skin greenish-yellow, thickly dotted ; stalk about an inch and a half long, cavity rather broad and shallow ; calyx erect or closed, basin wide, plaited ; flesh slightly breaking, buttery, good second-rate, often only third-rate. Early in autumn. French. Belle Lucrative, or Fondante d'Automne. Size medi- um, obconic-obovate, sometimes remotely pyriform ; sur- face pale yellowish-green, slightly russeted ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, often fleshy, oblique ; cavity very small and narrow ; calyx short ; basin smooth, sometimes furrowed ; flesh very juicy, with a fine texture, melting, rich, excellent. Very variable — when well grown and fully ripened, it has no superior and few equals, in its ex- ceedingly rich, delicate, perfumed flavor — but often of poor quality. Early mid-autumn. Belgian. Growth moderate, upright, shoots yellowish-gray. Fig. 192. Belmo7it. Size medium ; roundish-obovate ; skin yellowish- green, a faint reddish-brown cheek to the sun ; stalk twc inches long, slender curved ; flesh rather coarse, juicy, sweet, second-rate — first-rate for cooking. Mid-autumn, English. Bergamotte Gadette. {Syn. Beauchamps, Beurre Beau- champs, Poire de Cadet. ^ Size medium ; round-obovate, or round-oval ; surface greenish-yellow, often russeted, frequently tinged with reddish-brown to the sun ; stalk afi inch and a fourth long, scarcely sunk on the rounded base AUTUMN PEARS. 235 calx erect or closed, basin very shallow ; flesh melting, buttery, juicy, sweet, quite rich, slightly perfumed; near- ly first-rate. Late autumn. Productive. French. 210. Beurr^ Colmar. {Syn. Beurre Colmar d'Automne.^ Size medium, oval-obovate, regular, smooth; skin greenish yellow, often a blush ; stalk an inch long ; basin shallow, narrow, irregular ; flesh white, crisp, becoming juicy and melting, not rich. Beurre Crapaud. Medium size, round-obovate, obtuse ; sur- face smooth, yellow, with a red cheek; stalk short, cavity shallow ; basin broad, shallow ; flesh fine-grained, melt- ing, juicy, high-flavored, perfumed. Somewhat resem- bles White Doyenne, but higher colored. Mid-autumn, Shoots light yellow. New. Beurre de Beaumont. Medium size, roundish-obovate or roundish-turbinate ; skin yellowish green, thinly dotted dark green, and a faint dull red cheek ; stalk an inch long, very slightly sunk; sometimes set under a lip; calyx short, basin shallow, smooth ; flesh buttery, melt- ing, juicy, rich; nearly or quite first-rate. Early mid- autumn. French. New. Beurre Kenrick. Medium size, obconic-obovate, crown flat- tened ; greenish yellow ; stalk an inch long ; flesh juicy, sweet, buttery; second or third-rate. Early autumn. Flemish. Beurre Preble. Medium, sometimes rather large, oblong- obovate, sometimes roundish-obovate, usually an acute, slight neck ; skin greenish yellow ; stalk stout, an inch long, cavity little or none ; basin small ; flesh melting, buttery, sweet, rich, with high flavor, but varying to second-rate. Late autumn. Origin, Maine. Beurr^ Eomain. Medium in size, obovate ; light yellowish green ; stalk short, not sunk ; calyx promment ; flesh juicy, melting, of second-rate quality. Early mid-au- tumn. Bezi de Montigny. Medium size, or rather large, obovate, obtuse, sometimes remotely pyriform, regular; skin smooth 236 AUTUMN PEARS pale yellowish green ; stalk an inch long, stout, much enlarged from the fruit ; calyx small, erect ; cavity and basin small, smooth; flesh half-buttery, melting, juicy, and quite sweet, perfumed — good second-rate. Mid- autumn. Resembles Urbaniste externally. French. Bon Chretien Fondante, or " Melting Bonchretien." Size medium ; roundish, slightly oblong, rarely short-obovate, obtuse ; surface dull green, partly russeted, numerously dotted ; stalk an inch long, moderately or slightly sunk ; basin small ; flesh yellowish white, core yellow and rather gritty, — melting, very juicy, rich, pleasant — often nearly first-rate, somewhat variable. Ripens about mid-autumn or later. Leaves conspicuously folded and recurved. Flemish. Boucquia. Medium or rather large ; oval-obovate ; skin pale yellow and pale red, partly russeted, stalk an inch and a quarter long, fleshy at insertion ; calyx large, erect, scarcely sunk; flesh juicy, melting, seconder third-rate. Buffum. Size medium; obovate, approaching oblong; skin yellow, with a broad, reddish brown cheek, somewhat russeted ; stalk three-fourths to an inch long, stout ; cavi- ty and basin moderate or small; flesh buttery, sweet, good, not quite first-rate, slightly variable. Shoots strong, reddish brown, very erect ; tree very productive. Valua- ble for its fair fruit, and fine bearing qualities. Early mid-autumn. Origin, Rhode Island. Cabot. Size medium, round-turbinate, slightly irregular crown full, obtuse ; stalk an inch long, set on the pointed base without depression ; surface rough, russeted, bronze yellow ; basin round, smooth ; flesh greenish white, break- ing, somewhat melting, juicy, sub-acid, about second-rate. Early mid-autumn. Tree vigorous, very productive. Ori- gin, Salem, Mass. Commodore. Size medium ; regular obovate, or obovate- pyriform, with a short narrow neck ; surface yellow, with a little red, thickly dotted, and with some russet ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, scarcely depressed ; calyx small, reflexed ; basin very shallow ; flesh juicy, melting, AtlTITMN PEARS. 237 buttery, sweet, with a second-rate, sometimes nearly first rate flavor. Late autumn. Belgian. Cushing. Medium or rather large, obovate, somewhat ob conic ; surface light greenish yellow, rarely a dull red cheek ; stalk an inch long, cavity abrupt ; basin rathei shallow; flesh fine grained, buttery, melting, with a fine flavor — nearly first-rate. Ripens in the early part of au- tumn. Shoots spreading. Very productive. Origin, Hingham, Mass. Dallas. Size medium ; obovate, slightly obconic-pjrriform dull yellow, often much russeted; stalk an inch long, not sunk ; basin round, slightly v^orinkled ; segments oi the calyx rounded, stiff*; fleshfine-grained, melting, juicy, good. Ripens late-autumn. Conn. De Louvain. Medium size, obovate-obconic, approaching pyriform ; surface light yellow, faintly russeted, with ruddy dots to the sun ; stalk an inch long, stout, oblique, not sunk ; basin very narrow, shallow ; flesh buttery, melting, rich, good. Ripens through mid-autumn. Bel- gian. Doyenne Boussock. (Syn. Doyenne Boussouck Nouvelle.) Large, thick obovate, obconic, sometimes slightly pyri- form, slightly uneven ; surface bright lemon yellow when ripe, partly russeted, sometimes a slight reddish cheek ; * stalk stout, about an inch long, varying, sometimes fleshy, often oblique ; basin very shallow, even ; flesh buttery, melting, very juicy, with a first-rate flavor, resembling the White Doyenne, but not equal to it in quality. New. The Gray Doyenn^ has been cultivated to some extent under this name. Fig. 176. Duchesse de Mars. Size medium or rather small ; obovate, slightly pyriform ; skin dull yellow, partly russeted ; stalk an inch long, scarcely sunk on the rounded base ; calyx closed, basin very small; flesh melting and juicy, rather rich. Ripens late autumn. A second-rate fruit. French. Dundas. Size medium ; short turbinate, sometimes obovate, base flattened ; skin yellow, with a brilliant blush ; stalk an inch long, stout, not sunk ; calyx small, basin wide, ^«8 AUTUMN PEARS. AUTUMN PEARS. 239 deep and even ; flesh half-buttery, tender, melting, rich, perfumed. Mid-autumn. A handsome Belgian variety, of nearly first-rate quality. Edward^s Elizabeth. Medium in size or rather large ; roundish-ohovate, sometimes approaching obtuse pyri- fbrm, somewhat angular, smooth ; surface a beautiful, clear, waxen, pale yellow ; stalk often planted in a fleshy protuberance ; flesh buttery, slightly sub-acid, good. Mid- autumn. Origin, New Haven, Conn. Enfant Prodigue. Size medium, or rather small ; obovate, varying, base always narrow ; surface rough, slightly uneven, tawny yellow, russeted; stalk an inch and a half long, scarcely sunk, or under a lip ; calyx closed, crumpled, basin slight, narrow, furrowed ; very juicy, sub-acid, rather rich. Very variable in form and quality. Late autumn. Belgian. Figue de Naples. {Syn. Fig pear of Naples.) Medium, or rather large; oblong-obovate, sometimes slightly obovate- pyriform, base very obtuse ; surface yellowish-brown, with a faint reddish cheek ; stalk an inch long, fleshy at insertion ; basin broad, shallow, smooth ; flesh buttery, rich, but becoming dry instead of melting, unless kept from the air, the skin being quite pervious to moisture. Eipens late autumn. Hardy and productive. Fig. 204. Forme de Delices. Medium size, obovate, yellowish, rough, much russeted ; stalk an inch long, cavity round, smooth , calyx large, projecting; flesh buttery, melting, somewhat dry, of good flavor. Late autumn. Belgian. Shoots stout, upright, yellowish-green. Jones. Size medium or rather small, obovate, often pyri- form ; surface rich yellow russet ; stalk an inch or an inch and a fourth in length, variable in thickness, fleshy at in- sertion, not sunk; basin shallow; flesh yellowish, melt- ing, of fine flavor. Ripens late autumn. Origin, King- sessing, near Philadelphia. New. Golden Beurre of Bilboa. {Syn. Bilboa, Hooper's Bil boa.) Rather large; obovate, slightly pyriform, rathei obtuse, very regular ; surface smooth, fair, fine yellow, 16 K 24.0 AUTUMN PEARS. *l AUTUMN PEARS. 241 russeted round the stalk; dots small, distinct; stalk an inck and a quarter long, slightly sunk ; calyx small, erect, basin shallow ; flesh line-grained, very buttery, melting, moderately rich — sometimes a very obscure acid astrin- gency. Ripens the first of autumn, and immediately fol- lows the Bartlett. Its fair fruit, and productiveness, ren- der it a very valuable pear, although, like the Flemish Beauty, it is not of the highest flavor. Grows well on the quince. A native of Bilboa, Spain. Fig. 172. GRAY DOYENNE. {Syn. Doyenne Gris, Gray Butter Pear, Red Doyenne, Doyenne Rouge, St. Michael Dore.) Size medium, obovate, often approaching turbinate ; whole surface a handsome smooth cinnamon russet ; stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long, cavity quite narrow ; calyx small, closed^ flesh with a very fine texture, very buttery, melting, rich, perfumed, delicious, excellent. Middle of autumn to winter. Shoots yellowish or gray- ish brov/n, ascending. Fails on some localities. 175. Green Yair. {Syn. Green pear of Yair.) Medium size, obovate, green, juicy, third-rate. Early autumn. Heathcot. {Syn. Gore's Heathcot) Medium size; obo- vate, regular, base obtuse ; surface greenish yellow, part- ly overspread with thin russet ; stalk an inch long rather £tout, cavity moderate or small; calyx partly closed, basin small ; flesh fine-grained, buttery, with a rich, per- fumed, and excellent flavor — sometimes hardly first-rate. Early mid-autumn. Shoots upright, reddish brown. Very productive and profitable. Origin, Waltham, Mass. Henkel. Medium or rather large, round-obovate, remotely pyriform, with a very short neck ; obtuse ; surface yel- low, often a clear p&le yellow, sometimes partly russeted ; stalk an inch and a half long, slightly sunk ; basin small, even; flesh yellowish white, buttery, melting, juicy, sprightly, fine, sometimes only second-rate. Belgian. Hericart. Size medium, obovate, remotely pyriform, often irregular, greenish yellow, with numerous cenfluent dots ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, slightly sunk ; basin fimall ; flesh melting, buttery, not rich, second or third rate. First of autumn. Belgian. 242 AUTUMN PEARS. Hull. Medium size, obovate, rounded at base ; skin yel- lowish green, some russeted ; stalk an inch and a half long, rather slender, not sunk ; basin shallow ; flesh melt- ing, juicy, slightly gritty at core, sweet, often fine, some- times only third-rate. Origin, Swanzey, Mass. Jalousie de Fontej^ay Vendee, or "Fontenay Jalousie." Size medium, obconic-turbinate, approaching thick-pyri- form ; surface a pale dull yellowish green, more or less russeted, often a faint red cheek ; stalk an inch long, often oblique, not sunk; calyx closed, stiff; basin small, round, flesh buttery, melting, mild, rich, fine-flavored, nearly or quite first-rate. Ripens at mid-autumn. French. Knighfs Seedling. Medium or rather large ; obovate, ap- proaching obconic-pyriform, smooth yellowish green ; stalk an inch long, scarcely sunk; basin broad, shallow; juicy, melting, sweet. Early autumn. A native of Rhode Island. Louise d' Orleans. Medium in size, oblong ; stalk an inch long, stout, slightly sunk ; calyx small, basin very shal- low; skin a bronzed green; flesh very white, fine-grained, juicy, melting, rich. Late autumn. Belgian. New. May prove valuable. Messire Jean. i^Syn. Monsieur Jean, John, Mr. John.) Me- dium size, roundish, slightly pyriform, crown slightly nar- rowed; surface roughish, mostly russeted on yellow ground; stalk an inch long, cavity small; calyx small, basin small, smooth or plaited ; flesh gritty, breaking, juicy, second or third-rate. Late autumn or early winter. Old French. Oliver's Russet. Size medium, obovate-obconic, base round- ed; a deep cinnamon russet on yellow ground, tinged red to the sun ; stalk about an inch long, rather slender, scarcely sunk; basin and calyx small; flesh melting, juicy, sometimes fine, usually second-rate. Mid-autumn. Origin, Lynn, Mass. Oswego Beurre. Size medium, obtuse oval-obovate, regu- lar; surface yellowish green, with some thin russet; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, stout, deep-set ; calyx small, erect or closed, basin smooth; flesh melting, juicy, Avith AUTUMN PEARS. 249^ a fine sprightly vinous flavor at first, between that of a Doyenne and Brown Beurre, but becoming nearly sweet. Ripens from mid-autumn till winter. Tree vigorous, hardy, very productive. A valuable variety. Origin, Oswego, N. Y. Fig. 201. Howell. Size medium, pyriform, neck small, acute ; stalk an inch and a half long, not sunk ; calyx in a small round basin ; surface pale yellow ; flesh melting, butte- ry, and fine. Ripens mid-autumn. Origin, New Haven, Conn Paqvency or Payency. Size medium ; obovate-obconic, ap- proaching pyriform, acute; skin dull yellow, slightly rus- seted, with a faint dull blush ; stalk an inch long, stout ; calyx erect, basin shallow ; flesh white, juicy, melting, good. Mid-autumn. French. New. Pennsylvania. Size medium, obovate, often short obovate, obconic ; surface a rich brownish russet on yellow ground; stalk an inch and a half long, not sunk ; sometimes slightly sunk ; calyx small, basin shallow; flesh rather coarse, somewhat breaking, half-melting, with a second- rate flavor. Early mid-autumn. Shoots diverging, red- dish brown. Origin, Philadelphia. Petre. Medium size, obovate, sometimes slightly obovate- pyriform, or truncate-obconic, base wide or obtuse ; sur- face pale yellow, often slightly russeted, with a reddish brown cheek ; stalk about an inch long, rather stout, cavity obtuse at bottom; basin small, smooth; flesh fine- grained, sometimes slightly gritty, buttery, melting, rich, sweet, perfumed, often excellent — variable in quality from first to second rate. Ripens at mid-autumn. Growth moderate, shoots rather slender, yellowish. Fig. 191. Pope's Scarlet Major. Medium or rather large, obovate ; surface yellow with a red cheek ; stalk long, thick ; flesh breaking, dry, — third-rate. Long Island, N. Y. Pratt. Medium or rather large, obovate-pyriform, skin greenish-yellow, thickly dotted ; stalk an inch long, slen- der, moderately sunk ; basin wide, shallow ; flesh tender 244 AUTUMN TEAUS, melting, juicy, excellent. Early autumn. Rhode Island. Fig. 184, St. Andre. Size medium, oboTate-tiirbinate,^ crown blunted ; skin greenish yellow, slightly dotted red, stalk an inch long, fleshy at insertion; basin shallow; flesh greenish white, line-grained, buttery and melting, perfumed, ex- cellent. Early autumn. Thompson's. Medium in size, obovate, yellow, slightly russeted; stalk an inch long, stout; calyx stiff, scarcely cut ; buttery, melting, and fine flavored. Late autumn, Washington. Medium in size, oblong-obovate, obtuse, — sometimes slightly obtuse-pyriform ; surface smooth, clear yellow, handsomely marked with conspicuous red dots on the sunny side, slightly russeted round the stalk, which is an inch and a fourth long^ and slightly sunk ; calyx small, partly closed, basin shallow ; flesh very juicy, melting, slightly breaking, with a rich, unusually sweet, perfumed, first-rate flavor. Early in autumn. Growth vigorous, shoots very straight, erect, and diverging. Fruit always fair, but varies in size and form- — esteemed most by those who like a very sweet flavor. Fig. 173. Westcott. Size medium, roundish-obovate ; green, becom- ing yellow; flesh melting, juicy, rich, sweet, perfumed flavor fine. Early in autumn. Origin, Cranston, R. I. WHITE DOYENNE. {Syn. Butter Pear, of Pa., Virga- lieu, of N. y., St. Michael, of Boston, Yellow Butter, White Beurr6, Doyenne, Doyenne Blanc.) Medium or rather large, regular obovate, obtuse, sometimes remotely pyriform ; surface pale yellow, often a faint blush ; stalk about an inch long, scarcely sunk; calyx small, basin shallow ; flesh of very fine texture, white, buttery, melt- ing, rich, and excellent. Middle to late autumn. Shoots ascending, greyish yellow ; leaves folded, recurved. I fails in many localities near Boston and elsewhere, bu through inland New- York and in most of the western states, it is unsurpassed in its excellent qualities of harder growth, fair fruit, delicious flavor and great productive- ness ; many trees, without receiving any care in cultiva* AUTUMN PEARS. 245 tion, yielding ten or fifteen bushels of perfect fruit in a single season. Fig. 174. North of 42 degrees of latitude, it becomes a late autumn fruit, and may be kept into winter, which increases its value for distant market. Wilbur. Medium in size, frequently rather small ; obovate, regular, often obovate-pyriform ; skin a dull green and russet ; stalk three-fourths to one inch long, cavity very small ; calyx prominent, scarcely sunk ; flesh rather coarse, melting, juicy, pleasant, often slightly astringent, varying from second-rate to nearly first-rate. Valuable at its season. Early autumn. Shoots slender, yellowish brown. Origin, Somerset, Mass. Wilkinson. Size medium, obovate, narrowed somewhat towards the crown, largest in the middle ; skin smooth, bright yellow ; stalk an inch and a quarter long» stout, scarcely sunk ; calyx stiff, short, basin shallow ; flesh white, juicy, melting, sweet, rich, of good flavor. Ripens from mid-autumn to winter. Shoots long, stent, upright, greenish yellow ; tree thrifty, hardy, productive. A good second-rate variety. Origin, Cumberland, R. I. Forelle and Capiaumont, of the preceding class, often ap- proach this class in outline. Section III. — Small. Capsheaf. Rather small; short-obovate, wide at crown, somewhat obconic, or with a rounded taper to the stalk ; surface deep yellow, mostly russeted ; stalk an inch long, stout, slightly sunk ; calyx small, basin rather large ; flesh melting, juicy, buttery, mild, sweet, good second- rate. Ripens mid-autumn. Shoots erect, stout, yellowish brown ; very productive. Rhode Island. Dumortier. Obovate, dull yellow, with some russet ; stalk an inch and three-fourths long, slender ; basin very shal- low; flesh greenish white, melting, sweet, sometimes high flavored. Early autumn. A third-rate Belgian variety. Edmard's Henrietta. Medium or rather small ; obovate, crown flattened, stalk on a rounded point ; surface smooth, pale yellowish-green; stalk an inch and a half long AUTUMN PEARS. calyx closed, basin shallow, faintly plaited ; flesh melting, juicy, sub-acid. Very productive. Late summer. New Haven, Conn. Henry IV. {Syn. Henri Quatre.) Rather small, round- obovate, somewhat turbinate ; surface greenish yellow, often somewhat russeted, sometimes a dark reddish brown cheek ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, slender, usually fleshy at insertion, not sunk ; basin shallow, abrupt, calyx closed; flesh juicy, melting, rich, perfumed, mostly first- rate flavor. Needs house-ripening. Early in autumn. Shoots diverging or spreading, yellowish brown. Very productive. Fig. 146. Johoiinot. Rather small, roundish-obovate, sometimes near- ly round, irregular ; skin pale greenish-yellow and yel- lowish-brown, faintly russeted ; stalk about an inch long, thick, oblique, fleshy at insertion, not sunk ; basin round; flesh rather coarse, melting, buttery, rich, of fine flavor. Early mid-autumn. Origin, Salem, Mass. The value of this fine little pear is lessened by the slow growth of the tree. KiRTLAND. Medium in size, round-ovate, greenish with a rich brown russet ; stalk short and thick ; flesh fine grained, buttery and melting, perfumed, with a high and excellent flavor, like the Seckel. Early autumn. Likely to prove valuable. Northern Ohio. Dr. Kirtland. Rousselet de Rheims. Rather small, obovate-lurbinate, obscurely pyriform ; skin greenish-yellow in the shade, a rich brownish-red in the sun, partly russeted ; stalk an inch long, not sunk ; basin little or none ; flesh of fine texture, sweet, rich, perfumed, half buttery ; rots at the core. Early autumn. Fig. 197. SECKEL. Small, obovate, sometimes obscurely obconic- pyriform, regular ; skin brownish-green, becoming rich yellowish-brown, with a deep brownish-red cheek ; stalk one-half to three-fourths of an inch long, cavity and basin small ; flesh very fine-grained, sweet, very juicy, melting buttery, the richest and highest flavored pear known. Although of slow growth, and small size, like the Green AUTUMN PEAES. 247 Gage among plums, it is regarded as the standard of ex- cellence. Its high musky perfume is not, however, agree- able to all. Early mid-autumn. Shoots stout, short, ascending, tree very hardy. Needs rich cultivation. Ori- gin, near Philadelphia, and succeeds well throughout the northern, middle, and western states, and is remarkably free from the blight. Fig. 14-5. Williams^ Early. Size rather small or medium, obovate, varying to roundifsh-turbinate, regular ; skin smooth, clear light yellow, with a bright red cheek of thick scarlet dots on the sunny side ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, straight, not sunk, often fleshy at insertion; basin small, slightly furrowed; flesh yellowish white, rather coarse melting, half buttery, juicy, rich, slightly musky. Ripens the first two weeks of autumn. Shoots dark. A good second-rate fruit, valuable for ripening before the most of autumn pears. Origin, Roxbury, Mass. Swan's Egg. {Syn. Moor-fowl Egg, incorrectly.) Small, oval or obovate, crown narrow ; skin pale green, with a pale brownish blush ; stalk an inch and a fourth long slender, scarcely sunk; basin none; flesh soft, juicy, sweet, somewhat musky. A third-rate variety, ripening about mid-autumn. Shoots dark, long, flexuous. Old English. Class III. — Roundish or oblate. Section I. — Large Pears. Belle et Bonne. Large, roundish, slightly oblate, and remotely obconic, base much flattened ; surface pale greenish yellow, thickly dotted ; stalk an inch and a half long, slender, cavity deep, narrow; calyx closed or erect, basin broad ; flesh white, coarse, sweet, buttery when well ripened, of second-rate quality. Ripens rather early in autumn. Growth stronsf. '24S AUTUMN PEARS. Bezi de la Motte. Rather large, often only medium, round- ish, crown flattened, tapering slightly to the stalk, and sometimes with a very obscure short neck; skin dull green, becoming yellowish-green ; thickly and very con- spicuously dotted, the whole surface with a gray cast ; stalk an inch long, slightly sunk; basin abrupt, deep, sometimes flattened and shallow ; flesh yellowish green, very tender, juicy, melting, with sometimes a little grit, sweet, pleasant, not rich. Quite variable — in some locali- ties uniformly good, in others often worthless. Tree har- dy, vigorous, a profuse bearer, and fruit always fair — in flavor it is but second-rate, but very agreeable and melt- ing. Ripens through mid-autumn. Old French. Charles of Austria. (Syn. Charles d'Autriche.) Large, roundish, greenish-yellow, slightly russeted, thickly and conspicuously dotted with brown specks; stalk an inch long, slightly sunk; basin rather narrow; flesh tender, juicy, sweet, of second-rate flavor. Mid-autumn. Shoots stout, upright, yellow-olive. Crassane. Large, roundish, flattened ; skin greenish yel- low, netted thinly with russet ; stalk long, slender, curved, cavity shallow ; calyx small, basin narrow, rather deep ; flesh soft, juicy, about third-rate in quality. Middle and late autumn. Shoots stout, spreading. . Old French. GanseVs Bergamot. (%?z. Brocas Bergamot.) Rather large, sometimes only medium; roundish-oblate, more or less approaching obovate, flattened most at crown; skin yel- lowish-brown, with a faint russet brown blush ; stalk short, half or three-fourths of an inch long, ends often fleshy ; cavity and basin smooth ; flesh granular, melting, juicy, rich, sweet, perfumed, with a first-rate flavor. Ripens through several of the early weeks of autumn. Shoots dark gray, spreading, leaves flat, mealy. English. Hacon's Incomparable. Rather large, roundish, tapering a little to tke base, crown slightly flattened; surface roughish, yellowish green, slightly russeted, stalk an inch and a fourth long; calyx short, erect, open; cavity and basin broad, shallow ; flesh buttery, melting, sub-acid, of AUTUMN PEARS. second-rate flavor. Ripens middle and late autumn. Shoots olive, rather slender, diverging or spreading. English. Stevens' Genesee. Large, round-obovate, often considerably flattened j skin slightly rough, yellow ; stalk an inch long, stout, thickest at insertion, more or less sunk in the base; calyx shorl, stifl', basin smooth; flesh moderately fine- grained, half buttery, slightly granular, with a rich, fine flavor, nearly first-rate. Ripens the first of autumn and for some time afterwards. Shoots gray, leaves narrow. Grows with great vigor on the quince. Origin, Livings- ton Co., N. Y. Section 11. — Medium in size. Althorpe Crassane. Size medium, roundish, or round-ovate, sometimes slightly oblong, tapering rather most to the crown, which is flattened ; surface light green, with dark green specks ; stalk an inch and a half to an inch and three-fourths long, curved, scarcely sunk ; calyx many- cut, erect, basin rather shallow, with a few plaits ; flesh fine-grained, juicy, melting, somewhat buttery, good second-rate. Middle and late autumn. English. Bergarnotte Cadette. {Sy7t. Beauchamps, Beurre Beau- champs, Poire de Cadet. ^ Size medium ; round-obovate, smooth] pale green or greenish-yellow, often partly rus- seted ; stalk thick, an inch long, cavity shallow ; calyx small, closed, or erect, scarcely sunk ; flesh slightly granu- lar, melting, juicy, pleasant, with a good, nearly first- rate flavor. Late autumn. French. Calhoun. Size medium, roundish, regular, remotely obo- vate, smooth, yellow, sometimes a little russeted, and with a red cheek; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, stout, scarcely sunk, calyx closed, basin very shallow, flesh juicy and melting, with a sub-acid or vinous flavor. Late autumn. Origin, New-Haven, Conn. New. Compie de Lamy. Size medium, roundish, somewhat ob- conic or turbinate. <:rown much flattened ; skin yellow, with a brownish blush ; dots small, many ; stalk an inch and a fourth long with no cavity ; basin shallow, smooth; ATTTITMN PEArvS. flesh fine-grained, buttery, melting, rich, high- flavored Ripens about mid-autumn. Resembles Dundas in form without the deep wide basin and high red cheek of tha variety. Shoots upright, dark. Belgian. Huguenot. Medium size ; roundish, pale-yellow ; dots large, red ; stalk rather slender, without cavity ; calyx small, basin round ; flesh half-breaking, sweet, deficient in flavor. Third-rate. Mid-autumn. Salem, Mass. Michaux. Medium size, nearly round; skin yellowish green, with a faint blush ; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity little or none; basin shallow; flesh juicy, half buttery, sweet, second or third rate. Early mid-autumn. French. Naumkeag. Medium in size, roundish, russeted, cavity very shallow ; flesh juicy, melting, somewhat astringent, second or third-rate. Mid-autumn. Salem, Mass. Rousselet de Meester. Medium size, roundish, often slight- ly oblate, with an obscure, very short neck ; skin pale greenish yellow ; sometimes a faint blush ; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity none ; calyx large, basin small; irregular ; flesh melting, sugary, rich, with some rough- ness of flavor — a good second-rate pear. Mid-autumn. Belgian. Sylvange. {Syn. Green Sylvange, Bergamotte Sylvange.) Size medium, roundish-obovate, approaching turbinate ; skin pale green, with numerous rough small dots ; stalk one inch long, slender; basin shallow; flesh greenish- white, fine-grained, juicy, melting, tolerably good. Mid- dle and late autumn. Shoots stout, dark olive. Sieulle, {Syn. Beurr^ Sieulle, Doyenne SieuUe.^ Medium in size, roundish-oblate, often roundish-obovate, with a very short, obscure neck ; obtuse ; skin pale yellow, with a slight blush, and sometimes a brilliant broad orange cheek ; stalk thick, . an inch and a quarter long, cavity shallow, rarely deep ; calyx slightly sunk ; flesh buttery fine-grained, rich, of good second-rate or nearly first-rate quality. Middle and late autumn. Fig. 216. AUTUMN PEARS. 2St Section III. — Small. Aston Town. Eather small, roundish, remotely turbinate, crown flattened ; skin rough, brownish green, becoming yellowish ; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity little or none; calyx large, erect, scarcely sunk; flesh melting, buttery, sweet, tolerably good. A third-rate English pear, ripening before mid-autumn. Shoots slender, growth irregular. Bergamot, Autumn. {Syn. English Bergamot, Common Bergamot, of the English^ English Autumn Bergamot.) Rather small, roundish-oblate, rough, greenish ; stalk half an inch long, stout, cavity round, wide ; calyx small, basin smooth, shallow; flesh juicy, sugary, rather rich, about third-rate in value. Early autumn. Bergamotte d'Automne. Roundish-obconic, remotely pyri- form; smooth, fair, pale yellow, with a brownish red cheek ; stalk an inch and a fourth long, cavity and basin slight ; flesh breaking, juicy, sweet, not rich. French. Quite distinct from the preceding, and worthless. Bleeker's Meadow. Rather small, roundish, or flattish- obovate ; very regular ; large specimens are short-obo- vate ; surface yellow ; stalk an inch long, stiff', calyx open, both slightly sunk; flesh very sweet, approaches buttery and melting when at its best, but usually remains hard and worthless. Middle and late autumn. Growth rapid, upright, very productive. From ne^lrly first to fourth-rate. Origin, Pennsylvania. Croft Castle. Size rather small or medium ; form ovate, ta- pering considerably from base to crown ; greenish yellow, thickly dotted and roughened with small specks ; stalk an inch and a half to two inches long, slender, curved, not sunk ; calyx widely reflexed in the flat narrow crown; flesh crisp, juicy, sweet, second-rate. Mid-autumn. Eng- lish. Eyevjood. Small, regular round-oblate ; pale yellowish green, becoming dull yellow, thickly dotted, a faint brown- ish tinge to the sun ; stalk very long ; cavity and basin small; buttery, melting, rich, fine, sub-acid like the 252 AUTUMN PEARS. Beurr^ d'Aremberg. Late autumn. Buds large, with prominent shoulders, whence its name. English. New. Fulton. Rather small or nearly medium ; roundish, crown flattened ; whole surface a smooth gray russet, becoming a dark cinnamon russet; stalk an inch and a quarter long, slender, cavity round, rather narrow ; calyx long, deep-cut, basin uneven ; flesh half-buttery, melting, rich, sprightly, agreeable, nearly or quite first-rate. Ripens middle and late autumn. Shoots rather slender, reddish brown. Tree very hardy and productive. Valuable. Origin, Topsham, Maine. Tig. 198. Moor-fowl Egg. (jSt/?2. Little Swan's Egg.) Rather small, roundish, dull green, with a brown cheek, dots minute ; stalk long, slender, little sunk or under a lip ; basin small, flesh soft, juicy, gritty, sweet ; a third-rate Scotch pear, ripening about mid-autumn. Princess of Orange. Rather small, roundish, slightly neck- ed ; color cinnamon and light reddish russet ; stalk an inch long ; cavity, calyx, and basin small ; flesh yellow- ish white, crisp, juicy, vinous ; about second-rate, some- times very poor. Late autumn. Belgian. Quiltette. Size nearly medium ; roundish, slightly oblate; skin greenish, nearly covered with dull, iron-colored rus- set ; stalk an inch and a quarter long, fleshy at insertion, with no cavity; calyx very small or abortive, basin nar- row; flesh melting, buttery, sweet, rich, perfumed; good second-rate, sometimes nearly first-rate. Late autumn Belgian. WINTER PEARS. DIVISION III.— WINTER PEARS. Class I. — Distinct pyriform. Section L — Large Pears, Fig. Vn—Beurre cfAremberg. Fig. 17S—Glout Morceau. BEURRE D'AREMBERG. {Syn. Due d'Aremberg, Des- champs, L'Orpheline.; Large, short obconic-pyriform, approaching obconic-obovate, neck rather small; skin thick, greenish-yellow, partly russeted; stalk short or 254 WINTER PEARS. half an inch to an inch long, thick, oblique, thickening with flesh towards insertion ; calyx erect ; basin deep, narrow ; flesh buttery, melting, rich. With a high, sub- acid flavor — regarded as fully first-rate by those who es- teem a vinous flavor. Ripens late autumn and early win- ter— keeps with little care. Very productive. Grows well on the quince. Leaves slightly waved. Belgian. Rivers says that Orpheline or Soldat Laboreur, of the French, is a variety of Beurre d'Aremberg, having larger fruit and less thorns than the common Beurre d'Aremberg, the former never having thorns. Thompson differs from Rivers. A very different pear with the name of Soldat Laboreur, or Soldat d'Esperen, is described by Rivers as a large turbi- nate pear, half-melting, high-flavored and excellent — the tree robust, and a great bearer — ripening about mid- winter. Black Worcester. {Syn. Iron Pear, Black Pear of Worces- ter.) Large, pyri form, approaching oblong-ovate; body large, short ovate ; neck short, rather obtuse ; surface mostly covered with dark rough russet on a light green surface ; stalk half an inch to an inch and a half long, cavity none ; calyx erect, basin small ; flesh hard, coarse, rich, somewhat austere ; stews and bakes well. An es- teemed culinary sort, bearing heavy crops, and proving very profitable for market. Late autumn till mid-winter. Growth very crooked and straggling. Fig. 22 L Catillac. Large, short obconic-pyriform, approaching broad- turbinate, crown broad, flattened; yellow, often with a reddish brown cheek ; stalk an inch to an inch and a half long, stout, cavity small, wayy; calyx short, erect or spread, basin large, plaited ; flesh hard, but excellent for baking and stewing, becoming tender, and of a light red color. Keeps through winter. French. Fie:.-222. Chaumontel. {Syn. Bezide Chaumontelle, Winter Butter.) Large, pyriform, body oblong or ovate, neck short, obtuse, often quite obscure, and the form approaching obovate or oblong, — largest at the middle ; skin a little rough, yel- lowish in the shade, with more or less brownish red and and rich deep red in the sun ; stalk an inch long, mode- WINTER PEARS. 255 rately sunk; basin deep, uneven, or angular; flesh but- tery, melting, sugary, with a fine flavor. Requires warm rich cultivation to develope its good qualities. Shoots long, slender, dark -brown. Grows well on the quince. Early Winter. Old French. Glotjt Morceau. (Sy7i. Gloux Morceaux, Beurre d'Har- denpont, Colmar d'Hiver, Hardenpont d'Hiver, Linden d'Automne.) Large, short pyriform, approaching obtuse- oval, neck very short and obtuse, body large, and taper- ing somewhat towards the crown ; often considerably ribbed ; surface green, becoming pale greenish yellow stalk an inch and a fourth long, not oblique, stout, fleshy on quince stocks, moderately sunk ; calyx large, basin dis- tinct, rather irregular ; flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, rich, sweet, with no acid, and of fine flavor. Early winter. Succeeds best on the quince. Preferred to Beurre d'Aremberg by those who like a sweet pear — and differs from it in its sweet flavor, shorter neck, more rounded or tapering crown, even (not oblique) stalk, and more obtuse neck. Fig. 178. Louise Bonne. Large pyriform ; smooth, pale green ; stalk rather short, straight, slightly enlarged towards insertion ; calyx small, basin shallow; flesh white, rather coarse, third-rate in quality. Early winter. Old French. Pound. {Syn. Winter Bell, Angora.) Very large, pyri- form, approaching obconic, crown wide ; skin yellowish- green, with a brown cheek ; stalk two inches long, calyx crumpled, basin narrow ; flesh solid, hard, stems reddish color, a first-rate culinary pear. Trees strong, healthy, pro- ductive ; shoots stout, upright, dark. Uvedale's St. Ger- main nearly resembles or is identical with this variety. Spanish Bonchretien. (Syn. Bon Chretien d'Espagne.) Large, pyriform, irregular, narrowed to the stalk, one- sided ; surface deep yellow at maturity, with a bright red cheek, and reddish brown dots ; stalk an inch and a half long, bent slender, scarcely sunk; basin rather deep, narrow, irregular ; flesh white, crisp, or half breaking, moderately rich — first-rate for cooking — worthless as a dessert fruit. .j 256 WINTER PEARS. Fig. 177— 7icar ted. It is even as short as the single term Ituan^parabU. THE PEACH. 291 Sweetwater. {Syn. Early Sweetwater.) Size medium, roundish, light green at maturity, flesh tender, melting, rich, and juicy. It is a seedling from the Early Anne,, which it much rei;tmbles in growth and general charac- ter, but is more than twice its size, superior in flavor, and ripens nearly a week later. A moderate bearer. Like the Early Anne it is too tender for the north, and does not ripen before the Tillotson and Serrate Early York. The Sweetwater of Downing has globose glands and large flowers, with a roundish, middle-sized, greenish-white fruit ; the tree is more hardy than the preceding, but the fruit ripens later, and is interior in quality. White Nutmeg. {Syn. Early White Nutmeg, Avant Blanche, White Avant.) Very smali, roundish oval, with a deep suture on one side ; skin nearly white, rarely touched with faint red ; flesh white to the stone, with a mild, pleasant flavor. Ripens about mid-summer, or im- mediately after wheat harvest, and is the earliest and siTiallest peach cultivated. Its very slow growth, tender shoots, and light crops, render it of little value. Sul-section II. Flowers small. Belle de Vitry. {Syn. Admirable Tardive.) Size medium, approaching oblaie ; apex depressed, suture deep ; skin nearly white, tinged and mrrbled with bright and dull red ; flesh rathe^ firm, red at the stone, juicy and rich. Quite late, or last of 9 mo. (Sept.) This is quite distinct from the Late Admirable, which ripens two . eeks earlier; and from the Early Admirable, often known by the name of Belle de Vitry, and which ripens six weeks earlier. Both of the latter have crenate leaves with globose glands. Early T;llotson. Size medium ; round or nearly globu- lar ; thickly dotted with red on a nearly white ground in the shade, dark deep red in the sun ; flesh whi.ish, red at the stone, to which the flesh partially adheres, — juicy, rich, high-flavored, more of a nutmeg and less of a vinous flavor than the Serrrate Early York, and ripening about the same time or a few days earlier, or the early part and middle of 8 mo. (Aug.) Its time of maturity is often somewhat variable, even on the same tree. The young 292 THE PEACn. trees are of slow growth, .and the leaves liable to mildew, from both of which it gradually recovers as the tree ad- vances in size. Origin, Cayuga Co., N. Y. Emperor of Russia. {Syn. Cut-leaved, Serrated, Unique.) Fruit large, approaching oblate ; one half, more swollen; surface ruther downy, dull yellowish white, with a dark red cheek ; flesh yellowish white, rather firm, rich, high- flavored. End of suiTimer. Although the flavor is first- rate, it is a poor grower and a poor bearer. Origin, New- York. Royal George. ((St/tz. Early Royal George.) Rather large, globular, broad and depressed, or inclining to oblate ; su- ture deep at apex, passing two-thirds round the fruit ; skin nearly white, thickly dotted with red, with a broad, deep, rich red, slightly ir.arbled cheek ; flesh whitish, very red at the stone, juicy and rich. Ripens a week or two be- fore the end of summer. A moderate bearer. Shoots liable to mildew. Red Rareripe. {Syn. Early Red Rareripe, Large Red.) Rather large, globular, broad and depressed ; suture broad and deep, passing nearly round the fruit ; skin nearly white, with red dots in the shade, and a rich dark red cheek in the sun ; flesh, whitish red at the stone, juicy, rich, and high-flavored. Ripens during the last two weeks of summer. Resembles the Royal George, but superior in quality. Both are subject to mildew of the leaves. Royal Charlotte. Rather large; approaching ovate; base slightly wider than apex ; suture moderate ; skin pale greenish-white, with a deep red marbled cheek ; flesh • while, pale red at the stone ; juicy, rich, fine. First of autumn. Section II. Leaves cbenate, with globose glands. Sub-section I. Flowers large. Acton Scott. Size medium ; rather narrow and depressed at apex, suture shallow ; skin rather wooly, nearly white, with a marbled, bright-red cheek ; flesh pale to the stone ▼ «th a rich, sometimes slightly bitter flavor. Early, — mid THE PEACH. 293 die of 8 mo., August. English ; a cross between Noblesse and Red Nutmeg. Rare in this country. Astor. Large, slightly oblate, apex slightly depressed, su- ture distinct ; surface nearly white, with a deep red cheek ; slone small; flesh very juicy, sweet, good second-rate. Ripens end of summer. Origin, New- York. Barrington. Large, roundish-ovate, apex rather pointed ; suture on one side, moderate ; skin nearly white, with a deep-red, marbled cheek ; flesh slightly red at the stone, juicy, rich, and of high quality. Ripens early in autumn. Does not attain its full flavor north of New- York city. English. Clinton. Size medium, roundish, apex slightly depressed, suture nearly obsolete; surface nearly white, with a somewhat striped red cheek ; flesh juicy, faintly red at the stone, of second-rate flavor. End of summer. American. Early Admirable. {Syn. Admirable ; Belle de Vitry, er- roneously.) Size medium; nearly round; skin nearly white, with a red cheek; flesh red at the stone, juicy, rich, sweet, fine. Quite earl}^, ripening immediately after Serrate Early York. French. GROSSE MIGNONNE.^ Large, roundish, slightly oblate ; apex depressed, with a deep suture ; skin tinged with greenish yellow, mottled with red, and with a purplish red cheek; flesh reddened at the stone, juicy, with a very rich, high, and somewhat vinous flavor ; stone small, very rough. Early, — the last two weeks of summer. Of French origin. The peach usually cultivated in this coun- try under this name, although an excellent variety, is not the genuine Grosse Mignonne, but differs in its small flowers. Sub-section IL Flowers small. Bellegarde. {Syn. Galande, Smooth-leaved Royal George, Violette Hative of some^ Red Magdalen erroneously.) Size medium or large, round, regular ; suture shallow, deepest at apex, with a slight proj ecting point ; skin nearly white, 1i9A THE PEACH. witK a faint tinge of green, and a rich red cheek, often streaked darker ; flesh slightly red at the stone, a little firm, melting, juicy, rich, and of fine flavor. Stone rather large. End of summer. French. Cole's Early Red. Size medium, roundish, suture small; skin mostly mottled with red, with dark red on the sunny side ; flesh juicy, rich, with a pleasant and fine flavor, hardly first-rate in quality. Valuable for its great pro- ductiveness and early maturity, ripening nearly as early as the Serrate Early York. American. Cooledge's Favorite. Rather large or medium ; roundish, rather largest on one side; suture distinct at apex; skin nearly clear white, mottled with red dots in the shade, and with a brilliant deep scarlet cheek in the sun ; flesh very melting and juicy, with a rich, faintly acid flavor. Ripens about the middle of 8 mo., Aug. Origin, Wa- tertown, Mass. Dbuid Hill. Very large, roundish, cavity rather narrow ; suture slight, with a distinct but scarcely prominent point at apex ; surface pale greenish white, clouded with red towards the sun; flesh greenish white, purple at the stone, very juicy, with a very rich, high vinous flavor; stone long and rather compressed, much furrowed. Ri- pens quite late, or latter part of 9 mo., Sept. Growth unusually vigorous. Origin, Baltimore. Favorite. Large, oblong, or oval ; skin rather downy, much covered with red, very dark towards the sun; flesh red at the stone, a little firm, jnicy, with a good, vinous, but not rich flavor. Hardy and very productive. Ripens me- dium or rather late, or about the second week of au- tumn, (jrlands of the leaves very small, obscure, or nane. American. Foz^s Seedling. Round, slightly compressed, cavity nar* row ; white with a red cheek ; juicy, sweet, good. ' Sea- son, medium or rather late. New-Jersey. GEORGE THE FOURTH. Large, round, suture deep and broad, one half slightly larger; skin nearly white in the shade, dotted red, with a deep red cheek, flesh slightly I THE PEACH. 296 red at the stone, melting, juicy, rich, excellent. Ripens at the end of summer. Branches rather more diverging than usual; leaves pale green, often glandless. Crops moderate, one cause of its excellence. Origin, New- York. Green Catharine. Large, round, pale groen, with a red cheek, flesh bright red at the stone, tender, juicy, rather acid. Season, rather late, does not ripen richly as far north as the 43d degree of latitude. LARGE EARLY YORK. {Syn, Early York of New- Jersey, Honest John.) Large, roundish, inclining to ob- late in fully grown specimens, nearly white in the shade, with red dots, and with a deep red cheek to the sun ; flesh nearly white, fine-grained, very juicy, with mild, rich excellent flavor. The NEW-YORK RARERIPE, (a name which has been more or less applied to nearly all the early red peaches sent to New- York market,) or Livingston's New- York Rareripe, is usually regarded as identical with the large Early York, but T. Hancock, of Burlington, considers them distinct, — the New-York Rareripe being rather su- perior, and ripening three days later. Haines' Early Red closely resembles, if it is not identical with Large Early York. Late Admirable. {Syn. La Royale, Bourdine, Teton de Venus, Judd's Melting, Motteuxs Late Purple incorrectly,) Quite large, roundish, inclining to oval, with a deep su- ture extending nearly round, and an acute swollen point at the apex ; surface pale yellowish-green, with a pale red cheek, marbled with darker red; flesh greenish white, red at the stone, juicy, delicate, flavor excellent. Season rather late. Of French origin. Late Red Rareripe. Large, roundish-oval, apex marked with a depressed suture and sunken point ; skin rather downy, pale greyish yellow, spotted and thickly marbled, deep dull red to the sun, and with fawn-colored specks; flesh white, deep red at the stone, juicy, with a very rich and high flavor. The fruit is distinguished by its pe« M* 296 THE PEACH. culiar greyish cast. Season, the first two weeks of au- tumn. American Moths' Red Rareripe, Large, roundish, apex slightly de- pressed, suture moderate, distinct ; surface greenish-white, with a bright rich red cheeck; flesh greenish-white, quite red at the stone, juicy, sweet, rich. Season, end of sum- mer. Origin, Philadelphia. Differs from George IV., in its darker leaves, heavier crops, more even fruit, inferior flavor, and in ripening a few days later. Morrissania Pound. (S2/?z. Hoffman's Pound.) Very large, nearly round ; surface dull greenish-white, with a brown- ish red cheek; flesh pale yellowish, juicy, tolerably rich. Late. Origin, Ncw-Vork. NiVETTE. Large, roundish, sometimes slightly oval, suture slight, apex but little depressed ; surface light yellowish- green, with a faint red cheek ; flesh pale green, varying from pink to deep red at the stone, juicy and melting, and with a very rich flavor. Season medium, immedi- ately preceding or ripening nearly with Morris White, and one of the best of its season for the north. Of French origin. OLDMIXON FREESTONE. Large, roundish, slightly oval, one side swollen, suture visible only at apex ; cavity shallow; surface a pale yellowish white, marbled with red, with a deep red cheek when fully exposed; flesh deep red at the stone, tender, rich, excellent. Season medium, or the first of autumn. Succeeds well in all localities, and has few equals as a variety for the north, to succeed the early peaches. President. Large, roundish-oval, with little suture ; skin very downy, yellowish-white, with a tinge of green, and a dull red cheek ; flesh nearly white, deep red at the stone, very juicy, and with a high flavor; stone rough, to which the flesh partially adheres. Ripens a little later than Morris White, or middle of 9 mo., (Sept.) Scotfs Early Red. Medium size, roundish, suture distinct, moderate ; skin nearly white, mottled and covered with THE PEACH. 297 red ; flesh very juicy, with a rich, fine flavor. Rather early, or end of summer New Jersey. Van Zandt's Superb. Size medium, roundisii, one half larger, suture slight ; skin nearly white, with a beautifully dotted red cheek ; flesh whitish, tinted with red at the stone, juicy, sweet, of fine pleasant flavor. First of au- tumn. Origin, Flushing, Long Island. Walter's Early. Rather large, roundish ; surface nearly white, with a rich red cheek ; flesh whitish, touched with red at the stone, juicy, sweet, of fine flavor. Ripens the kit week of summer. A native of New-Jersey, and is a valuable peach at the north. Ward's Late Free. Large, not quite of the largest size, roundish, surface dull yellowish white, with a red cheek, nearly the color of the Oldniixon Free, but not so clear nor bright ; flesh nearly white, of excellent flavor. One of the finest late peaches of the middle states. The Rey- bolds, of Delaware, the most extensive peach raisers in the United States, having reduced their list to about fif- teen sorts, have retained this as one of the best late varieties. Washington. (Sy?i. Washington Red Freestone.) Large, somewhat oblate, with a broad deep suture passing nearly round; skin thin, yellowish-white, with a deep crimson cheek; flesh nearly white, tender, juicy, sweet, rich. Stone small, to which the flesh slightly adheres. Rather late. Origin, New- York. White Imperial. Rather large, roundish, often slightly oblate, depressed at apex ; suture moderate ; surface pale yellowish white, often with a faint tinge of green; slight- ly tinged and sometimes striped with light purple to the sun; flesh very juicy, delicate, sweet, excellent. A uni- form moderate bearer, and a valuable peach at the north, but worthless in Virginia. Ripens rather early, or latter part of summer. Origin, Cayuga Co., N. Y. k 298 THE PEACH. Section III. Leaves with reniform glands. Sub-section I. Floicers large. Early Purple. {Syn. Pourpr'e Hative, Pourprte Hative a Grand Fleurs.) Size medium, globular, depressed, a deep suture across the apex ; skin light yellow, with a mottled purplish red cheek ; flesh red at the stone, melt- ing, juicy, with a high flavor; stone broad and rough; season early, or middle or latter pait of 8 mo., (Aug.) Rare in this country. The Serrate Early York has been propagated under this name in portions of this country, and the Grosse Mignonne in Europe ; from both of which it differs in the glands of its leaves. White Blossomed Incomparable. {Syn. White Blossom, Willow Peach.) Large, oval j skin wholly white ; flesh white to the stone, juicy, pleasant, of tolerable flavor. Ripens first of autumn. Flowers white, leaves light green, shoots pale yellow. American, Sub-section II. Flowers small. BREVOORT. {Syn. Brevoort's Morris, Brevoort's Seed- ling Melter.) Medium or large, round and slightly ob- late, suture distinct, deep at apex ; skin nearly white or with a faint dingy hue, with a bright red cheek ; flesh rather firm, slightly red at stone, rich, sweet, and high- flavored. First of autumn. Moderately and uniformly productive. Origin, New- York. Chancellor. {Syn. Late Chancellor, Noisette.) Large, oval, suture distinct; skin nearly white, with a dark crimson cheek; flesh deep red at the stone, with a rich vinous flavor ; stone oblong. Late. Of French origin. Early New;ngton Freestone. Size medium; roundish, one half always larger, suture distinct ; surface nearly white, dotted and streaked with red, the cheek a rich red ; flesh white, red at the stone, at first wholly adhering, but as it ripens, partially separating from it; juicy, rich, fine. A valuable early variety, ripening immediately after the Serrate Early York. THE PEACH. 299 Kenrick's Heath. {Syn. Freestone Heath.) Very large^ oblong, suture slight, apex pointed ; surface pale green- ish-white, with a purplish red cheek ; flesh deep red at the stone, rather coarse, verj' juicy, sub-acid, second-rate, sometimes third-rate ; when well groAvn on some locali- ties, it proves a good sub-acid peach. Season, medium or rather late. New-England. La Grange. Large, oblong ; surface pale greenish-whife, rarely tinged with red by the sun ; flesh juicy, with a rich, fine flavor. Quite late. Origin, Burlington, N. J., and does not attain a fine flavor much farther north. Morris White. {Syn. Morris' White Rareripe, White Rareripe, Lady Ann Steward.) Rather large, roundish, or roundish-oval, often obscurely obovate or a little larger towards the apex, suture small ; surface rather downy, of a pale creamy white at maturity, rarely tinged with pur- ple to the sun; flesh slightly firm, wholly white, very free from the drab stone, melting, juicy, with a good, rich fla- vor ; hardly of the highest quality at the north, better in the middle states ; very popular everywhere. Season, medium, or early in autumn. Cole's White Melocoton, as usually cultivated, is a sy- nonym ; but when genuine, is quite distinct, according to T. Hancock, being larger, heavier, and rounder, and ripening two weeks later. Stww. Large, globular, suture distinct only at apex ; skin thin, wholly white ; flesh white to the stone, juicy, sweet, rich. First of autumn. Very variable ; sometimes w^orth- less for the table ; a beautiful peach for preserving. Strawberry. {Syn. Rose.) Size medium, oval, cavity deep, suture passing half round ; surface mostly i;:arblcd with deep red; flesh whitish, melting, rich, of fine flavor. Early. 300 THE PEACH. Class II. Flesh deep yellow. Section L Leaves crenated, with globose glands. Sub-section /. Flowers large. Baltimore Beauty. Rather small, round-oval ; skin deep orange, with a bright red cheek; flesh yellow, red at the stone, sweet, good, mealy when over-ripe. Quite early. Origin, Baltimore, where it is good, but it proves of third- rate quality at the north. Sub-section 11. Flowers small. Crafword's Early. {Syn. Early Crawford, Crawford's Early Melocoton.) Very large ; oblong-oval, sometimes round-oval ; apex with a prominent point ; suture shal- low; surface yellow, with a red cheek; flesh very juicy, rich, slightly sub-acid, of good but not the highest flavor. End of summer and beginning of autumn. Productive. Ranks ver^^ high in the northern, middle, and western states, as a market variety. Origin, New- Jersey. Crawford's Late. [Syn. Crawford's Late Melocoton, Crawford's Superb Melocoton.) Very large, roundish, suture shallow, distinct ; surface yellow, with a broad, dark red cheek; flesh red at the stone, rich, juicy, vinous, hardly first-rate. Quite late, or latter part of 9 mo. (Sept.) Productive ; and ranks among the first as a late variety for market. Origin, New-Jersey. The common Red Cheek Melocoton is cultivated in some localities under this name. Jaqtjes' Rareripe. Very large, roundish, slightly oblate, suture distinct, one side slightly larger, surface a little uneven ; surface deep yellow, variously shaded with red ; flesh deep yellow, red at the stone, of good but not of the highest flavor. Shoots diverging. Ripens at the end of summer. Origin, Mass. Red' Cheek Melocoton.* Large, roundish-oval, with a point at apex; surface yellow, with a deep red cheek; flesh • Pronounced Mel-o-co-toon, and often written Malacaiune and Melocotoon, with ©ther Tariatious in orthography, it it the Spaoish name for fvuh. f THE PEACH. 301 red at the stone, juicy, with a good, rich, vinous flavor, not of first-rate quality. Ripens rather late, or during the last half of 9 mo., (Sept.,) in the middle states about the first of autumn. Extensively cultivated as a market peach. Scott's Nonpareil. Large, roundish, slightly oblong, sur- face deep yellow with a red cheek, resembling Crawford's Late, but sweeter. Origin, Burlington, N. J., where it ripens about the 12th of 9 mo., (Sept.) New. Yellow Alberge. {Sy7i, Purple Alberge, Yellow Rareripe, erroneously.) Size medium ; roundish, suture distinct, passing half round; skin yellow, with a deep purplish red cheek ; flesh deep red at the stone, juicy, sweet, pleasant, of second-rate flavor. This is distinct from the Early Barnard or Alberge of western New-York, a sub-variet)'- superior to the original. The Rosanna, another sub-variety, ten days later, and with reniform glands, is cultivated in some localities under the name of Yellow Alberge. YelIow Rareripe. Large, roundish ; suture moderate, passing half round ; apex with a small point ; surface deep orange, somewhat dotted, with a rich red cheek, shaded off* in streaks ; flesh red at the stone, juicy, rich, fine; of nearly first-rate quality; stone small. End of summer, and first of autumn. One of the best yellow peaches. There are several spurious and inferior sub- varieties. Section II. Leaves with reniform glands. Sub'Section 1. Flowers large. Yellow AdmiraUe. {Syii. Abricotee, Admirable Jaune, Orange Peach, Apricot Peach.) Large, roundish-oval, suture small, and on one side only ; surface wholly yel- low, or faintly reddened next the sun ; flesh slightly red at the stone, firm, and rather dry ; flavor sweet and agree- able ; stone small ; season, very late. Of French origir' 9Qi THE PEACH. Sub-section II. Flowers small, BERGEN'S YELLOW. Very large, round, slightly ob- late ; suture distinct, passing more than half round ; sur- face deep orange, with a broad deep red cheek; flesh juicy, rich, excellent. Ripens the first of autumn. This is perhaps the finest of all yellow-fleshed peaches. Origin, Long Island, N. Y. It differs from the Yellow Rareripe in its more oblate form, darker color, superior flavor, and later maturity, and m its reniform glands. Columbia. Large ; roundish-oblate ; suture distinct, pass- ing half way round ; skin rough, rather thick, dull dingy red, with spots of darker red ; flesh yellow, rich, juicy, of excellent flavor. Origin, New Jersey. Ripens early in autumn. Shoots dark reddish purple. DIVISION IL CLINGSTONES OR PAVIES. Class I. Flesh, pale o.i light colorsd. Section I. Leaves serrated^ without glands. Sub-section I. Flowers large. Old Newington. {Sy7i. Newington, Large Newington.) Large, roundish, suture slight ; surface nearly white, with a fine red cheek, somewhat streaked with darker red ; flesh nearly white, deep red at the stone ; somewhat melting, juicy, rich. Season, rather late, or middle of 9 mo. (Sept.) A sub-variety, cultivated to a considerable extent in this country, has globose glands. Smithes Newington. {Syn. Early Newington.) Size, me- dium ; roundish-oval, narrower at apex, one side slightly enlarged; surface pale yellow, with a lively red cheek, streaked with purple ; flesh bright red at the stone, juicy, good. Ripens end of summer. This is of English origin, and is quite distinct from the Early Newington Freestone, a melting (not firm-Jieshed) peach, often adhering to the stone. THE PEACH. ^Q^ Section II. Leaves crenate, with globose glands. Sub-section L Flowers einalL Large White Clingstone. Large, round, suture slight, point at apex small ; skin white, dotted with red, or with a light red cheek next the sun; flesh very juicy, sweet, rich, and high-flavored. Season, early in autumn. Ori- gin, New- York. Oldmixon Clingstone. Large, roundish-oval, suture dis- tinct only at apex, fruit slightly larger on one side ; sur- face yellowish white, dotted with red, or with a red cheek; flesh juicy, rich, with a high flavor. Ripens first of autumn. This is one of the finest of clingstone peaches Section III. Leaves with eeniform glands. Sub-section I. Flowers small. Catherine Cling. Large, roundish-oval, swollen most on one side, with a small point at apex; surface pale yellowish- green, thickly doited and with a cheek of red, with darker streaks ; flesh firm, dark red at the stone, juicy, rich, fine. Season, late. Of English origin. The fruit of this va- riety, and of the Old Newington, and Oldmixon Cling, considerably resemble each other, but all differ in the glands of the leaves. Heath. {Syn. Heath Cling, White Heath.) Very large, oblong-oval, the largest specimens nearly round, with a large, conspicuous point at the apex; suture distinct on one side ; surface quite downy, pale yellowish white, sometimes faintly tinged with red next the sun ; flesh ex- ceedingly juicy, becoming melting, with a sweet, very high, rich, and excellent flavor ; leaves large, wavy, deep green, slightly crenate. Season, very late, about mid- autumn, and the fruit may be kept nearly till winter. At the north, it matures fully in the warmest seasons only ; and never attains its full size, which is about three inches in diameter, unless much thinned on the branches, to effect which a thorough shortening-in is by far the best mode. Origin, Maryland. Tree quite hardy and vigo- rous. In southern Virginia, the Heath is rather an un- 20 S04 THE PEACH. certain peach, but when perfect it ripens there the fir&i fortnight in autumn. Incomparable. (iST/Tz. Pavie Admirable.) Large, roundish, one side enlarged; skin nearly white, light red to the sun ; flesh red at the stone, juicy, agreeable, second-rate. Ripens late. Resembles the Catherine, but larger, later, and of inferior quality. Class II. Flesh deep yellow. Section I. Leaves serrate, without glands. Sub-section I. Flowers small. Orange Clingsto7ie. Large, round, suture distinct, passing nearly round, with no point at the apex ; surface deep orange, with a dark red cheek ; flesh rather firm, rich, juicy, vinous. Season, early in autumn. Section II. Leaves with reniform glands. Sub-section I. Flowers small. Lemon Clingstone. {Syn. Kennedy's Cling, Pine Apple Cling, Yellow Pine Apple.) Large, oblong-oval, slighily narrowed at apex, terminated by a large prominent point ; surface deep yellow, with a dark brownish-red cheek; flesh firm, slightly red at the stone, with a rich, vinous, sub-acid flavor. Quality about second-rate. Rather late. Tree productive, hardy. Origin, South Carolina. Late Yellow Alberge. Syn. Algiers Winter, October Yel- low.) Size medium; roundish-oval; suture small, dis- tinct ; skin quite downy, green becoming yellow ; flesh yellow to the stone, very firm, of second-rate quality. Ripens very late, or about mid-autumn. French. Tippecanoe. Large, nearly round, slightly compressed; surface yellow, with a red cheek; flesh yellow, juicy vinous, good. Quite late. A native of Philadelphia; of little value much further north. New. Washington Clingstone. Size medium; roundish; sur- face 5^ellowish-green, with gray specks, and with a slight THE NECTAItlNft. 30^ tinge of reel to the sun ; not handsome ; flesh very ten- der, sweet, high-flavored. Quite late. Class III. Flesh purplish crimson. Section I. Glands rtniform, Suh-section I. Flowers small. Blood Clingstone. {Syn. Claret Clingstone, Blood Cling.) Large, often very large, roundish-oval, suture distinct; skin quite downy, dark, dull, clouded, purplish-red ; flesh deep red throughout, firm, juicy, only valuable for culi- nary purposes. The French Blood Clingstone, the parent of the preceding, only differs from it in its smaller size and large flowers. The Blood Freestone is much smaller, and of no value. NECTARINES. The Nectarine being nothing more than the peach with a glossy skin, the same rules for cultivation will apply equal- ly to both, with the exception that its smooth surface ren- ders it eminently liable to the attacks of the curculio. For the remedies, see the chapter on the Plum. The nectarine is usually inferior, and has more of the noyau flavor than the peach ; and the shoots are of smoother and more compact growth. DIVISION I. FREESTONES. Class I. Flesh pale. Section I. Leaves with reniform glands. Sub-section I. Flowers large. New White. Rather large, nearly round; skin white, often a slight tinge of red; flesh white, tender, juicy, rich, vinous ; stone small. Season medium or first of autumn. English. The Old White resembles the preceding but is less hardy and productive. SOB THE NECTARINE. Sub-section IL Flowers small. DowNTON. Medium in size, roundish-oval, pale green, with a deep violet-red cheek ; flesh pale green, slightly- red at the stone ; melting, rich, excellent. Ripens end of summer. This is perhaps the best flavored of all the nectarines. English. Due de Telliers. Rather large, roundish-oblong, apex slight- ly narrowed, base broad ; pale green, with a marbled purple-red cheek; flesh pale red at the stone, juicy, sweet, good. Rather early, or end of summer. Early Violet. {Syn. Violet Hative, Aromatic, New Scar- let, Large Scarlet, Early Brugnon, Violet Musk, Violelte Musquee.) Size medium ; roundish, apex slightly nar- rowed, suture shallow j skin with a dark purple red cheek and brown dots, on pale yellowish-green ; flesh whitish, much reddened at the stone; stone roundish, moderately rough, reddish or reddish brown ; flesh melt- ing, rich, high-flavored, and aromatic; of the finest quali- ty. Season medium or end of summer. Distinguished from Elruge by its redder flesh and stone, and darker skin. The Large Early Violf.t, or Violette Grosse, differs in its larger size and rather inferior flavor. Elruge. Medium in size, roundish-oval ; suture slight, distinct at apex ; skin a dark red or deep violet on a greenish-yellow ground, with minute brownish dots ; flesh greenish-white, slightly, sometimes scarcely stained with pale red at the stone; juicy, rich, high-flavored; stone rough, pale. Season about medium, or first of autumn. This is one of the best and most celebrated of nectarines. Hardwicke Seedling. Large, roundish, approaching oval, resem.bling Elruge ; skin with a violet-red cheek on pale green ; flesh greenish-white, slightly reddened at the stone, juicy, rich, high-flavored. Season, medium, or end of summer. English, new. Murrey. Size medium, roundish-ovate, one side slightly larger, skin with a dark red cheek on pale green ; flesh THE NECTARINE. m greenish- white, sweet, good ; stone nearly smooth. Rather early. Unproductive. English, old. Peterborough. Rather small, roundish ; skin nearly green, with a slightly dingy red cheek; flesh greenish-white to the stone, flavor tolerable. Very late, or nearly mid- autumn. Valueless. The sort usually propagated under this name in this country, although a superior sort, is not genuine. Class II. Flesh deep yellow. Section I. Leaves serrate, without glands. Sub-section I. Flowers small. Hunt's Tawny. Nearly medium size, roundish-ovate, nar- rowed and pointed at apex, one side slightly enlarged • skin, a dark red cheek on pale orange, with numerous russet specks ; flesh deep orange, rich, juicy, good. Eng- lish. Valuable for its early maturity, ripening quite early, or three weeks before the close of summer. Often mildews badlv. k Section II. Leaves with reniform glands. Subsection I. Flowers small. Boston. (Sr/?z. Perkins, Lewis.) Large, handsome, round- ish-oval ; bright yellow, with a deep red cheek ; flesh yellow to the stone, with a good, pleasant, but not very high flavor. Season, medium, or about the first of au- tumn. A native of Boston. FairchilcTs. Small, round, slightly flattened at apex ; skin a bright red cheek on yellowish green; flesh yellow to the stone, rather dry, flavor poor. Quite early, its only merit. Pitmaston's Orange. Large, roundish-ovate, base broad, apex narrow and pointed; surface with a dark reddish cheek, slightly streaked at the margin, on rich orange ; flesh deep yellow, rod at the stone; juicy, rich, fine; stone rather small. Rather early. 308 THE NECTARINE. DIVISION II. CLINGSTONES. Cla. s I. Flesh Pale. Section I. Leaves serrate without glande. Subsection I. Flowers large. Early Newington. {Syn. Black, Early Black, Lucombe's Seedling.) Large, roundish-ovate, one side slightiy en- larged, apex pointed ; skin pale green, nearly covered with bright red and with darker niarblings and dots ; flesh greenish-white, deep red at the stone, juicy, with a fine rich flavor. First of autumn. Newington. {Syn. Scarlet Newington, Scarlet, Old New- ington, Smith's Newington, Anderson's.) Rather large, roundish ; nearly covered with red and darker marblings, on pale green;sh-yellow ; flesh deep red at the stone, juicy, rich, vinous. Rather late. Best when ripened to shrivelling. Class II. Flesh yellow. Section II. Leaves loith reniform glands. Sub-section I. Flowers large. Red Roman. (S?/?^. Roman, Old Roman, Brugnon Musqn<^e.) Large, roundish, a little flattened at apex; skin greenish- yellow, with a somewhat rough, dull reddish-brown cheek, with brown russet specks ; flesh firm, greenish-yellow, deep red at the stone, rich, vinous, high-flavored. Sea- son medium or rather late. Sub-section II. Flowers small. Broomfield. Large, roundish ; skin with a dull red cheek on dull yellow; flesh yellowish; flavor tolerable. Rather late. Origin', Harvard, Mass. Golden. [Syn. Orange, Fine Gold-Fleshed.) Medium in size, roundish-ovate, handsome ; surface bright waxen yel- low, with a small scarlet cheek ; flesh firm, of rather poor flavor. Cultivated only for its beauty. Rather late. Prince's Golden Nectarine resembles this, but is larger a week later, and has large flowers. ml CHAPTER V. THE APRICOT. It is remarkable that a fruit of such excellence as the apricot, and ripening from. one to two months before the best early peaches, should be so little known. In its natural character, it is more nearly allied to the plum than the peach, resembling the former in its broad leaf, and in the smooth stone of its fruit; but downy like the peach, an roundish. Culinary. Ripens at mid-summer. Turke7. Size, medium; round, not compressed; surface deep yellow, with a mottled biownish orange cheek ; flesh pale yellow, firm, juicy, with a fine mixture of sweet and acid ; very free from stone. Rather late, or middle of 8 mo., Aug. Somewhat resembles Moorpark, but differs in being rounder, paler, with an impervious stone, and sweet kernel. The Blotch-leaved, or Golden Blotched, is identical with the preceding, with a yellow spot on the centre of each leaf. Section 11. Small. BREDA, C%«. Holland, AmandeAveline.) Rather small, sometimes nearly medium, (an inch and a half diameter,) round- ish, obscurely four-sided, suture distinct ; surface orange, wilh a dark reddish orange cheek; flesh deep orange, free from the stone, rich and high-fla vored. Quite early, or a week or two after mid-summer. Har- dy for an apricot, and very pro- Fig. 241. Br^. ductive. Black._ {Syn. Purple Apricot, Noir, Violet.) Small or medium; round; pale red where densely shaded, dull THE APRICOT 311 ieep purple or nearly black in the sun ; surface with a thin down ; flesh red near the skin, yellowish at the stone ; flesh somewhat fibrous, sweet, slightly astringent, with a pleasant, good, second-rate flavor. Adheres to the stone. Hardy as an apple tree, and very productive. A distinct species (y/. dasycarpa) from the other apricots. Ripens with the Breda. Reproduces itself from the stone. Shoots quite slender, greenish. There is another quite different apricot, called Violet or Red Angoumois; small, oblong, lighter red, free from the stone. Rare. Early Golden. {Syn. Dubois' Apricot.) Small, an inch and a fourth in diameter ; round-oval, nearly smooth, suture narro .V, distinct ; surface wholly pale orange ; flesh orange, moderately juicy, sweet, good, free from the stone. Early, or ten days before the Moorpark. Hardy, very productive, profitable for market. Origin, Dutchess county, N. Y. Musch. {Syn. Musch-Musch.) Rather small, round, deep yellow, with a slight orange red cheek; flesh yellow, translucent, tender, sweet. Tree rather tender. Little known in this country. Origin, Musch, in Asia Minor. Class II. Stone with a bitter kernel. Section I. Fi-uit large, Hemskirke. Large, roundish, compressed; surface orange, with a red cheek ; flesh bright orange, rich, juicy, spright- ly. Stone rather small. Resembles Moorpark, but smaller a little earlier, and stone not perforate. English. Rare in this country. MOORPARK. {Syn. Anson's, Dunmore's Breda, Temple's.) Large, (two inches in diameter,) nearly round, slightly compressed ; surface orange, with a deep orange red cheek, and with numerous darker dots ; flesh free from the stone, bright yellowish orange, rather firm, quite juicy, with a rich, high flavor. Stone perforate, or with a hole lengthwise under one edge, so that a pin may be thrust through. Season medium, or two weeks after mid-summer. Requires the shortening-in pruning recom- mended for the peach. English. Old. N 312 THE APRICOT. PEACH. (Sijn. Anson's Imperial, Peche, De Nancy.) Very large, slightly larger than Moorpark; yellowish orange, with a brownish orange cheek, and mottled with dark brown to the sun ; flesh a rich yellow, juicy, with a rich, high flavor. Stone perforate. Ripens about the time of ihe Moorpark, which it closely resembles, but is of larger size. Origin, Piedmont. Royal. Rather large, round-oval, slightly compressed, su ture shallow; dull yellow, faintly reddened to the sun; flesh pale orange, firm, juicy, sweet, high-flavored, slight- ly sub-acid, free from the large, oval, nearly impervious stone. Ripens a week before Moorpark, smaller than the latter, and with a less bitter kernel. French. Rare in this country Shipleifs. C-S"?/^- Blenheim.) Large, oval, surface orange, flesh deep yellow, juicy, rather rich ; stone roundish, not perforate. Inferior to Moorpark, but rather earlier. Eng- lish. New. Section IL Brussels. Size medium Medium in size. rather oval, compressed ; pale yellow, dotted white in the shade, russety brown to the sun ; suture deep at base ; flesh yellow, rather firm, moderate- ly rich. Rather late. LARGE EARLY, — Size medium; oblong, compressed ; suture deep; slightly downy; pale orange, with a spotted bright orange cheek, very handsome; flesh free from the stone, pale orange, rich, juicy. Ripens at or a little before. Fig. 242. Lnrge Early. mid-summer. Origin, south of France. THE APRICOT. 313 IvOMAN. {Syn. Abricot Commun.) Medium in size, rather ova!, compressed, suture small or obscure ; surface pale yellow, with a (ew red dots to the sun; flesh very fine- grained, half juicy, with a mild pleasant flavor. Worth- less in England, but greatly improved by our warm sum- mers. Productive. Season, rather early or medium, or two weeks after mid-sumrner. It is disseminated in this country under various erroneous names. 1 »e Blotch-leaved Roman differs only in the yellow spot or 5tain of its 'eaves. Section III. Small. A.i»cig'or. {3yn. Aihergc.) Small, roundish, slightly com- j^.tasrd, deep yellow, flesh reddish, firm, with a rather b;xei: flc.vor; stone compressed. Rather late. Leaves will! stipules. For preserving. Red Mfticutme. {Syn. Early Masculine, Brown Masculine, Abricotin, Abricot Precoce, Abricotier Hatif.) Small, nearly round, suture distinct ; bright yellow, with deep orange cheek and red spots ; flesh yellow, slightl}-^ musky, sub-acid ; stone thick, obtuse at ends. Flowers rather small. Very early or about mid-summer. Hardy, for an apricot. Valuable only for its earliness. White Masndiiie. {Syn. White Apricot, Early White Mas- culine, Abricot Blanc.) Small, roundish, nearly white, rarely a faint reddish cheek, rather downy ; flesh white, delicate, a little fibrous, adhering to the stone. Closely resembles the Red Masculine, except in color and being rather better, and four or five days later. CHAPTER VI. THE PLUM. Raising the Young Trees. The plum is propagated by budding or grafting on seedling plums. For this purpose, the stones of such varieties should be chosen, as are of large and thrifty growth; and they are to be treated in planting precisely as directed for the peach, with additional care to prevent the drying of the stones, which much sooner takes place in consequence of their smaller size and thinner shell. If not cracked, a part only will vegetate the first year, although many may be made to open by the repeated action of freezing and thawing. On light or unfavorable soils, most of the common varie- ties produce feeble and slowly growing seedlings ; an excel- lent substitute will be found in the larger sorts of the wild plum, sometimes known as the Canada plum, {Prutius Americana.) Those varieties which are found to outgrow this stock, should be worked at the surface of the ground, and when transplanted the place of union siiould be set a few inches lower. Grafting, to succeed best, should be done quite early in spring, before the buds have commenced swelling ; and bud- ding;- iiiust be performed while the stocks are at the period of their most vigorous growth, provided sufficiently matured buds can be procured, which is usually soon after mid-sum- mer. If deferred, the bark will not peel freely, and the buds will not adhere. For dwarfs, seedlings of the Mirabelle plum are chiefly used for stocks. On light soils, the peach has been occasionally used as stocks for plum trees. A very few varieties take readily and grow freely, and large healthy trees have in some instances been produced j but the great uncertainty which attends its THE PLUM. 315 use, and the failure with most varieties, indicate the pro- priety of the rejection of the peach for this purpose. The time required to attain a sufficient size for the or- chard, varies much with different sorts. The Imperial Gage, the Washington, Huling's Superb, and others, grow rapidly, and usually produce good trees in two years from the graft or bud ; while such slow-growing plums as the Primordian, Green Gage, and Red Diaper, require a much longer period. Soil. The best soil, usually, is a strono', rich, moderately moist, clayey loam. On many light soils the tree grows with less vigor, independently of which the crop is more fre- quently destroyed by the curculio, a pervious soil affording a more ready place of shelter for the young insects, on their escape from the fallen fruit. A few varieties are well adapt- ed to rather dry as well as light lands. 0?ie of the best manures for the plum, as well as for the quince, is common salt. For large-sized trees, half a peck may be applied annually early in spring ; spread to a dis- tance round each tree quite as far as the extent of the branches ; smaller trees should receive a proportionate quan- tity, or just enough to cover the ground equally thick. This application has been found to add to the thriftiness of the tree, to lessen the tendency to leaf-blight, and in some in- stances it has contributed to the repulsion of the curculio. Li planting orchards^ a suitable distance is one rod apart, giving 160 to the acre. The ground should be manured and kept well cultivated, as the plum, especially when young, is very sensitive to the effects of the weeds and grass of neglected culture. DISEASES AND ENEMIES. The chief are the curculio, and the black excrescences on the limbs. The curculio, represented in the annexed figure, (243,) ia a small insect not more than a quarter of an inch long, of a dark brown color, the sheaths covering Fi£? 243. the ings slightly variegated with lighter color?, the body resembling in size and appearane,e a ripe he:i.p seed. It is distinguished by an elongation of the head, re- sembling a conspicuous rostrum or beak projecting from the front part of its thorax. 'S16 Tftfi PLtTM. About the time the young fruil attains the size of a pea, the ,,^^ curculio begins its work of destruction. It makes a small crescent-shaped incision in the young fruit, and lays its egg in the opening. The presence of the egg may be easily detected by these incisions upon the surface] the annexed figure, (244,) repre* ^^* ■ sents one of these magnified twice indiame* ter. The egg soon hatches into a small white larva, which enters the body of the fruit and feeds upon it, causing, usually, its premature fall to the ground. The period at which the young fruil falls, after being punctured, varies with its age at the time of the injury. The earlier portions drop in about two weeks ; but if the stone is hard when the egg is laid, the fruit remains till near the usual period of ripening, sometimes presenting a fair and smooth exterior, but spoiled by the worm within. The insect, soon after the fall of the fruit, makes its way into the earth, where it is supposed to remain till the fol- lowing spring, when it is transformed into the perfect in- sect or beetle, to lay its eggs and perpetuate its race. In- stances, however, have occurred, where the transformation has taken place within twenty days of the fall of the fruit. The curculio travels by flying, but only during quite warm weather, or at the heat of the day. The insects most- ly confine themselves to certain trees, or to the same orchard. But the fact that newly bearing and isolated orchards are soon attacked, clearly shows that in occasional instances they must travel considerable distances. Indeed, they have been known to be wafted on the wind for a half mile or more, the windward side of orchards being most infested, immediately after strong winds from a thickly planted plum neighborhood. In the cool of the morning, they are nearly torpid, and can scarcely fly, and crawl but slowly ; hence, at this time of the day they are most easily destroyed. Their flight appears to be never more than a few feet from the ground; and successful attempts have been made to shut them oCft of fruit gardens by means of a tight board fence, nine or ten feet high, entered by a tight gate. The remedies for the curculio are various. They are of three distinct methods ; the firsts repelling or excluding THE PLUM. 517 them, as by a tight fence, or by a heap of fermenting ma- nure ; the seco7id. the direct and immediate destruction of the insects while in the act of depositing their eggs; and the third, the destruction of the young larva or worm in the injured fruit to save the next season's crop. 1. It has been found that the effluvia from fermenting manure effectually repels the curculio. Trees standing near stable-cleanings usually bear full crops, and heaps of fer- menting manure placed for this purpose beneath the trees, have yielded the same successful result. But other offen- sive substances, as strong tobacco water with whale-oil-soap, applied so abundantly as to coat thickly the young fruit, hrs not deterred them in their attacks. In addition to these means, the frequent passing near trees planted by door- paths and other frequented places, and the presence ofswint in orchards, doubtless contribute to some extent towards tht, same end, by frightening the insects away. 2. Destruction of the insects while stinging the fruit is thoroughly efifectual, if vigorously and unremittingly ap- plied. The best and indeed only practicable mode, is to jar them from the tree upon white sheets spread beneath. While lying upon the sheet they may not at the first glance of an unpracticed eye be distinguished from the fallen, withered blossoms; but a moment's attention will quickly remove this difficulty. If the sheets are stiffened by Cleans of a light frame, they may be carried by a sin- gle person and placed readily beneath the tree. A very large, coarsely made umbrella, covered with white muslin, with a slit in one side, two- thirds in to receive the trunk of the tree, has been found very con- venient for young or mo- derate-sized trees, the umbrella being spread in an inverted position, Fi&-345. as exhibited in the an- "31® THE PLUM. nexed figure, ("245,) and as soon as the insects are jarred down upon it, it is half closed and shaken, when all its con- tents roll to the centre and fall through a hole, three inches in diameter, into a vessel of hot water carried for this pur- pose. Such an umbrella may be procured at the manufac- turers, six or seven feet in diameter, for about three dollars, and will save a hrge amount of labor. Next to this in con- venience, are double square frames covered with white mus- lin, shutting together like the leaves of a book, and enable the operator to throw all the fallen insects into hot water at one movement of the hands. A quick and sudden jar is important, and may be given by the stroke of a mallet, upon the short stump of one of the smaller limbs, sawed off for this purpose, and which prevents bruising the bark. Or a mallet may be thickly covered with woolen cloth encased in India rubber, to prevent in- jury to the tree; but the jar is less sudden in this case, David Thomas, (who first proposed jarring down on sheets, ^ in a communication to the Genesee Farmer, in 1S32, says, "Not three days ago, I saw that many of the plums were punctured, and began to suspect that shaking the tree was not sufficient. Under a tree in a remote part of a fruit garden, having spread the sheets, I therefore made the fol- lowing experiment : On shakimg it well^ I caught jive cur- culios ; on jarring it with the hand, I caught twelve more; an on striking the tree with a stone, eight more dropped on the sheets. I was now convinced that I had been in an er- ror ; and calling in the necessary assistance, and using a hammer to jar the tree violently, we caught in less than an hour, more than two hundred and sixty of these insects." With large trees, it may be necessary to shake each limb separately, by means of a pole with the woolen and india- rubber knob, already described, at its extremity. * The best time for this work is in the cool of the morningj when the insects are partly torpid with cold, and drop quick- ly. At mid-day they retain their hold more tenaciously, and more quickly escape. The work should be commenced very early in the season, as soon as the fruit begins to set, or is not larger than a small pea. With properly stiffened muslin frames, a few minutes are sufficient for many trees^ See Appendix, page 417.' THE PLUM. 31€ and labor equal in the aggregate to that of a single entire day, may save large and valuable crops. 3. The third class of remedies includes the different means of destroying the fallen fruit, as soon as it drops, and before the larvas escape to the earth. One of these consists in heating the ground smooth beneath the tree, sweeping up the fallen fruit daily, and feeding it to hogs or otherwise destroying it. Paving with brick, by preventing the en- trance of the insects into the ground, effects the same purpose. If the soil is hard clay, beating the surface, renders it nearly as compact as a pavcmept. Hence, the reason why the plum crop more frequently escapes in clayey regions, than on lighter soils, where the insect makes its way more easily into the earth. But more effectual than the last, is the confinement of swine beneath the trees. They immediately pick up and destroy the punctured fruit, and by their constant presence, serve to frighten away the insects from their work of de- struction. Experience has thoroughly established the effi- ciency of this method, where a sufficient number of swine has been allowed the run of the orchard. Geese and hens are, to a limited extent, useful in repelling or destroying the curculio. To apply this remedy most efficiently, all the trees of the apricot, nectarine, and plum, should be planted apart fronai the rest of the orchard, so that swine may be exclusively confined among thern, where they should be allowed to re* main the whole season, except during the period of the ripening of the fruit. It will be quite necessary, however, to protect all the younger trees, by encasing them in board boxes, or by tying round them a mass of sweet-briar limbs or other densely prickly or thorny plant. Dr. Kirtland says, "This insect, last season, [1848,] de- stroyed every plum on my farm, except the crop of one tree in my swine lot ; that tree is bending under its load ot fruit." A cultivator in western New-York, by the large number of hogs kept in his plum yard, had abundant crops for more than twenty successive years, while his neglectful neighbors lost the greater part of theirs. It may, however, happen, in thickly planted neighborhoods, that swine may not prove a sufficient protection ; but we know of no in- 21 N* 320 THE PLtlM. Stance whatever, where abundant crops nave not been ob- tained by combining the two remedies of swine and jarring down the insects. The curculio appears to prefer the nectarine to all other fruit for the lodgment of its eggs, and next to this the plum and apricot. A large portion of the cherry crop is frequent- ly more or less injured, and sometimes wholly destroyed ; and for this reason it may usually be expedient to give it the benefit of the protection of swine in the same enclosure with other smooth stone fruit. The peach is sometimes at- tacked, but only the very early nutmeg varieties wholly de- stroyed. Some varieties of the apple are much stung, as indicated by the crescent-shaped incisions: but the larvse rarely reach so far as the core, and usually perish within the flesh of the fruit. Among the various remedies which have been tried and proved partial or entire failures, may be mentioned the ap- plication of salt to the ground, beneath the tree, and its di- rect application to the fruit ; syringing tobacco water over the fruit and leaves; hanging bottles of sweetened water in the branches to catch the insects, and placing white- washed boxes with water in the bottom during the night, with a lamp within each, to decoy them;* and inverting the soil with a spade late in autumn to expose them to the frosts of winter. The black excrescences on the shoots and limbs, fig. 246, known as the black knot, black gum , and warts^ are variously supposed to be the work of an insect, or the result of diseased sap or cells, or regarded as a sort of vegetable ulcer. They have been by some attributed to the curculio an opinion originating from the occasional detec- tion of this insect within the pulpy excreseen- ces, but entirely disproved by the facts that the curculio has existed in vast numbers in neigh- borhoods where the excrescences are unknown ; and on the other hand, that thfe excrescences Fig. 248. have luined trees in places not infested with the curculio ; besides which, the most rigid search of newly forming knots has failed to detect the-eggs or larvae * \Vhich, however, prove very efficient means of destroying many other aisecta iiyurious to fruits and fruit trees. THE PLITOT. "321 of the curculio, which are only occasionally found when do- posited at a later stage in the large pulpy swellings. Others, with more plausibility, believe the disaster to re« suit from the infusion of poison by the minute sting of an insect, and which afterwards spreads over the tree by the moving sap. But sufficient evidence has not been furnished to establish this opinion, nor the insect in question detected. Sufficient evidence appears to have been furnished, how- ever, to prove that a tree, badly diseased, is infected through- out with the poison ; as suckers from such a tree will always sooner or later become affected. Buds from diseased trees, placed in healthy stocks, soon exhibit the excrescences. But seedlings or suckers from a healthy tree usually escape, un- less in near proximity to unhealthy trees. The remedy for this disease is certain and efficient, if vigilantly applied. It consists in cutting off and burning all the excrescences as soon after their first appearance as practicable. As the poison spreads, it is desirable to re- move the wood of the branches some inches from the appa- rently affected parts. If the tumors, however, break out on the trunk or main limbs, it may be difficult to do this with- out cutting away the whole tree. As much of the wood is therefore to be cut out as may exhibit the least indication of disease ; and the wound washed with a solution of copperas, as recommended and successfully praciiced by Downing, or with strong brine, as found beneficial by Dr. Harris and others. The only instances where the remedy has failed, is where it has been but very partially applied, or where the disease has been suffered to spread for a time unchecked The only way is to cut and continue cutting, so long as any traces remain. This will be found to check, and by perse- verance, to remove the disease. As a general but not uni- versal rule, the yellow plums are not so liable to excrescen- ces as purple varieties, unless surrounded by diseased trees. The leaf-blight, or premature casting of the foliage, proves in some seasons a serious disaster to the plum, as it checks the growth of the shoots, and prevents the ripening of the fruit. Occasionally it has been so severe as to spoil entirely the value of the crop. No satisfactory cause has been as- signed for this malady, other than the want of proper food in the soil, and among the successful remedies noticed, . 322 THE PLUM. the following, on the authority of F. R. Elliott, of Cleve land. "A small tree of the Imperial Ottoman, six fee high, and an inch and a half in diameter. Ahout this I placed last winter nearly two bushels of leached wood ashes, and this entire season, (1848,) the foliage has kept full and of good color, while trees all around and within twenty feet, have uniformly cast theirs." The use of salt as a manure has to some extent, contributed to a similar re- sult, in some cases quite successfully. DRYING PRUNES. An article of considerable commerce is furnished by the French prunes, or dried plums, inported into this country The abundant crops of the plum tree, in some parts o( our country, may render it desirable that the best means of drying should be known. By a selection of the rich est varieties, there is no doubt that prunes superior to those of foreign preparation might be easily obtained. The following description of an oven purposely built for prunes, and doubtless with some modifications, well adapted to the drying of other fruits, is given in Liegel's Treatise, (Ger- man,) as quoted in the Horticulturist. The amount of heat obtained by a small quantity of fuel, commends it to the particular attention of those engaged in drying fruit: " Prunes, says Liegel, have become an important article of commerce. In order to have them fair and glossy, they must be suddenly cooled, when withdrawn from the oven. " The country people in this part of Germany, prepare their prunes by putting them into their bread ovens. I have put up, for my own use, a very conveniently arranged drying apparatus, which, after the experience of many years, I am induced to recommend ; and for the construction of which I give the annexed drawing and explanatory description. " The vault or exterior of the oven, four and a half feet long, is surrounded by a brick wall one foot thick, so that the whole stove, ah c d, (see figs. 247 and 248,) is exactly six feet every way ; the front wall, %, being only half a foot in thickness. At the top, the vault is arched over with six inches of brick work at the crown of the arch. The flues i t, are about fourteen inches square. The hurdles or trays m THf for containing the prunes, rest upon shelves fixed I THE PLUM. 3S3 upon two bearers. It would be better if they rested upon rollers, so as to admit of their being pushed in, and drawn out, with greater ease. These lines of trays are placed at a distance of six inches from the furnace, so as to keep the fruit from too great a heat ; they may be made entirely of wood, but it will be better if the bottoms are of open-work, like sieves. Their weight is such that they may be easily managed by a wo- man ; but in preparing prunes on a large scale, let them be made of great- er length anr' breadth, so as to just con. e within the strength of a more robust person. *' The wooden frame, h h, is that on which the two doors are hung. The door, g, which covers the arch, (and which is represented in the cut as open and fastened up,) shuts up the front of the upper part of the oven. In the middle of this up- per door or flap, is a round vent hole, for the escape of the moist va- por. /<•, is an iron, dam- per or slide, to be placed in the flue at I /, in order to regulate the heat. " A thousand fully ripe Quetsches, (prune plums) make about ten pounds of dried prunes. " Plums of diflferent Fig. 247. Fig. 248. t kinds may be dried, either whole or deprived of their skins and stones. In the latter case, they are styled prunelles J84 THE PLUM. When the White Perdrigons are used for this purpose, they are merely stoned, without skinning; the latter, from the delicacy of their skins, not being deemed necessary. " For prunellas^ perfectly ripe and sweet plums are to be taken, and suffered to wilt a little in the open air, in order o facilitate stripping off the peel. A better and more ex- peditious way is to pour hot water over them, and suffer them to steam a few moments. " The stone is pressed out at the stem end. In the dry- ing ovens, these prunes must be very carefully and gradu- ally dried. They may also be dried, but not so easily, ia the sun." VARIETIES. SYNOPSIS OF ARRANGEWENT. DIVISION I. GREEN, WHITE, OR YELLOW. Class I. Flesh nearly free from the stone. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit of medium size. Section III. Fruit small. Class II. Flesh adhering to the stone. Section I. Fruit large. . Section II. Fruit medium in size. Section III. Fruit small. DIVISION IL RED, PURPLE, OR BLUE. Class I. Flesh nearly free from the stone Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium in size. Section III. Fruit small. Class II. Flesh adhering to the stone. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium in size. Section III. Fruit small. THE PLUM. 325 DIVISION I. GREEN, WHITE, OR YELLOW. Class I. Flesh nearly free from the stone. Section L Fruit large, Ghiston's Early. Large, oval, clear yellow, bloom light', flesh yellow, of pleasant flavor. Resembles, considerably, the Yellow Egg plum, but the flesh is free from the stone. Rather early, or a fortnight before the first of autumn. Imperial Gage. {Syn, Flushing Gage, Prince's Imperial Gage, White Gage, of Boston.) Fruit rather large, oval, suture distinct ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slight- ly hairy, evenly sunk ; surface green, slightly tinged yel- low, with marbled green stripes ; bloom copious, white ; flesh greenish, juicy, melting, rich, sometimes adhering, but usually nearly free from the oval, pointed stone. Ri- pens first of autumn. Very productive. Shoots long, upright, vigorous, slightly downy; leaves with a slight shade of blue. Often insipid on heavy soils. A single tree, near Boston, yielded fifty dollars of fruit in one year. JEFFERSON. Large, oval, base slightly narrowed, su- ture slight ; greenish yellow, becoming golden yellow, often faintly reddened to the sun, bloom thin, white stalk an inch long, sunk little or none ; flesh rich yellow, moderately fine-grained, in well ripened specimens orange very juicy, nearly free from the long, pointed stone; fla- vor rich, luscious, excellent. As large as the Washing- ton, and though inferior to the Green Gage and some others in flavor, it is one of the most valuable of all plums. Ripens end of summer. Origin, Albany. Shoots smooth, growth closely resenibles Coe's Golden drop. Fig. 251, Lawrence's Favorite. {Syn, Lawrence Gage.) Large, roundish, slightly oblong-oval, obtuse ; surface dull yel- lowish-green, clouded darker ; bloom light, blueish-green • base, when ripe, with a brownish-red net-work and dots; stalk half an inch long, small, cavity narrow ; flesh, greenish, melting, juicy, rich, excellent; next to the Green Gage in quality. Shoots short, rather upright a» THE ruin. i THE PLUM. 327 downy; leaves small, dark green. Rather early or a fortnight before the first of autumn. Origin, Hudson, New-York. Fig. 252. WASHINGTON. {Syn. Bolmar, Bolmar's Washington.) Large, often very large, roundish-oval, suture obscure, distinct at base ; surface yellowish-green faintly marbled, often with a pale red blush ; stalk one-half to three- fourths of an inch long, slightly downy; cavity wide, shallow, flesh rather firm, sweet, mild, moderately rich, free from the pointed stone. Rather early, or the last fort- night of summer. Shoots downy, very vigorous, leaves very large. Origin, New- York city. This variety, al- though not high in flavor, is a general favorite for its free growth, great productiveness, beauty, fine texture, and adaptedness to all soils. Fig. 250. Section IL Fruit medium in size. Albany Beauty. {Syn. Denniston's Albany Beauty.) Size medium or rather small, roundish oval, with a slight neck at base, suture obscure ; surface pale whitish green, pur- ple dots numerous, bloom thin ; stalk an inch or more long, slender, scarcely sunk ; flesh yellow, moderately juicy, rich, sweet, free from the small, pointed stone Ripens the last week in summer. Shoots slightly downy Origin, Albany, N. Y. New. Apricot. {Syn. French Apricot.) Size medium or rather large ; roundish, suture deep ; stalk scarcely half an inch long ; surface yellow, dotted and tinged with red in the sun ; bloom white ; flesh yellow, rather firm, slightly bit- ter, becoming, when ripe, melting, juicy, and pleasant. Rather early. Shoots quite downy. The English Apricot plum is a third-rate, clingstone, oval fruit, with smooth shoots. Autumn Gage. (St/?2. Roe's Autumn Gage.) Size medium, ovate, slightly conical ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, not sunk ; surface pale yellow, bloom thin, whitish ; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, sweet, delicate, pleasant, free from the long, pointed, compressed stone. Leaves point- ed, shoots smooth, spreading. Ripens rather late. Growth yery slow. Very productive. Origin, Newburgh, N. Y 328 THE PLUM. Bleecker's Gage. Size medium ; roundisn-oval, regular, suture obscure ; stalk an inch long, rather stout, downy, slightly sunk; skin yellow, with sunken white specks; bloom thin, white ; flesh yellow, rich, sweet, luscious, partly free from the pointed stone. Ripens at the end of summer. Shoots downy. Distinguished from Prince's Yellow Gage by its larger stalk and later maturity. Origin, Albany, N. Y. Fig. 255. Denniston^s Superb. Size medium; round, obscurely oval, slightly flattened, suture distinct ; surface pale yellowish- green, slightly dotted and clouded with purple, bloom thin, stalk rough, three-fourths of an inch long, moderate- ly sunk ; flesh thick, (stone small,} not juicy, rich, vinous, free from the thick, roundish stone. Ripens rather early, or last fortnight of summer. Resembles Green Gage, rather larger, earlier, and not so good. Shoots downy. Very productive. Origin, Albany, N. Y. One of the handsomest of plums. Hudson Gage. Size medium ; oval, suture obscure, one side slightly larger ; surface yellow, clouded or streaked faint green, bloom thin, white ; stalk about two-thirds of an inch long, moderately sunk; flesh greenish, juicy, melting, rich, sprightly, excellent, nearly free from the small stone. Ripens two weeks earlier than Washington, and three weeks before Imperial Gage, which it partly resembles. Origin, Hudson, N. Y. Reine Claude de Bavay. Round-oval, greenish-yellow, spotted with red, with small, violet-colcred longitudinal veins ; flesh rather firm, juicy, sugary, rich, of fine quali- ty, adhering slightly to the stone. Shoots smooth, leaves roundish, shining, — the growth resembling Washinton, but leaves smaller and shoots slenderer. Very productive. Origin, Malines, in Belgium. New. Coe's Golden Drop has been disseminated to some extent for this variety. St. Martin's Quetsche. Size medium; ovate, broadest at base; surface pale yellow; often spotted with brown; bloom white ; flesh yellowish, very juicy, rich, excellent. Ripens at mid-autumn, and keeps long. Shoots smooth. THE PLUM. 329 A profuse bearer. One of the best late plums. Profitable. German. New. White Imperatrice. {Syn. White Empress, Imperatrice Blanche.) Size iiiedium, obovate, slightly flattened at ends, suture rather obscure ; surface bright yellow, with red dots to the sun, bioom very thin; stalk half to three fourths of an inch long, cavity narrow; flesh crisp, juicy, translucent, free from the small oblong stone. Season medium, or early in autumn. Resembles St. Catherine, but differs in being a freestone, and inferior in quality. Shoots smooth. But little known in this country. Yellow Gage, Prince's. {Syn. American Yellow Gage.) Size medium ; oval, slightly broadest at base ; suture a mere line ; surface golden yellow, slightly clouded ; bloom white, copious ; stalk an inch long, cavity small, round ; flesh deep yellow, rich, sugary, melting, sometimes rather dry. Ripens early in 8 mo., (Aug.) shoots smooth, short- jointed, leaves glossy, tree becoming spreading. Origin, Flushing, L. I. This is wholly distinct from the English Yellow Gage of the next section. Section III. Fruit Small. Drap d'Or. {Syn. Yellow Perdrigon, Mirabelle Grosse.) Rather small, round, suture indistinct, apex dimpled ; stalk half an inch long, slender ; surface golden yellow, sometimes a few crimson dots to the sun ; flesh yellow, sweet, rich, often half dry, partly adhering to the stone ; ripens a week before the Green Gage. Shoots slightly downy, growth slow. Not so good as Morocco, but bears better. GREEN GAGE. {Syn. Reine Claude, Bruyn Gage.) Ra- ther small ; round ; suture faint ; surface green, becom- ing yellowish green, usually with reddish brown dots and network at base ; stalk half to three-fourths of an inch long, scarcely sunk; flesh pale green; melting, juicy, exceedingly sweet and rich, and unequalled in flavor. Ripens about the middle of 8mo., (Aug.) shoots smooth, 330 THE PLUM. buds with large shoulders, growth slow, and young trees drfficult to raise in most localities. French. Old. There are many seedlings, inferior to the original, and ma- ny worthless green plums called by this name. F. R. Elliott, one of the best informed pomologists of Ohio, says that he knows of but one or two genuine bearing trees in that State. The Schuyler Gage, of Albany, is a sub-variet}'-, closely re- sembling the Green Gage. Imperial Ottoman. Nearly medium in size, oval, suture on one side half way from base to apex ; somewhat pel- lucid ; surface pale greenish-yellow, marbled ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, downy, slender, curved, scarcely sunk j surface dull yellow, clouded darker, bloom thin ; flesh very juicy, sweet, excellent, scarcely adhering to the pointed stone. Quite early, or two or three weeks after midsummer. Great bearer. Nearly or quite as early as Drap d'Or, and much better. Shoots slightly downy ; tree hardy, succeeds well as far north as Maine. Mirahelle. Very small, obovate, suture distinct ; stalk half an inch long, slightly sunk ; surface a fine yellow, slight- ly spotted with red, bloom white ; flesh orange, sprightly, becoming dry. Ripens with the Green Gage. Shoots downy, tree small. A small, beautiful, second-rate plum, very productive, and valued for preserving. Its seed- lings are used as stocks for dwarf plums. Primordian. {Syn. Jaune Hative, or Early Yellow, White Primordian.) Small, obovate, necked ; suture small ; stalk slender, downy, half an inch long ; pale clear yel- low, bloom thin ; flesh yellowish, moderately juicy, with a rather sweet mild good flavor ; very free from the stone. The earliest plum, ripening before midsummer. Shoots quite slender, very downy, growth slow, and young trees difficult to raise. Yellow Gage, English. {Syn. Little Queen Claude.) Small, round, suture on one side distinct ; surface pale yellow- ish green, becoming yellow, with a few reddish dots, bloom dense; stalk half an inch long, slender, slightly sunk; flesh very sweet, pleasant, quite free from the I THE PLUM. 331 Stone. Ripens nearly with the Green Gage. ShooUk long, smooth. Of French origin. Class II. Flesh adhering to the Stone. Section L Fruit large. BueVs Favorite. Rather large, ovate, broadest at base suture distinct half round ; stalk two thirds of an inch Fig. 256— Pritnorcftan. Fig. ^1— White Damson. Fig. 258--C7o«*» Golden Drop. Fig. 259— ITwKnf'i Superb. long, rather stout, little sunk ; surface pale green, thick- ly sprinkled with lighter dots, base with reddish specks ; flesh greenish-yellow, rather firm, juicy, rich, high flavor- ed, adhering to the long pointed stone. Ripens at the close of summer. Shoots, smooth, reddish. Origin, Albany, N. Y. New. Bingham. Large, (an inch and three-fourths long,) oval, rather widest at base ; surface deep yellow, with rich red S52 THE PLtJM. spots to tne sun ; stalk slightly sunk ; flesh yellow, jtticy rich, delicious. Season of ripening medium, or end of sum- mer and first of autumn. Shoots downy. Handsome, productive, and valuable. Origin, Pennsylvania. COE'S GOLDEN DROP. Very large, (often more than two inches long,) oval, suture distinct, one side more enlarg- ed, necked ; light yellow, often dotted red to the sun ; stalk three fourths of an inch long, rather stiff; flesh yellowish, rather firm, rich, sweet, not fine grained, close- ly adhering to the pointed stone. Quite late, does not always ripen at the north — requires a long season. An excellent late sort, of English origin. Shoots smooth, ra- ther glossy. Fig. 258. Hultng's Superb. Large, often quite large, round ovate, Suture shallow, indistinct ; stalk one inch long, stout, slightly sunk ; skin dull greenish-yellow ; bloom pale, thin ; flesh rather firm ; flavor rich, brisk, excellent. Ri- pens latter part of summer. Shoots thick, vigorous, dow- ny, leaves very large. A moderate bearer. Origin, Pa. Large Green Drying. {Syn. Knight's Large Drying.) Large, round, greenish-yellow, flesh yellowish, moderate- ly juicy, rich. Rather late. English. McLaughlin. Rather large, roundish, oblate, much flatten- ed at ends, suture obscure ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, scarcely sunk ; skin thin, tender, russet-yel- low, sprinkled with thin red, purplish at base ; flesh ra- ther firm, juicy, sweet, luscious. Ripens at the end of summer. Growth vigorous, leaves large, glossy, shoots smooth. Origin, Bangor, Maine, where it succeeds well as is very fine. New. Mulberry. Large, oval, tapering with a neck to the base, suture slight ; pale dull yellow, with a few crimson dots; bloom thin ; stalk an inch long, slender, scarcely sunk on the obtuse point of the neck; flesh greenish yellow, rather coarse, melting, rich, adhering to the large, oblong, pointed stone. Ripens the first of autumn. Shoots stout Origin, Albany, N. Y. New. THE PLUM. 333 White Egg. {Syi%. White Magnum Bonum, White Impe- rial.) Very large, oval, narrow at ends, necked at base, suture distinct ; stalk an inch long, not sunk, surrounded by a fleshy ring at insertion ; skin light yellow, bloom thin, white ; flesh firm, coarse, acid, becoming sweeter by ripening, adhering closely to the long, pointed stone. Ripens about the end of summer. The Yellow Egg is very similar in character, but the flesh partly separates from the stone when fully ripe. There appear to be several sub-varieties. T. Rivers, of Sawbridge worth, England, says the Yellow Magnum Bonum is an American plum of extreme hardi- ness— good, but not first rate — flesh clings — and bears more freely than *' our old White Magnum Bonum." Section II. Fruit medium i7i size. Band's Yellow Gage. Size medium, oval, pale yellow, marbled with darker green, bloom very thin : flesh juicy, lively. Season medium. Very productive. Haidy. Mass. Downton Imperatrice. Size medium, oval, base tapered or with a neck ; skin thin, pale yellow ; flesh yellow, melt- ing, acid, becoming rather sweet ; ripens late, or two weeks before mid-autumn. Shoots smooth, long, strong, upright. For preserving. A cross of the White Egg and Blue Imperatrice. Emerald Drop. Size medium, long oval, suture deep, one side larger ; skin pale yellowish-green, dull green in the shade; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, scarcely sunk, flesh juicy, rather rich, of second-rate quality, adhering to the long pointed stone. Lucombe's Nonsuch. Medium or rather large, roundish; skin yellowish-green with yellowish-orange, bloom whi- tish ; suture broad ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, cavity wide ; flesh rather firm, rich, sweet with acid. Resembles the Green Gage, but larger, more marked with yellow, and much inferior in flavor. English. St Catherine. Size medium, obovate, suture very distinct, passing half round ; skin pale yellow, sometimes slightly 334 THE PLUM redtlish to the sun, bloom thin, white; stalk three-fourths .A an inch long, very slender, slightly sunk; flesh juicy, raiher firm, rich, fine, often nearly or quite first-rate in flavor. Ripens rather late. Shoots smooth, rather slen- der. White Perdrigon. Size medium, oval, narrow at base skin pale greenish-yellow, with white dots, and red dots to the sun ; bloom thin ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender; flesh very sweet, slightly perfumed, of fine flavor. Ripens about the end of summer. Section III, Fruit small, Byfield. Small, round, suture a mere line ; stalk half an inch long, cavity even ; skin light yellow, with red spots at base ; flesh yellow, adhering to the thick stone. Rather early. Shoots smooth. White or Yellow Damson. {Sj/n. Late Yellow Damson.) Small, Cone inch long,) oval, pale yellow, dotted with red- dish-brown ; stalk half an inch long, downy, not sunk flesh rich, sub-acid, agreeable; ripens very late, hanging long on the tree. Shoots smooth, growth free ; tree very productive. Fig. 257. DIVISION II. RED, PURPLE, OR BLUE. Class I. Flesh nearly free from the stone. Section I. Fruit large, Columbia. (Syn. Columbian Gage.) Very large, nearly globular, one side slightly larger ; skin brownish purple, reddish-brown where much shaded, with many fawn- colored dots ; bloom blue, copious ; stalk one inch long, rather stout ; cavity small ; flesh orange, moderately juicy, rich, rather coarse, free from the small, compressed stone, or adhering at the edge ; flavor good, dot first-rate. Fruit Jiable to rot. Season medium, or end of summer. Shoots downy, stout, blunt, spreading, leaves nearly round, Popu- THE PLUM. 33£r liar from its large size, handsome appearance, and ijreat productiveness. Origin, Hudson, N. Y. Diamond. Very large, oval, black ; bloom blue ; stalk three- fourths of an inch long, cavity narrow ; flesh coarse, slightly dry, somewhat acid, free from the long pointed n stone ; flavor poor. Shoots long, downy. Prolific, but coarse, and only fit for cooking. German Prune or Quetscke. Large, long-oval, curved or swollen on one side, with a long tapering neck at base ; suture distinct ; skin purple, with a thick blue bloom ; stalk three-fourths of an inch long, slender, slightly sunk; flesh green, firm, sweet, pleasant, free from the very long, flat, slightly curved or lunate stone j flavor second-rate — valuable for drying and preserving. Rather late. Shoots smooth. There are several sub» varieties. Ma?ming's Long Bhie. {Syn. Large Long Blue,. Manning's Long Blue Prune.) Large, long-oval, slightly one-sided, suture obscure ; stalk very long, slender, scarcely sunk ; skin dark purple, bloom thick, blue ; flesh firm, rather juicy, nearly free from the long, pointed stone. Rather late, ripens gradually. Shoots smooth. Tree very pro- ductive. Peach Plum. (Syn. Prune P^che.) Very large, roundish- oblate, regular, flattened at ends, suture distinct, shallow ; color varying from salmon to light-brownish red; stalk very short, cavity narrow, shallow ; flesh rather coarse, juicy, sprightly, free from the nearly round, very flat, much furrowed stone. Shoots smooth. Quality not very high, but esteemed for its large size, handsome appear- ance, and early ripening. Matures about ten days before the Washington. Shoots smooth, vigorous. Red Diaper. {Syn. Diapree Rouge, Mimms, Imperial Diadem.) Large, obovate, somewhat necked ; skin red- dish-purple, with a few yellowish specks, bloom light blue ; stalk three fourths of an inch long, slender, slightly hairy, little sunk; flesh pale green, juicy, melting, rich, of fine, but hardly of the hisrhest flavor ; free from the quite 22 O ^6 'J'Hfc PLUM. small stone. Season medium or end of summer. Shocrts nearly smooth ; growth slow. Red Magnum Bonum. {Syn, Purple Egg, Red Imperial, Purple Magnum Bonum, Imperial Violet, Red Egg.) Large, oval, tapering to the stalk, suture strong, one side swollen ; surface deep red in the sun ; bloom thin ; stalk Fig. 260—Coe^s Late Red Fig. 961— 2i«* care must be taken by judicious pruning to prevent the young shoots from growing ail on one side. Prujiing the cherry- except t > form the head, is rarely needed. When necessary, midsumraer is found to be the most favorable season, and least attended with the exudation of gum. SOIL. In the northern states, the cherry heing a very hardy tree, will thrive in nearly all good soils. But a dryer soil than for most other species is found preferable ; a sandy or gravelly loam is best. In wet places, or on water-soaked sub-soils, it does not flourish, and soon perishes. DWARF CHEERIES. These are, as j^et, cultivated to a limited extent in this country. They are chiefly adapted to village gardens, or other grounds of limited extent, as they may be set as near each other as five or six feet. They may be easily covered with netting, and thus protected from the birds, and what is most rare and desirable, the fruit permitted to remain un- til fully ripe, so important to the flavor of all cherries of an acid character. The stocks used for this purpose are the " Perfumed Cherry " or Primus Makdleb, which also possesses the ad- vantage of flourishing on heavy clay ground. The grafts will usually grow quite vigorously for two or three seasons, but they soon form dwarf, prolific bushes ; their branches being so pruned that seven, nine, or more, may come out from the centre of the plant, like a well-managed goose- berry bush. These branches will put forth, early in sum- mer, as in the horizontal shoots of pyramidal pears, several shoots at their extremities, all of which must be pinched ofT to within two or three buds of their base, leaving the leading shoots untouched till near the close of summer, when they must be shortened to eight or ten buds. The Heart and Bigarreau cherries maybe left of one-half great- er length than the Dukes and Morellos, which are of smaller habit of growth ; and whore the space is small, the trees may be root-pruned and kept within a very limited space.* • Rivers' Miulatar* Fruit Gard«n. on 'r2 THK CHI KKY. The cultivation of dwnrf cliorries would grcntly fnciliime the use of net screens for coverinjr entire orrlinrds, as some- hmcs practiced in Holland nnd Knnrland. The boundary lenco is made of wire (or wood',' lattice, so as to exclude ^mall birds. At re«;,Miiar distances, through the enclosed '*rea, are inserted into the earth, wooden or tile sockets for the reception of poles or props to support the net. These poles have a small circular board each nailed on their tops, to prevent injury (o the netting. The boundary fence is supplied with hooks, to which the net is readily attached. When the cherries l)egin to ripen, it is elevated on several of the poles, each carried by a man, and spread over the garden, the rest of the poles being easily inserted in their sockets afterwards. All birds are thus completely excluded. During rain or dewy evenings, the net is stretched to its ut- most extent, as indicated by the dotted lines in the annexed figure : Pig. fl06. Birds txelmUd /^m miniatun chtrry orchard by n»t setun. In dry weather, it is slackened, and forms a festooned vault over the whole cherry garden. Its durability is increased by soaking it in tan once a year."'*' Ten scjuare rods of ground, comprised within a circle of fifiy-nine feet in diam- eter, would contain forty dwarf cherry trees at eight feet distance, or ninety trees at five feet distance. THE DISEASES AND ENEMIKS, To which the cherry is liable at the North, are few nnd not formidable. After the young trees are procured, they are consequently of renmrkably safe and easy cultivation. There are, however, some varieties which are liable to black wcrescencp.s on the branches, which, gradually increas- ing and extending, destroy the tree. The only means of arresting their progress, and which, when vigorously and • Loudoii'i Sub. Hort. \ TnB CRBRIIT. 263 tinremittingly applied, docs not fail, is to cut off* the injured branches at once, and commit them to the fire. The black ayhis^ or plant louse, is often very injurious to young trees in the nursery, causing a stunted and distorted growth, and when abundant on newly grafted trees, some- limes destroying them. The best remedy is the application of whale-oil soap. A teacupful is dissolved in a pail of water, and applied with a syringe, or by the immersion of the infested branches, which causes the immediate death of the insects, and must be re- pealed every few days till no more are found. The ^^ Cherry Slug^" (Fig. 267,) when in large numbers, does serious injury by eating the leaves. This animal, which appears to be the larva of an insect, is about half an inch long, and dark greenish brown when filled with food. Its '^' smooth, shining, and jelly-like skin, and snail- like appearance, have given it the name *' Slue." It may be repelled by dusting the cherry leaves regularly, while wet with dew, with dry fresh ashes. The curculio, so destructive to the plum and apricot, some- times injures young fruit. The orchard caterpillar often defoliates the cherry tree. Remedies have been pointed out in former chapters. Sometimes the cherry crop is much lessened by long and heavy rains, at the period of the bursting of the anthers, washing down the pollen, and preventing the fertilization of the stigma and germ. ylt the S(/u,th and West, most of the finer varieties of the cherry do not flourish. This is supposed to be caused, at the South, by the hot sun upon the trunk of rapidly grow- ing and succulent trees, the wood of which does not mature and harden sufficiently to withstand its effects. A partial remedy has been found in sheathing the trunks with straw. The Mayduke and a few other of the sour cherries, succeed best. Grafting upon these hardy sorts, may prove useful. A similar disaster is produced in many portions of the Western States, caused, perhaps, by severe frost in addition to the other named influences. On the fertile western soils, where the growth is very rapid, the outer and more homy portion of the bark does not expand fast enough, and firmlv 854 THE CHEERY. binds the trunk, until suddenly ruptured by the increasing pressure. It usually bursts and cracks open on the south- west side, where the new growth swells out, and repeatedly bursting, the tree finally perishes. Slitting open the bark with a knife was found to produce this sudden swelling and increased growth at the precise lines where the slits were made, but afforded no relief at other places. It was only by shaving off evenly the whole surface of the hardened bark, that the unnatural cracking and swelling out was pre- vented.* Further experiments are needed in relation to this subject; possibly a softening application to the hard bark may be di^,covered ; and it may also be very necessary where the outer portion is peeled or shaved off, to protect by a coaling of straw, the denuded surface. * J. B. Turner, in Horticulturist. A similar result, but evenly distributed over the surface, and HCcompanying healthy growth, occurs vi^iih all old and rougk-barked forest trees, the exterior coating becomhig gradually and evenly furrowed VARIETIES. SYNOrSIS OF ARRANGEMENT. DIVISION I. FRUIT HEART-SHAPED. (Fruit inclining to sweet, tree vigorous and regular in growth.) Class I. Heart Cherries. (Flesh tender or half-tender.) Sub'Class L Fruit Blacky dark red^ or crimson. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. Sub'Class II. Fruit bright redy or lighter. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. THE CHERRY. 355 Class II. Bigarkeau Cherries. (Fleah firna or rather hard.) Suh'Class I. Fruit hluck, dark redy or crimson. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. Sub' Class 11. Fruit bright red^ or lighter. Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. DIVISION II. FRUIT ROUND. (Fruit rather acid, tree of irregular growth.) Class I. Duke Cherries. (Trees mostly Apriglit, becoming partly spreading, fruit oAen approaching heart- shaped.) Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. Class II. Morello Cherries. (Trees usually spreading, very irregular, shoots small, wiry, fruit nearly round.) Section I. Fruit large. Section II. Fruit medium. Section III. Fruit small. The two classes of the second division are not very dis- tinctly separated ; the chief distinction being in the growth of the tree. Most varieties of the first division are quite distinct ; — a few, as the Madison Bigarreau, Downton, and White Bigarreau, possess intermediate qualities. Season of Ripening. Early^ as Black Tartprian, and American Heart ; medium, as Graffion or Bigarreau, and Black Eagle ; late, as Elkhorn and Downer's Late. Quali- fying terms sub-divide and extend these periods. 90e THE CHERRY. DIVISION L FRUIT HEART-SHAPED. Class I. Heart Cherries. Sub-class L Fruit llack^ dark-redy or crimson. Section I. Fruit large. BLACK EAGLE. Rather large, obtuse heart-shaped, round- ish, nearly black ; stalk an inch and a half long, rather slender, slightly sunk ; flesh dark, deep purplish crimson^ Fig 268. May Bigarreau. Fi.?. 269. EnighVs Early Black. Fig. 270. Early Purple Gvigng. Fig. 271. Black Tartarian. Fig. 272. Black Eaglt. with a very rich, high, excellent flavor. Season me dium, (1st of 7 mo.) Shoots stout, diverging or spread- ing. A cross of the Graflion and Mayduke. English Not always of the highest character. THE CHERKY. 357 BLACK TARTARIAN. {Syn. Frazer's Black Tartarian, Black Circassian, Black Russian, Ronald's Large Black Heart, Ronald's Heart.) Quite large, (often an inch in diameter,) on crowded old trees only medium; heart- shaped, often rather obtuse, surface slightly uneven, near- ly or quite black ; stalk an inch and a half long, slightly sunk ; flesh dark, half tender, with a peculiar liver-like consistency, rich, nearly destitute of acid, of very fine, but not of the highest flavor. Ripens early, or about the middle of 6 mo., (June.) Shoots very erect. The vigo- rous growth and great productiveness of the tree and the large size and mild sweet flavor of the fruit, rer- -er this variety a general favorite. KNIGHT'S EARLY BLACK. Large, obtuse, heart- shaped, surface slightly uneven, black ; stalk an inch and a fourth or an inch and a half long, rather stout, cavity deep, narrow; flesh dark purplish crimson, tender, juicy, with a very rich, high, excellent flavor. Ripens quite early, or a little before the Black Tartarian. Shoots di- verging or spreading. Much resembles the Black Eagle, but larger, earlier, more heart-shaped, and with a much deeper cavity, English. In some localities, it appears to need a rich soil and warm situation to develope its excel- lence. Oxheart (of the English. Large, obtuse, heart-shaped, dark red, half tender, of second quality. Rare in this country. The name Oxheart is erroneously applied here to the White Bigarreau and to several large worthless sorts. Waterloo. Large, obtuse, heart-shaped, dark purple be- coming black ; stalk long, slender, flesh purplish red ; flavor rich, sweet, and excellent. Rather late. Tree spreading, a moderate bearer. Spurious sorts are often disseminated under this name. English. Section 11. Fruit medium in size. Black Heart. Medium or rather large ; heart-shaped, slight- ly irregular ; blackish crimson, becoming black ; stalk an inch and a half long, moderately sunk, tender when ripe 558 THE CHERIir. with a high, nearly first-rate flavor. Season medium o rather early. Productive and hardy ; growth rathe* erect. Manning^a Early Black Hearty resembles the preceding i nearly all points, but is a week earlier. Davenport's JSarly, closely resembles Black Heart, but is few days earlier, and the leaves are larger and lighte green. Early Purple Guigne. Size medium, round heart-shaped distinctly dotted when ripening, dark red, becoming near ly black; flesh dark, tender, juicy, rich, sweet. Growtl" less vigorous than most heart cherries, shoots dark brown spreading; leaves rather small, drooping on long petioles Very early, ripening with May Bigarreau. Fig. 270. Gascoine's Heart. {Syn. Bleeding Heart, of Lindley.) Size medium, long heart-shaped, with a small, clear drop a apex, dark red, half tender, second-rate in flavor. A poo bearer. Season medium. Section IIL Fruit sviall. Black Mazzard. (Syn. Mazzard, Wild English Cherry. Small, oval heart-shaped, sides a little compressed ; color black; stalk long, slender, slightly inserted, flesh soft bitter. Late. Valuable for stocks. The White Mazzard, of Manning, nearly resembles the preceding except in its light color. Black Corone. Rather small, round heart-shaped, dul black; stalk two inches long, slender, cavity narrow deep ; flesh dark crimson purple, tender w^hen ripe, o second or third quality. Late. This is merely an im proved Mazzard, intermediate between the common Maz- zard and the Black Heart. The latter is sometimes cul- tivated under the name of Corone. May Bigarreau. (Syn. Baumann's May of Downmg, Bigar reau de Mai.) Rather small, oval heart-shaped, becom ing as it ripens nearlv round : color deep red, becominR "^ Tk; stJ^' THE CHEKRy* 359 rather sweet, not high-flavored. Very early. Produc- tive. Shoots spreading, brown, resembling in color those of the Mayduke. Fig. 268. Sub-Class II. Fruit bright red, oi' lighter. Section I. Fruit large. DOWNTON. Large, round heart-shaped, apex quite ob- tuse, or slightly indented ; light cream color, stained with red ; stalk an inch and three-fourths or two inches long, slender ; cavity wide ; flesh yellowish, tender, adhering slightly to the stone, rich, delicious. Season medium or rather late. Growth rather spreading. Ohio Beauty. Very large, oblate-heart-shaped ; dark red on a pale red ground, somewhat marbled, very handsome ; stalk an inch and a half long, rather stout, cavity wide and deep; flesh white, tender, juicy, with a fine flavor. Early, or about ten days before Napoleon Bigarreau, which it about equals in size. Origin, Cleveland, Ohio. New. KoBERTs' Red Heart. Large, obtuse heart-shaped, bright red, cavity rather wide, flesh red, flavor excellent. Ra- ther late. Origin, Salem, Mass. Section IL Fruit medium in size. American Amber. {Syn. Bloodgood's Honey.) Size medi um, round heart-shaped, very regular, apex slightly sunk, skin thin, smooth, glossy ; color light amber, becoming mottled and shaded with bright red ; stalk two inches long, slender, slightly sunk ; flavor pleasant, usually sec- ond-rate, sometimes very good, variable on the same tree. Productive. Season medium. Origin, Flushing. N. Y. Coe's Transparent. Size medium, nearly globular, very regular ; skin thin, pale amber, reddened in the sun, with peculiar pale spots, c^ b'otches , stalk nearly an inch and a half long, moderateiy sunk, very tender, melting, sweet, excellent. Early, just before Black Tartarian. Growth, thrifty, upright. Origin, Middletown, Conn. New. Doctor. Size medium, round heart-shaped; color light yellow and red, blended and mottled ; stalk an inch and P 360 THE CHERRY. a half long ; cavity round, regular ; flesh white, tender, juicy, sweet, fine. Very early. Reseml;les American Heart, but two weeks earlier. Growth moderate, spread- ing, leaves narrow. Origin, Cleveland, Ohio. New. DOWNER'S LATE. {S7/71. Downer, Downer's Late Red.) Size medium, round heart-shaped, smooth, red, light am- ber in the shade ; stalk an inch and a half long, slightly Fig. 273. Coe^s Transparent. Fig. 274. Earli/ White Heart. Fig. 275. Downton Fig. 277. Sparkawk's Honey. sunk ; fruit in clusters ; flesh tender, iielting, rich, very high-flavored — not good till fully ripe. Late. Growth erect. Origin, Dorchester, Mass. Early White Heart. Medium, or rather small, heart- shaped, slightly oblong, often a little one-sided, suture distinct ; color dull whitish yellow, tinged and spotted with pale red; stalk an inch and three-fourths long, THE CHERRY. 361 cavity wide, shallow; flesh rather firm, tender when ripe, sweet, pleasant. Quite early. Growth erect. Bowyer's Early Heart, Arden's Early Heart, and Rivers Early Amber, are either identical with the Early Whit( Heart, or differ in no essential point. Elliotts Favorite. Size medium, round, regular, slightly compressed ; color pale amber yellow, with a bright, mar- bled, carmine-red cheek ; stalk an inch and a half long, cavity even and regular ; flesh pale amber, translucent, tender, delicate, juicy, with a sweet, fine flavor. SeasoB medium, ripening with Belle de Choisy. Shoots vigor ous, diverging. Origin, Cleveland, Ohio. New. Hyde's Red Heart. Size medium, heart-shaped ; color be coming a lively red, tender, pleasant. Shoots strong New. Manning^ s Mottled. {Syn. Mottled Bigarreau.) Medium or rather large, round-heart-shaped, suture distinct ; coloi amber shaded and mottled with red ; semi-transparent, glossy ; stalk slender, cavity shallow ; flesh yellow, ten der when ripe, sweet, with a good flavor, often only sec- ond-rate. Stone rather large. Season, medium. Shoots dark. Productive. Origin, Salem, Mass. Spariiawk's Honey. Medium in size, round-heart-shaped, regular ; surface glossy, pale amber, becoming lively red stalk an inch and a half long, rather slender, cavity round, even; flesh juicy, delicate, sweet, of fine flavor Rather late. Very productive. Origin, Brighton, Mass Sweet Montmorency. Medium in size, round, slightly flat tened at base, with a depressed point at apex ; color pale amber, mottled with light red ; stalk an inch and three fourths long, slender, cavity small, even; flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, excellent. Season very late or past mid summer. Approaches somewhat in character the Morel- lo. Origin, Salem, Mass. White Tartarian. Size medium, or rather small ; obtuse heart-shaped ; skin pale yellow or cream color, not red- dened by the sun ; stalk an inch and a half long, slen- der ; flesh somewhat pellucid, whitish yellow, half ten- der, with a second-rate, slightly bitter flavor. 362 THE CHERRY. There are several sorts known in this country as White Tar tarian, differing from, and mostly superior to the genu- ine, the best of which, considerably c'lltivated in Western New- York, is of medium size .or rather small, round- heart-shaped, light pink in the shade, darker to the sun ; flesh tender, with a sweet, excellent flavor; a profuse bearer ; growth rather slender, nearly erect. Section III. Fruit small. Amber Gean. Small, obtuse heart-shaped, regular, pellu- cid, pale yellow shaded with faint red, stalk long, slen- der, flesh white, sweet, pleasant ; very productive j late. Honey. {Syn. Late Honey, Yellow Honey, Large Honey.) Small, roundish oval, yellowish marbled with red, becom- ing deep amber red ; stalk long, slender, scarcely sunk ; flesh tender, exceedingly sweet ; a second or third-rate variety. Quite late. Very productive. Transparent Guigne. {Sy7i. Transparent Gean.) Rather small, ovate, slightly heart-shaped, regular; skin thin glossy, pellucid, yellowish white, delicately blotched with pale red ; suture distinct ; stalk rather long, slender, slightly sunk; flesh high-flavored and fine, slightly bitter before ripe. Season rather late. Growth becoming spreading, tree productive. Class IL Bigarreau Cherries. Sub'Class L Fruit black, dark redy or crimson. Section L Fruit large. Large Heart-shaped Bigarreau. {Syn. Bigarreau Gros CoDuret, Bigarreau Gros Monstreux.) Large, heart- shaped, suture often a raised line ; surface yellow, with red streaks, becoming blackish shining red ; cavity shal- low; flesh firm, purplish, bitter, becoming fine and rich; stone rather large. Late. French. Rare. Manning's Late Black. Large, roundish, skin deep purple nearly black, flesh purplish, rather firm, moderately juicy and sweet. Late. Origin, Salem, Mass. %. THE CHERRY. 363 ElkJiorn. (Syn. Tradescant's Black-Heart, Large Blaclc Bigarreau.) Large, heart-shaped, surface slightly une' ven, black, stalk rather short, or an inch and a fourth long, cavi:y rather deep; llesh solid firm, not juicy, with a high, fine flavor, bitter before fully ripe, liather late, Shoots dark gray. Section II. Fruit medium in size. Black Bigarreau. Size medium, heart-shaped, black, re- sembling externally the Black Heart ; flesh firm, rathex dry, flavor poor. Rather late. The Black Bigarreau of Savoy scarcely difliers from this. Gridley. {Syn. Apple Cherry.) Size medium, roundish, black ; stalk rather short, cavity shallow j flesh purplish, firm, moderately juicy, rather high-flavored. Stone small, Late. Profusely productive, but only second-rate. Ori gin, Roxbury, Mass. WendelVs Mottled Bigarreau. Medium or rather large, ob- tuse heart-shaped, dark red becoming nearly black, mot- tled with dark streaks or points ; suture a dark line on one side j stalk medium ; cavity round, regular j flesh firm, crisp, high-flavored ; stone small. Rather late Growth upright. Albany, N. Y. New. Sub-class II. Fruit bright red or lighter. BIGARREAU OR GRAFFION. {Syn. Yellow Spanish White Bigarreau of Mass.) Very large, often an inch in diameter, obtuse heart-shaped, very smooth, regular, base flattened ; surface clear, pale waxen yellow, with a hand- some light red cheek to the sun ; stalk an inch and three- fourths long, cavity very wide, shallow ; flesh firm, with a fine, rich flavor. Season medium, or last of • mo., (June.) Shoots stout, diverging or spreading. This variety, al- though not of the highest flavor, has become, from its great size, beauty, and productiveness, a s^eneral favorite. The Late Bigarreau, originated with Dr. Kirtland, of Cleve- land, resembles this, but is slightly less in size, deeper red, and ripens about ten days later. 364 THE CHEERY. Fif . 278. JBlton. Fig. 279. Holland Bigarreau. Fig. 281. Bigarreau or GrajffUm. Cleveland Bigarreau. Very large, round-heart-shaped strtnre broad and deep half way round ; color, bright clear, delicate red, or amber yellow ; stalk an inch and a half long, curved; flesh firm, juicy, sweet, very rich. Season early, or with Black Tartarian, Kesembles the Graffion, but ten days earlier. Origin, Cleveland, O New. ELTON. Large, pointed, heart-shaped, somewhat oblong pale yellow blotched and shaded with red ; stalk two inches long, slender ; flesh firm, becoming rather tender, rich, high-flavored, excellent. Season medium or rather early. Growth spreading, rather bending, petioles red- dish purple. A cross between the Graffion and White Heart. One of the finest of cherries. English. Ra- ther tender in very severe climates. The Flesh-Colored Bigarreau, or the Large Heart-Shaped Bigarreau of Manning, the Bigarreau Couleur de Chai THE CHEERY. 365 of the French, very nearly resembles or is identical with the Elton. Florence. {Syn. Knevett's Late.) Large, heart-shaped, regular, smooth, amber yellow marbled with red, and with a red cheek ; stalk an inch and a half long ; flesh firm, juicy, sweet ; season, rather late. Resembles Graf- fion, but hardly so large, and ten days later. Holland Bigarreau. {Sy?i. Spotted Bigarreau.) Large, rather oblong-heart-shaped, apex somewhat pointed; sur- face whitish in the shade, mottled and spotted red next the sun; stalk an inch and a half long, slender, cavity large and deep ; fruit in thick clusters ; flesh firm, sweet fine, but not of the highest flavor. Season a little before medium. Leaves large and broad. tCiRTLAND's Mary. Quite large, round heart-shaped, reg ular, base somewhat flattened ; color light and dark red, deeply marbled, on a yellow ground ; stalk an inch and a fourth to an inch and a half long ; flesh light yellow, half tender, rich, juicy, sweet, high-flavored. Season medium, or with the Elton. Origin, Cleveland, Ohio. New. Large Red Bigarreau. Large, oblong-heart-shaped, surface uneven, one side swollen, shoulders projecting, sutures distinct ; stalk large, cavity large and deep ; skin yellow- ish, dotted and streaked with red in the shade, dark red in the sun ; flesh yellowish, red at the stone, firm, rich^ of fine flavor. Rather late. Growth very strong. French. Rare. Napoleon Bigarreau. Very large, regularly heart-shaped, remotely oblong ; skin pale yellow and amber, spotted and shaded with deep red ; stalk very short, an inch and a fourth long ; flesh very firm, with a fine but hardly first rate flavor. Rather late. Shoots with a light green- ish cast. Growth rather erect, vigorous. Very produc- tive, and good for market, but too firm and deficient in flavor for the small garden. RocKPORT BiGAEEEATT. Sizc quite large, round heart- shaped; color, when fully ripe, a beautiful clear red, shaded with pale amber, with occasional spots ; stalk an 366 THE CHERRY. inch and a half long, cavity wide; flesh firm, juicy, sweet, rich, with an excellent flavor. Season rather early. Tree upright, vi- gorous. Origin, Cleve- land, Ohio ; one of the best of Dr. Kirtland's new seedlings. White Bigarreau. {Syn. Large White Bigar- reau, White Ox-Heart.) Large, heart - shaped, tapering to obtuse apex ; suture distinct ; surface slightly wavy, yellowish white marbled with red ; flesh moderately firm, or half tender, very rich and delicate. Season medium. A moderate bearer when young, more productive afterwards ; liable to crack after rain ; tree rather ten der ; growth spreading. Section IL Fruit medium in size. American Heart. Medium, or rather large, rectangular heart-shaped ; color, light red or pink, mixed with am- ber ; stalk nearly two inches long, slender, cavity small and shallow ; flesh half tender, adhering to the rather tough skin, juicy, sweet, fine, hardly first rate. Very productive. Early. F. K. Elliot says that the Swedish resembles the American Heart, but ripens with the Mayduke. Burros Seedling. Size medium, or rather large, distinct heart-shaped, smooth, a fine deep clear red, often spotted or marbled, stem an inch and a half long, cavity mode- rate ; flesh half-tender, (about as firm as American Heart, from which it probably originated,) sweet, rich, with a fine flavor. Growth vigorous, very productive. Season medium. Origin, Perrinton, N. Y. New. Fig. 2'78—RockpoTt Bigarreau. Fig. VJQ— Napoleon Bigarreau. THE CHERRY. 3ftca2itieSj White Doyenn^, Grey Doyenne — 13. FeacAes — Grosse Mignonne, George IV., Serrate Early York, Large Early York, Morris White, Oldmixon Free, Cooledge's Favorite, Bergen's Yellow, Crawford's Late; emdjor particular localities, Heath Cling — 10. Plnwu — Jeflerson, Green Gage, Washington, Purplo FaTorite, Bleecker's Gage, Coe's Golden Drop, Frost Gage, Purple Gage; and for particuiar iocaliiieSf Imperial Gage —9. Cherries — Mayduke, Black Tartarian, Black Eagle, Graffion or Bigarreau, Knight's Early Black, Downer's Late, Elton, Downton— 8. SELSCT LISTS OF VARIETIES. 403 Select List prepared for this xoork^ by Samuel "Walker, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society^ aa in accorda?ice unfh his oion cjcpei-iencCy and in the order Oj their valuCf all things considered. Apples — Rhode Island Greening, Gravenstein, Baldwin Early Harvest, Minister, Danver's Sweet, Bough, Roxbury Russet, Dyer, White Seeknofurther, Summer Rose, Porter, Hubbardston Nonesuch, Fameuse, Summer Pearmain, Fall Harvey, Red Astrachan, Fall Pippin, River, William's Fa- vorite— 20. Pears — Vicar of Winkfield, (for its size, productiveness, ong continuance, and many uses,) Bartlett,Beurre d'Arem- berg, Seckel, Fondante d'Automne, Urbaniste, Bloodgood Louise Bonne of Jersey on quince, Winter Nelis, Dear» torns Seedling, Flemish Beauty, Glout Morceau, Madeleine Beurre Bosc, Beurro Diel on quince, Rostiezer, Heailicote Passe Colmar, Andrews, Golden Bilboa, Tyson, Dix — 22. Cherries — Black Tartarian, Black Eagle, Downer's Red, Mayduke, Bigarreau, Knight's Early Black — 6. Peaches — Grosse Mignonne, George IV., Oldmixon Free, Cooledge's Favorite, Crawford's Late, Late Red Rare« ripe — 6. Plums — Green Gage, Jefferson, Purple Gage, Columbia, Washington, Imperial Gage — 6. Apricots — Moorpark, Breda, Royal. Nectarines — Elruge, Hunt's Tawny, New White, Early Newington, Early Violet, Roman — 6. Native Grapes — Isabella, Catawba. List furnished by R. Manning, Pomological Garden^* Sa* le?n, Mass, TTiree best pears, early, middle, and late — Bartlett, Para- dise d'Automne, Winter Nelis. Three best summer ^ears^Bloodgood, Rostiezer, Dear- born's Seedling. T%ree best aMiwrnzi— Bartlett, Paradise d'Automne, Urba- niste. Three best winter — Winter Nelis, Beurre d'Aremberg, Easter Beurre. • Where nearly one thousand sorts are in bearing. T. Rivers, in England, htm •elected out of nearly one tliousand, only /our for market, viz., Bartittt, Beurrt d'Amalu, Capiaumont, and Louise Bonne of Jersey. The second and third, how* ever, prove no better than second quality, in this country. 404 SELECT LISTS OF VARIETIES. Three best orchard pears — Bartlett, Fulton, Vicar of Winkfield. Three best apples — Summer Rose, Gravenstein, Baldwin. Select List of Apples, by B. V. French, Braintree, Mass. Three best apples — Porter, R. I. Greening, Baldwin. TViree best summer — ^Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, Williams' Favorite. Three best autumn — Porter, Fameuse, Gravenstein. Three best whiter — Rhode Island Greening, White Seek- nofurther, Baldwin. For the six best for each season, add to the preceding,-— American Summer Pearmain, Bough, Benoni; St. Law- rence, Lyscom, Hawthornden; Yellow Bellflower, None- such (or Red Canada,) Roxbury Russet. In a List furnished by Dr. W. D. Brinckle, of Phila- delphia, the following standard sorts, well tested at that place, are marked^rsi quality: — Apples — Early Harvest, Summ.er Rose, (best flavored early,) Early Bough, Summer Pearmain, Fall Pippin, Bul- lock's Pippin, Winter Pearmain. Pears — Madeleine, Tyson, Washington, Bartlett, Seckel, Petre, Lodge, Fondante d'Automne, Louise Bonne of Jer- sey, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Echassery. New pears. — Ott, Kingsessing, Brandywine, Chancellor, Jones. Plums — Green Gage, Washington, Coe's Golden Drop, Lawrence's Favorite. Cherries — Mayduke and Graffion or Bigarreau. Strawberries — Early Scarlet, Hudson, Hovey's Seedling Native Grapes — Isabella, Catawba. List by T. Hancock, Burlington^ New Jersey. Peaches — Crawford's Early, Crawford's Late, Large Early York, La Grange, Heath Cling, Ward's Late Free, New-York Rareripe, Scott's Nonpareil, Oldmixon Free, Cole's White Melocoton. Native Grapes — Elsinburgh, Catawba, Isabella. Foreign Grapes — Black Hamburgh, (best and most pro- fitable for a cold house,^ White Muscat of Alexandria. Both fine for a heated house. BEtECT LIBTS OF VARIETIES. 406 Rasplerrels — White Antwerp, Red Antwerp, (trtie,) 5^- tolff, Franconia. Apples — Lady Apple, Autumn Pearmain, Bough, Cum- berland Spice, Early Harvest, Fall Pippin, Wood's Green- inir, Red Juneating, Jersey Greening, (or Ortley,) Maiden*s Blush, Newtown Pippin, Newark Pippin, Rhode Island Greening, Roman Siem, Bullock's Pippin, Summer Rose, Summer Pearmain, Wine apple, Winesap, Tewksbury Blush, (for keeping.) List hy T. S. Pleasants, Petershurgh, Va. Apples — May Apple, Red June, July Branch, Fall Pippin, Gloucester Cheese, Fall Cheese, Bellflower, Winter Cheese, Carter's Pearmain, Winesap, Albemarle Pippin, Pryor's Red, Old Town Crab, Limber Twig. Peaches — ripening in 1 tno., {July) — Early Tillotson, Troth's Early Red, Yellow Rareripe, Red Magdalen, Old- mixon Free, Large Early York, Crawford's Early, Early Newington Cling, Royal Kensington, Royal George. Ri- pening in 8 mo. — Belle de Vitry, Orange Freestone, Orange Clingstone, Rodman's Cling, Oldmixon CHng, Crawford's Late, Ward's Late Free, Pavie Admirable. In 9 wo.— Heath Cling, La Grange. The following neiu or local sorts : Budd's Orange Clingstone, early in 9 mo. ; Late Soft Heath, (freestone,) nearly middle of 9 mo. ; Bridgeforth's Orange, (fine and very handsome,) after middle of 9th mo. ; Late Heath Cling, a month later than common Heath Cling ; Late White Freestone and October peaches, first to middle of 10 mo. Native Grapes — Catawba, Isabella, Norton's, Herbemont's, Lenoir, Halifax. Figs — The best kinds are the Brown, Whito, and Black or Florida fig, the last superior to all others, the fruit large and exceedingly rich, skin deep purple, almost black ; trees very productive. The Brown is nearly equal to it — the White is much less luscious, but very large.* * " The fig is one of the most luscious of fruits, and grows well in the open ground, with very slight protection ; and on our large water courses, within the precincts of towns, and even against any waUs, having an eastern, southern, or western aspect, without any immediate protection. When the plants are young, they should be ^n- closed for one or two winters in barrels filled with litter or leaves ; afterwards it !• -,«{|£cieai to surround them wiih branches ofev.exgreen8.''— T. S. Pieasants. 406 SELECT LISTS OF VARIETIES. List of Apples, ripenhig in succession, by A. H. Ernst Preside7it of Cincinnati Hort. Society. Sweet Bough, Early Harvest, Summer Rose, Fall Pippin, Golden Russet, Cor Bullock's Pippin,) Newtown Spitzen- burgh, Yellow Bellefleur, Woolman's Long (or Ortley or White Detroit,) White Pippin, Brodwell, Winesap, Yellow Newtown Pippin, Rawle's Jannet — 13. Add for a larger collection, — Red Juneating, Summer Queen, Golden Sweet- ing, Kaighn's Spitzenburgh, Rhode Island Greening, Rambo, Pryor's Red, Vandevere, Doctor, Roxbury Russet — 10. Pears ripening iii succession^ proved excellent at Cincin" nati — ^Madeleine, Julienne, Bartlett, Washington, Gray Doyenne, Seckel, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Beurr6 Diel, Louise Bonne of Jersey. Strawberries — Neck Pine, earliest; Old Hudson, unri- valled far the market gardener; Jenny's Seedling,* very hardy, prolific ; Hovey's Seedling, its position not yet fully established ; Taylor's Seedling,! promises to be valuable. Select List by F. R. Elliott, Cleveland , Ohio. Apples — Best single variety, for northern Ohio, — Bel- mont or Waxen. Three best, summer, autumn, and winter; — Summer Rose, Fall Pippin, Red Canada or Nonesuch. Three best summer — Early Harvest, Summer Rose, Ameri- can Summer Pearmain. Three best autumn — Gravenstein, Porter, Fall Pippin. Three best winter — Belmont, Swaar, Nonesuch. For the six best, for each season, add to the preceding,— Red Astrachan, Williams' Favorite, Early Joe ; Fall Har- vey, Ross Nonpareil, Rambo ; Hubbardston Nonesuch, Cana- da Reinette, Rhode Island Greening. For the best forty, add to the preceding, Maiden's Blush, Minister, Fameuse, Roxbury Russet, Westfield Seeknofur- ther. Yellow Bellflower, Court of Wyck, Jonathan, Lady Apple, Herefordshire Pearmain, American Golden Russet, Esopus Spitzenburgh, Pryor's Red, Wood's Greening, Fort * Fruit medium, uniform, very productive, sharp acid but fine flavor, firm, but fine for market. Pistillate, late bloomer. Origin , Boston. t Above medium, size uniform, long-conical, pointed, beautifal scarlet, productive bardy, strong, less acid than most scarlets. SELECT LISTS OF VARIETIES. 40? Miami, Wine, Winesap, Brabant Bellefleur, and four sweet apples, viz : — Bough, Jersey Sweeting, Golden Sweet- ing, Ladies' Sweeting. If the soil be a rich clay loam, sub- stitute Green and Yellow Newtown Pippin for Swaar and Winesap. Strawberries^ in the order of productiveness — Old Hud- son and Willey, Dundee, Hovey's Seedling. Lists by A. J. Downing, chiefly copied from the Horticul* turist. Profitable Pears — Bartlett, BufTum, Flemish Beauty, Louise Bonne de Jersey on quince, Vicar of Winkfield, Lawrence, Beurre d'Aremberg. Most productive Plums on light soils — Lombard, Cruger*s Scarlet, Smith's Orleans, White Damson. Best Plums for heavy soils — Early, — Imperial Ottoman, Yellow Gage; medium, — Bleecker's Gage, Jefferson; late, — Coe's Golden Drop, Frost Gage. Three best Peaches. — Serrate Early York, George IV. Oldmixon Free. The following list of apples, as proved in northern Illinois and the adjacent region, is furnished mostly from the de- cisions of the Princeton Fruit Convention, in connexion with valuable notes from Dr. Kennicott and F. K. Phoenix PRODUCTIVE SORTS. Carolina Red June, rather acid ; Sweet June, best early sweet ; American Summer Pearmain, " best," great bearer, growth feeble ; Maide7i^s Blush, good and fair ; Keswick Codlin, highly productive, for cooking only; Early Pennock, good ; Fall Wine, highly popular, ver}?^ good ; Rambo, high- ly recommended, but tender north ; Vandevere, few if any superior; White and Yellow Bellfloioer, both highly com- mended ; RawWs Jannet, very good ; Esopus Spitzenbur gh^ tree tender and liable to blight ; Red Astrachan, excellent for cooking ; Winesap, ipvoductive; Swaar, "best;" Domine, of great value ; Duchess of Oldenburgh, bears large crops of fair fruit. 408 SELECT LISTS OF VARIETIES. UNPRODUCTIVE. Early Harvest, fine; Bough, Rhode Island Greening, Roxbury Russet, Baldwin, Newtown Pippin, fine south; worthless north. EARLY BEARERS The following apples and pears come soon into bearing, in most localities, and are consequently well adapted for new residences : Apples — Red Astrachan, Sops of Wfne, Summer Sweet Paradise, Late Strawberry, Oldenburgh, Dyer, Porter, Baldwin, Bullock's Pippin, Hawthornden, Jonathan. Pears — Bartlett, White Doyenn6, Julienne, Washington, Dearborn's Seedling, Madeleine, Andrews, BufTum, Belle Lucrative, Onondaga, Oswego Beurre, Easter Beurre, Passe Colmar. TREES TO SUPPLY A FAMILY. No two persons would agree on the number of fruit trees required to keep up a good supply of fruit for a family of medium size. With any ordinary number, some seasons would cause a deficiency, and others occasion a large sur- plus. Good or bad cultivation would also make a difference of four-fold. The following may, however, be regarded as a full average, taking all circumstances into account, in connexion with good management, and will frequently afford a large surplus : 40 apple trees, with a full share of long keepers. 20 pear trees, 15 peach trees, 12 cherry trees, 10 plum trees, 6 apricots, 4 nectarines, 6 quinces, 4 grape vines, 30 currant bushes, 15 gooseberry bushes, 20 raspberry bushes, 5 square rods of strawberries. GLOSSARY Of the more common terms used in Fruit Cultun Acute, sharp or angular. Acum,inate, drawn out to a point. Alburnum, the sap-wood, as distinguished from the heart-wood. Apex, point, the part of a fruit farthest from the foot-stalk. Jiase, lower end, or that portion of a fruit, stalk, or part of a plant, nearest the supporting part or root. Basin, the hollow or depression at the apex or crown of a fruit, sur- jTOunding the calyx. Bezi, a wilding, or natural seedling. Beurre, a buttery pear. Border, artificial bed of enriched earth. Callus, ring or swollen portion formed at the base of a cuttiogf, by the descending cambium. Calville-shaped, much ribbed, as applied to apples. Calyx, the outer or green leaves of a flower, which, remaining on the apex of a pear or apple,are often denominated the eye. Cambium, the soft, newly forming wood beneath the bark. Canes, long, bearing shoots; applied to grapes and raspberries. Clipping, trimming down to some definite shape. Col mar -shaped, pyriform or pear-shaped, with a rather slender neck and large body. Conical, tapering regularly towards the apex. Cordate, heart-shaped. Coxcomb, applied to the form of strawberries when much compressed at the sides. Crenate, notched or cut like rounded or blunt saw teeth. Crown, the part of a fruit farthest from the foot-stalk or base. Curculio, the insect which stings young fruit. Dwarfs, trees made diminutive by grafting or budding upon stocks of small growth. Espalier, a tree trained flat upon a trellis. En quenouille, training to produce fruitfulness by tying the branches downwards. Fibrous roots, the smaller, branching, or thread-like roots. Forcing, the early ripening of fruits by artificial heat under glass. Fore-right shoot, the terminal shoot of a branch. Head back, to cut off' the limbs of a tree, part way down. Head down, to cut ofiF the entire limbs or branches of a tree, or to cut down to an inserted bud. Inflorescence, the manner in which the flowers are borne. Lay-in, applied to selecting and fastening to a trellis or wall, new branches or shoots. Lay in by the heels, to bury the roots of trees temporarily in a trench Leading shoot, the longest or main shoot of a limb or tree. Lopping, cutting the branch down to the stem. Maiden plant, a tree of one year's growth from the bud or graft. Midching, covering the ground about a tree with straw or litter to prevent drying. 410 GLOSSARY. Oblate, flattened, so that the shortest diameter is between the base ftnd apex, like a flat turnip. Obovate, reversed ovate, being largest from the foot-stalk or towards the apex. Obtuse, rounded or blunt. Ovate, egg-shaped, being the largest towards the foot-stalk. Pedicel, the subdivision of a flower or fruit-stalk. Peduncle, the flower or fruit stalk. Petals, flower-leaves, usually colored. Petiole, leaf-stalk. Pippin, an indefinite term applied to various apples, difiering in size, shape, color, and flavor, but more particularly used for the Newtown Pippin. Pomology, the science of fruits. Pyramidal, like a pyramid, usually nearly similar to conical, but longer. Pyriform, pear-shaped, having more or less a drawn-out neck. * Ringing, the removal of a ring of baric round a branch, to impede the descending sap. Serrate, notched or cut like saw-teeth. Shanking, a diseased shrivelling of the foot-stalks of grapes. Skorten-in, to cut off more or less of ihe outer parts of shoots. Spongiole, the minute spongy extremity of a fibrous root. Sport, an unusual departure or variation in a new seedling. Spur, a short stubby shoot bearing fruit or fruit-buds. Standard, a fruit tree in open ground, or not trained to a wall ot trellis. Stock, seedling tree, which supports the inserted bud or graft. Stop, to pinch or cut off the point of a shoot, to prevent its further extension in growth. Strike, to emit roots. Tap-root, the main or central descending root. Trellis, an upright, flat frame, for training fruit trees and grapes npon its face. Wilding, a natural seedling. Work, a term applied to the budding or grafting of trees. APPENDIX I. EXPLANATORY NOTES. Transplanting trees on the surface. On p. 74, the ad- vantages are pointed out of sometimes setting trees on the surface of the soil. This mode yj of transplanting is undoubtedly Xd the best on all heavy soils that cannot be thoroughly drained. The annexed figure (303) ex- 1^3^ ^ Fig 303. Fig. 304. hibits distinctly this mode of plant- ing, the dotted line indicating the common surface of the earth, on which the tree is set, and the low mound raised upon the roots. This not only gives the roots a deeper soil, but prevents the water from settling among them. By throwing the furrows occasionally towards the rows, the raised surface will be maintained, and a furrow left be- tween for drainage. Staking trees, p. 75. The ac- companying figure (304) shows at a glance the mode in which the stake is driven into the bottom of the hole before filling in. Fruit-ladder. An improvement has been made on the ladder with Fig. sos. 412 APPENDIX. folding legs (p. 97, fig. 56,) by continuing the two main bars to a point, which the more readily enables the operator to thrust it up among the branches, and often enables him to^ support himself by grasping this elevated point. The legs turn at the hinges i, and are readily folded up when the ladder is not in use. (Fig. 305.) Labels, p. 100. The annexed figure (306) represents the mode of making these labels. Sticks or tallies at the ends of nursery rows, or labels suspended on the successive trees of a row of standards, may be durably numbered on red cedar, after the following manner, to correspond with a written register in a book. Fig. 307 shows the mode of notching with a knife, to indicate the ten figures. To pre- vent mistakes by getting them inverted, they 1 23 vrj\ fi i.'iiLi rrrr-n Fig. 307. Fig. 306. are always read downwards on a stake, or from the loop of a suspended label. The accom- panying figure (30S) exhibits a label on a tree marked with the number 47. Grafting large stocks, p. 119. Young operators are sometimes puzzled to knoAV what to do with stocks which greatly exceed the graft in size. In order that the line of separation between the bark and wood may coincide in both, the graft must be placed at one side of the large stock a, sloped and tongued for the reception of the graft b, their union being represented by c. (Fig. 309.) To facilitate the wrapping of the wax plas- ters, one side and the upper point of the stock are pared off with a knife, before the ^9. two are joined, as shown by the dotted line. APFEVCDTX:" 4J& This is a good mode of grafting any stocks not over three-fourths of an inch in diameter, in the nursery row. Leaf -blight on the pear, p. 194. There appears to be strong rea- son for believing that the leaf- blight on the pear (as well as the cracking of the fruit,) is owing to a parasitic fungus, pro- ducing results similar to rust on wheat. Limited experiments in raising the seedlings on ground never before occupied with pear trees, at a distance of some miles from any pear nursery, and beyond reach of the spread of the fine dusty seed, have been quite successful. Training and pruning grapes, p. 393. The accompanying figure (310) exhibits distinctly a vine trained to a trellis, and treated on the renewal system. / ^ . ! Fig. 310. 414 APPENDIX. It is to "be distinctly understood that this space is not to be occupied at once by the young vine, which would give weak and slender shoots, but the extension must be gradual, re- quiring some years to cover the intended surface. That is, the pruning should be such that there shall be but two up- right shoots the first year after planting ; then four the second year, six the third, and so on. If an old vine has been neglected, it must be pruned back in winter to a mere stump, leaving a few buds for new shoots, only two of which are to be allowed to grow for horizontal arms. After the trellis is covered, as shown in the figure, a regular annual crop is secured by the following manage- ment. The shoots a a a a are of last year's growth, and the spurs on their sides are of the present season, and bear the fruit. (A portion of these upright shoots with their fruit-bearing spurs is shown in fig. 311.) While these are Fig. 311. bearmg the present year, provision must be made for a crop the next. For this purpose 'ast year's bearing shoots were APPENDIX. 4W cut off to a bud, (or rather to two or three buds, with the best only allowed to grow,) at each of the points b b b b, so that strong upright shoots are now growing, as indicated by dotted lines, for a crop next season. Bunches of fruit will form on these the present year, but they must be rubbed off early, that the vigor of these shoots may not be retarded. In this way, a constant succession is kept up. The two right hand fruit-spurs in fig. 311, show the ordi- nary length they are allowed to grow before the ends are pinched off, the upper one being already shortened, and the lower showing the point at c where it should be nipped. It must never be forgotten that the full growth and per- fect ripening of the fruit, depends wholly on healthy, well developed leaves, to furnish food to the forming berries. Hence they must have plenty of room, light and air for their healthy development. And hence too, the entire error of the practice of picking off the leaves to let in the light on the fruit. The longer the shoots or spurs extend themselves the better, before they are pinched off, provided they do not interfere with each other. Cold Grape-House, p. 394. A great improvement in cheapness, is represented in the annexed figure, (312.) The walls are made by setting posts into the ground, and cov- ering with a rough, whitewashed, board- siding. The cover of glass is greatly sim- plified and cheap- ened, hy fixed sashes, the necessary ven- tilation being effect- ed by the board shut- ' ters, a a, opening out- Fig. 3i2. wards on hinges, and placed at intervals along the back and front walls. Fig. 313 represents a portion of the glass roof — b b are the rafters ; c c are cross-bars, made of strips of inch board about two and a half inches wide, set on edge, and narrowed at the rafter and let into it sufficiently to be %1 R* 416 APPENDIX. on a level with its top. These cross pieces support long slender bars parallel with the rafters, and formed on the top in the shape of a common sash-bar and to receive the glass. Shortening-in the 'peach, p. 281. The great advantages of this system of pruning have been pointed out on p. 281. But those who have P large orchards can hardly be persuaded to adopt it, although the improvement in the fruit and in its increased value in market, would well repay the — g labor, especially if done with long-handled shears. These, with a little practice, enable the operator to work with great expedition. Where, however, this mode Fig. 313. of pruning is neglected, and the heads begin to extend into long branches, with a naked centre, (fig. 314,) a more wholesale kind of pruning may be a- dopted. Three or four feet may in cases of necessity be taken off at a stroke, provided the cut be made close above a considerable side- branch, which leaves no stump, and causes the wound soon to heal over. Such pruning, when judiciously per- formed, so as to give a neat, round, open head, will in a year or two APPENDIX. 417 convert a tail and enfeebled tree into a handsome, compact and vigorous one, and the fruit will be astonishingly im- proved. Fig. 815 ,1 exhibits the mode \i // of working, the ^ >^;/ / {.' \ //■ ^ p dotted lines repre- ^^^,^ ^\, \\/Xt /''f senting those parts \ Hij \V^'«[{ VjYy of fig. 314 which are to fall before the knife or shears. One great error must be carefully- guarded against, in shortening-in peaches, or in any other pruning given to fruit trees. This is, shearing the top evenly all over, FJs:- 3i5. like the sides of a commom hedge, which causes a thick impenetrable mass of shoots on the outside, and shutting out the light from the centre — increasing, instead of dimin- ishing the evil. Jarring down CurcuUos, p. 318. In a large number of instances, the failure of this method is owing to the feeble- ness of the blows given to the tree. A sharp sudden jar is indispensible. This cannot be given with a muffled pounder. The best way is to strike with a large hammer or axe, the short stump of a limb sawed off for this purpose. When trees are large, this is the only course that can be success- fully pursued. II. NOTICES OF SOME NEW FRUITS NOT DE- SCRIBED IN THE BODY OF THIS WORK. [New fruits are to be recommended for trials and not for general crops. Eagerness for novelties has led to much disappointment. The fruit committee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, make the following very just remarks: " Upon the whole, it is believed that it will prove the best and safest course for beginners to make their selections from well known and established kinds, unless in their esti- mation, the gratification of a desire for novelties — an inte- rest in watching the progress and development of some new varieties, and of contributing from their experience a share to the common stock of pomological knowledge — form a sufficient recompense for probably repeated disappoint- ments." A part of the following, it will be observed, how- ever, have been well proved in certain localities.] APPLES. Carolina June^ {Red June, Blush June.) Size medium, oblong, very red, flesh tender, juicy, sub-acid, with a sprightly, agreeable flavor ; quite early, and continues to ripen for four weeks, and will keep very long after ripe for a summer apple ; profitable for market. The tree a fine erect grower, very hardy, bears young and abundant- ly. The most valuable early apple in northern Illinois and adjacent region. King. Several varieties are cultivated by this name, the best of which appears to be a .large, dark red fruit, culti- vated in Cayuga county, N. Y., and adjacent region. It considerably resembles the Baldwin, but is finer grained, and more distinctly striped. It is much admired where known. Primate. Above medium, roundish-conical, ribbed, light green ; fine grained, very juicy, and agreeable, of mode- rately high flavor. Ripens for several weeks through the latter part of summer. Valuable. Western New- York. APPENDIX. 419 Bohanan. A much admired summer and autumn apple of southern Ohio. It is roundish-oval and yellow. Northern Sweet. Roundish, oblate-conical, a broad clear brownish red cheek on a smooth yellow surface ; flesh tender, sweet, fine. Has proved valuable at Plattsburgh, N. Y., near the place of its origin. PEARS. Beurre Langelier. Large, pyriform, obtuse ; light green, becoming pale yellow, with a slight blush ; dots small, numerous; stem slender; flesh fine-grained, melting, juicy, with a rich, fine flavor. Season, first half of winter. Foreign. C. M. Hovey, of Boston, thinks this the finest new winter pear. Bonne de Zees. Large, obovate, obtuse ; yellow, red to the sun, melting, juicy, fine flavored, perfumed. Follows Bartlett in ripening. Canandaigua. A new variety of Western New- York, con- siderably resembling the Bartlett, but inferior in quality. Doyenne gris d'hiver nauveau. Rather below medium in size, obovate, obtuse; rough, russety green, with coarse dots ; stalk short ; flesh coarse-grained, melting, juicy, vinous, good ; valuable for long keeping ; season late in spring. Excellentissima. Large, pyriform, somewhat like Bartlett ; stalk long, slender ; flesh buttery, melting, juicy, flavor fine. Foreign. Fondante de Malines. Size medium, roundish obovate pale yellow, reddened to the sun ; stalk long, not sunk , calyx small; flesh buttery and melting, sweet, of fine flavor. Frederica Bremer. Above medium, obovate, green, becom- ing yellow; buttery, melting, very good; resembles Heathcot. Introduced by J. C. Hastings, of Clinton, N. Y. InconnueVanMons. Medium, obconic-pyriform ; skin fair, smooth, pale green, crown russeted ; flesh melting, juicy, rich, very good. Early winter. Belgian. 420 . APPENDIX. Nouveau Poiteau. Large, pyriform-pyramidal, crown broad, neck narrow, tapering; skin dark green, brownish red spots and blotches to the sun; flesh melting, juicy, rich, vinous ; somewhat variable. Late autumn. Tree vigor- . ous, great bearer. Belgian. Sheldon. Large, roundish obovate, very obtuse ; skin pale green russet; stalk short, stout; flesh juicy, rich and of fine flavor. Wayne county, N. Y. Ripens mid-autumn. The Soldat Lahoreur. A Belgian pear, resembling the Beurre Diel, ripening about mid-winter ; a high flavored and rich pear, the tree fine and vigorous. PEACHES. Fay''s Early Ann. This is a new seedling from the Early Ann, glandular-leaved, hardy, and of free growth, ripen- ing with the Tillotson, and nearly or quite equal to it in size, and of fine flavor. It is quite productive. Origin, Chautauque county, N. Y. PLUMS. Ge7i. Hand. One of the largest yellow plums known. Form roundish-oval, skin deep golden yellow, stalk long; flesh moderately juicy, not high flavored, free from the stone ; shoots nearly smooth. Ripe first of autumn. Origin, Maryland. CHERRIES. Gov. Wood. A large, heart-shaped, tender-fleshed fruit, of the highest quality, very productive, and quite early, ripening before the Black Tartarian. The best of Dr. Kirtland's seedlings, raised at Cleveland, Ohio — known formerly as Elliott's No. 10. Champagne. Size medium, heart-shaped, light red, stalk in a rather flat cavity, flesh amber-colored, with a min- gling of sweet and acid; valuable for its hardiness and uniform productiveness. Raised hv C. Downing, New- burgh, N. Y. APPENDIX. 421 Great Bigarreau. A very large, beautiful, and productive sort ; the origin and true name involved in uncertainty ; resembling the Black Tartarian in flavor and texture, but of a fine dark red color, becoming nearly black. Ripens nearly as early as the Black Tartarian. STRAWBERRIES. Among the best new sorts, are Rival Hudson, raised by J. Burr, of Columbus, Ohio — dark red, pistillate, a profuse bearer, and a most valuable market sort. Richardson^s Late and Walker^ s Seedling, highly commended by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; and McAvoy's Su' yerior and Longworth^s Prolific, by the Cincinnati Horti- cultural Society. Jenny^s Seedling (described on p. 406,) is valuable, hardy, and productive ; the berries solid and heavy, and losing their acidity and acquiring a fine high flavor as they become fully ripe. The Genesee, a large, roundish, brilliant and showy sort, of good quality, and a fine grower and profuse bearer, raised by Ellwanger and Barry, of Rochester, N. Y. ; may prove valuable for market. RASPBERRIES. Knevetfs Giant, a sub-variety of the Red Antwerp, hardier than the latter; the Cushing, a fine new -rimson sort, raised by Dr. Brinckle, of Philadelphia ; and the Large- F'niited Monthly, — are among the best new sorts. MAGIVIFICENT WORK OF HISTORY. ^ jyitole IjiWary in Stfielf! Cost $11,000—1207 Fagies— 70 Maps — 700 Gn^ravinjir** HISTORY OF ALL NATIONS, FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME ; OB, EN WHICH THE HISTORY OF EVERY NATION, ANCIENT AND MODERN, IS SEPARATELY GIVEN. I3Y S. O. OOODRICH, Consul to Paris, and Author of several Works of History, Parley's Tales, eta. It contnins 1207 pages, rojml octavo, and i3 illustrated by 70 Maps and 700 Engravings; bound in imitation Turkey uiorocco. Invariable retail price, $6,00 In one volume ; $7,00 in two volumes. The same, full gilt edge and sides, $8,00 in one volume ; $10,00 in two volflt *#* It is believed that the above work, by Mr, Goodrich, will be very acceptable to the American publia It is the result of years of toil and labor, assisted in his re- searches by several scholars of known ability, and has been gotten up at a great ex- pense by the proprietors. No pains have been spared in the execution of the Illustra- tions and Maps, which are entirely new, and prepared by the distinguished author expressly for the work. Indeed, all the other historical writings of Mr. Goodrich sink into insignificance, when compared with this, the result of his riper and maturei years. It is admitted that One Hundred Dollars could not purchase the same mat- ter in any other shape: and the publishers confidently expect that, in consideration of the great literary value of the work, the large suni expended in preparing it for the press, and the exceedingly moderate price at whicli it is ofl'ered, that it will be favor- ably received by every lover of good books. 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