APPLES FOR AROOSTOOK. 109 



It must be said of it, however, that it becomes better in qiiahty the 

 further north it is planted, and with me it is accepted as a vevy fair 

 eating apple of its season, which is the first two weeks in Septem- 

 ber. It is a very profitable market apple. Nearly all are i)erfect 

 and of good size. It is a good pic fruit when only half grown. 

 Picked early it ships and keeps well for an early fruit. It is a 

 profitable apple to dry. I have over two hundred bearing trees, and 

 find a quick sale for the fruit at good prices. This is a variety which 

 succeeds well under neglect, and is therefore recommended to the 

 lazy and shiftless planter as his "best hold" for apples. It is a 

 Russian. 



Peach of Montreal. — Tree a strong, but rather straggling grower 

 when young, becoming more symmetrical with age. Somewhat sub- 

 ject to bark blight on the trunk, but usually outgrowing it. Fruit, 

 medium to large, in foim like the Porter, but not quite so conical. 

 Buff yellow in color, with a fine rich red cheek, which makes a 

 small specimen at a short distance look like a Crawford peach. 

 Quality very good if allowed to mature fully on the tree. If gath- 

 ered before maturity it does not ripen. This, with the tenderness 

 of the fully ripe fruit, renders the variety of little value as a market 

 apple, but for home use it is a good deal better than Duchess. It is 

 a heavy bearer alternate years. The fruit ripens along all through 

 September and into October. It is tart enough to cook well, except 

 when dead ripe. 



St. Laivrence. — This is a first class dessert apple of large size and 

 great beauty. The tree is not strictly " iron clad," yet I have never 

 had one killed, or very badly injured. Its chief fault is that it is 

 very long coming to bearing, and is never a profuse bearer. A 

 Duchess or a Peach Apple tree will bear a dozen barrels liefore a 

 St. Lawrence will produce one barrel. Yet I would not be without 

 this variety, both on account of its excellent quality and its season, 

 which is October. It is a large greenish yellow apple, covered with 

 broad l)right red stripes, being very distinct in its appearance from 

 any other apple of its season. 



AJexander. — This variety, (also called Emperor, or Emperor 

 Alexander) is one of the earlier importations from Russia. It is an 

 imperial apple in appearance, being very large and beautiful to look 

 upon, but rather " woodeny" to eat. The tree is about with St. 

 Lawrence in hardiness,— not "iron clad," but doing pretty well, 



