4'32 [Assembly 



should ever be called upon to prove herself worthy to be hailed 

 the " Empire county," her intelligent sons ^Yill find arguments 

 by the cart load in their prolific orchards. 



In order to determine the relative merit of the samples offered 

 for competition, the committee have found it necessary to get to 

 themselves a clear notion of what constitutes a good appU, and 

 what ought to be the characteristics of an apple that claims ad- 

 mission to the highest rank. 



As with all other fruits, so with the apple, the standard of per- 

 fection has rapidly advanced duiiug the last few years. Some 

 varieties, such, for example, as the Red Giliflower, which thirty 

 years ago passed for excellent and first-rate, would now be set 

 aside as indifferent. Skilful fruit-growers have recently brought 

 into n<)tice new and choice kinds, which are fast crowding out of 

 use all such as are in any respect objectionable. 



The number of varieties which are intrinsically worthy of cul- 

 tivation is comparatively small. Among the hundreds of names 

 which figure in the fruit books and on the nursery lists, probably 

 less than two score would be endorsed by intelligent and candid 

 nurserymen as really worthy of cultivation. 



The most successful apple growers are those who have confined 

 their attention to a few of the very choicest kinds. This fact is 

 beginning to be felt among leading farmers. In planting new 

 orchards more care is taken now than formerly to select only 

 those kinds which are admitted to be superior, and which will 

 always command good prices in the market. 



Old seedling orchards are also undergoing the process of being 

 improved by grafting. It may be that this method of re-juvena- 

 ting an old seedling orchard is not everywhere understood. Cer- 

 tain it is, that in our own county they have sometimes been wan- 

 tonly destroyed. A better course is to dig about and manure the 

 trees, give the trunks a through grooming and soaping, shorten 

 in the branches, and engraft with first class varieties. In this 

 way a large harvesting of apples may be reached much sooner 



