The QuESTioiT Bos. 261 



orcliard to-day, I would put in a row or two of Ben Davis, or, 

 if I were to grow trees on which to top-work other sorts, I would 

 plant Ben Davis. I would top-work Baldwin and King of Tomp- 

 kins County on it, also Grimes' Golden.' The latter is to-day the 

 best apple in America. Its season ranges from November to New 

 Year, but York Imperial is running an even race from Virginia 

 to the Pacific coast with Ben Davis, and you will find that, within 

 the next twenty years, it will have become a great favorite in your 

 orchards here. Its only fault is its ill-shape, but that does not 

 influence its quality at all. It ripens with Baldwin or even later. 

 It keeps better and holds its fine flavor to the end. 



If you were to set a commercial orcliard, near Altamout, Avbat varieties 

 would you plant? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — One should be governed by soil, climate and 

 markets. Some varieties do better on heavy soils than do others. 

 For myself, I prefer a majority of fall varieties, Duchess, Maiden's 

 Blush and Gravenstein are among the best for me. I also grow 

 Red Astrachan, which is very early, and I have got more money 

 from it during the last ten years than from any other variety I 

 grow. Years ago I came very near top-grafting all my Astra- 

 ohans to some other variety. I am now very glad I did not. Yel- 

 low Transparent is a beautiful early apple of fine flavor, and the 

 tree is an upright grower, hardy in foliage and wood, and an 

 early bearer, but I think the skin is too tender for a shipper. The 

 Greening, Ben Davis, Sutton Beauty and Hubbardston are among 

 the best winter sorts. King of Tompkins County is one of the 

 very best winter sorts, but its root growth is deficient, so I would 

 top work it on the Spy. Ben Davis is of poor quality but it is a 

 fine grower, an early bearer, and is much sought after in our 

 markets as well as in those over the water. So I grow it for the 

 money in it, not for sentiment. 



In setting an orchard, are not young, straight trees better than those 

 two or more years old? What about pedigree trees? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — I would want straight trees, and ordinarily 

 I think that two-year old trees are preferable, although there is 

 no particular objection against one-year olds. So far as pedigree 

 is concerned I am a firm believer in that. They should be propa- 



