732 Popular Editions of Station BinLLBrnra of thu 



Since established varieties neither degenerate nor 

 Benefits improve and since new varieties are constantly 

 of apple originating it is necessary that some disinterested 

 testing. grower should study these varieties side by side 

 to learn and communicate to intending orchardists 

 those points in which varieties differ one from another and so 

 far as possible to state the truth regarding their utility or lack 

 of it for the orchard planter's needs. This testing the Station 

 does, and in the work has made some studies, comparisons and 

 observations that should be useful. Chief of these is the securing 

 of full descriptive data given in detail for about 700 varieties in the 

 " Apples of New York " and summarized in Bulletin No. 275. 

 Since those publications appeared, 100 or more additional varieties 

 have been grown or listed. It therefore seems best to revise the 

 tabulated descriptions given in Bulletin 275 and to include the new 

 sorts. This table, describing 804 varieties, is given in the regular 

 bulletin bearing the same number as this Popular Edition; while for 

 this edition about 100 varieties have been selected which include 

 practically all apples that have any special value or merit testing 

 in New York State either in the commercial orchard or for home use. 

 This table will be found on pages 736-739. 



In handling such numbers of varieties of any fruit, 

 Apple similarities are constantly observed; so that prac- 



groups. tically all apples fall more or less naturally into 

 " groups," — collections with very indefinite limits, 

 but including those varieties that have more similarities than con- 

 trasts. In many cases these " family resemblances " are so marked 

 that the observer concludes at once that the members of the group 

 trace back more or less directly to a common ancester. 



These " groups," though as yet incompletely established and 

 subject to constant change, serve many good purposes; since the 

 behavior of some well-known member of a group, frequently the 

 " name parent," may give a clue to the behavior of the whole collec- 

 tion and enable us to decide at once that an unknown member of the 

 group is worth consideration or should be rejected. For instance, 

 we would not look in the Early Harvest group for a winter apple, in 

 the Lady group for one to supply a commercial pie factory, nor in 

 the Wealthy group for a variety for Long Island. 



The characteristics of some of these " groups " that are of value 

 in New York, with well-known representatives of each, are noted in 

 succeeding paragraphs. It should be said that not all the varieties 

 named in the groups are valuable, for sometimes a very characteristic 

 member of a group is, by some special quality, rendered useless 

 under particular conditions. For the valuable varieties, the table 

 is the guide. 



