i30 ANNUAL HJSPORT OF THK OCf. Due. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES; HOW TO PLANT, PICK AND 



STORE THE APPLE. 



By W. R. BAKNHART, Greensburg, Pa. 



The American tourist abroad, in looking with admiration out over 

 the fine, large well cultivated farms of England, the rich valleys, 

 hillsides and vineyards of France, the thousands of fertile acres, in 

 a great state of cultivation, in Germany, the garden spot of the 

 world for delicious fruits in sunny Italy; all producing most won- 

 derful crops af the cereals, vegetables and fruits adapted to their 

 soil and climate, and for the preservation of the human family, he 

 will at twilight in the eventide, when in conversation with the peo- 

 ple of different nations, look over homeward and exclaim! "My 

 own dear America,'' with your Republican form of government, with 

 your inexhaustible mineral wealth, with your vast area of broad 

 acres and variety of soil and climate, so well adapted and sufficient 

 to feed the world of almost all kinds of the best cereals, vegetables 

 and fruits of the age, you are to me the dearest spot on this universe. 

 America,, with all your fine fruits of different kinds, both large 

 and small, there is nothing to compare with or to take the place of 

 the apple. 



The apple stands out over and above every other fruit. It is the 

 fruit for the masses; it is the fruit for all; it is the fruit for the most 

 part of the year. AYhile some of the States produce more, larger 

 and finer looking apples, our own great State of Pennsj-lvania pro- 

 duces the finest flavored apples of this country. In 1876, at the 

 Philadelphia Exposition, after a careful examination of the apples 

 from the different States, I came to the conclusion that California 

 and Oregon were the only States that had finer specimens of the 

 good old reliable varieties, than I had taken from my orchards at 

 the time for our county fair. I did not then know that they lacked 

 in flavor. I had at that time more than thirty different varieties in 

 my orchards. I wanted to learn something of the different varieties 

 for my own benefit and the benefit of others. I am willing to give 

 my experience and mistakes in selecting varieties, in planting too 

 close, in filling in my apple house with sawdust, for the general 

 good. We hear people talk about the mistakes of Moses, and of 

 late of the mistake made thoughtlessly by Admiral Dewey; — why 

 concern ourselves so much about thf mistakos of otbors. that will 



