SWEET APPLES. 203 



such form as is right and proper to enable the tree to sustain an 

 immense weight. They are almost, in that regard, equal to the 

 old-fashioned Green Winter Sweet ; and I think I saw, some few 

 years ago, at an exhibition in Boston, that Robert Manning had 

 one plate of apples labelled " Pelham Sweet," and another 

 " Green Winter Sweet." I told him the two were identical. 

 He had not, up to that time, thought of that fact. His father 

 had obtained them under these two different names, (and he 

 was a man who wanted to test everything he heard of,) and so 

 his son had these two plates of apples, which were identical, 

 labelled with these two different names. This is one of those 

 varieties that grow so full on the inside as to support an enor- 

 mous weight, and it is very prolific. The tree, by the way, is 

 not literally healthy ; it is liable to canker and to black circles 

 round the bark ; and without very high cultivation the apples 

 are poor, a light yellowish color, dry, and not half as good in 

 quality nor half as large as those growing on nicely cultivated 

 trees. When well cultivated they grow to pretty good size, are 

 very juicy, and hold green all winter ; while others, grown on a 

 tree three rods off, perhaps, that are neglected, will be small, 

 and turn yellow in the same length of time, and nobody not 

 familiar with them would suspect they were the same apples. 



There is one more variety of which I had forgotten to speak 

 — the Orange Sweet, as it is called in some places. I think Mr. 

 Cole remarked to me once that it should be called the Russet 

 Sweet. It is ripe in September and October, and is an enormous 

 bearer. It is a good autumn market apple ; not so good until 

 fully ripe, and then it is very sweet, rather juicy, and I regard 

 it as very profitable to cultivate, if any sweet apple can be so, 

 because you can get such remarkable crops. From all the 

 young and vigorous trees that are well cared for you will get a 

 good crop every year, and they sell pretty well, or did this year, 

 at least. They sold readily for five dollars a barrel in our 

 Lowell market at the season of picking. But even if it would 

 not sell, I should regard it" as worth raising for swine or for 

 cattle either. That is another advantage in raising an abun- 

 dance of sweet apples. If we ever have a surplus beyond what 

 we want to use ourselves, and what the markets will take, we 

 can cook them and use them as food for our stock to advantage. 

 I have no doubt that it is profitable to raise sweet apples for 



