APPLES. 77 



Flesh is white, and is distinguished by being slightly tinged with red near the 

 skin. In flavor it is brisk, sprightly, and pleasant. 



THE EARLY JOE. 



This is another beautiful and delicious small sized, deep red amateur apple. 

 It hails from the orchard of Heman Chaplin, East Bloomfield, Ontario County, 

 New York, where the Northern Spy and Norton's Melon originated. The 

 tree will bear high culture, it being of slow growth, though very productive 

 when well fed. The flesh is tender, juicy, with a very agreeable vinous flavor. 

 It is marked "best" by all the authorities, and rules from the middle of 

 August to the middle of September. 



THE SUMMER ROSE. 



A email, exquisite, pretty apple, highly esteemed for dessert. It is highly 

 commended by amateurs in Clinton and Ingham counties. The flesh is tender, 

 abounding with sprightly juice. The fruit has a most beautiful waxen appear- 

 ance: pale yellow with a red cheek. It is the summer rose among apples. 

 Tree rather a slow grower but a good bearer. Begins to ripen with the wheat 

 harvest and continues a month, and is better in quality for the table than 

 Earley Harvest. An especial favorite with the ladies. 



It will be noticed that all the amateur apples are strictly of that class. Of 

 exquisite flavor with high dessert qualities, and from their small size generally 

 thought to be unprofitable for the market ; nevertheless we have known the 

 Early Joe, the Early Strawberry, the Early Harvest, and the Carolina Red June, 

 to eell readily in market for one dollar per bushel. These eleven summer varie- 

 ties are good, with few exceptions, in all sections of Michigan. As a general 

 thing we have too many summer sorts of fruit, but these cover all the needs of 

 the State. 



THE PRIMATE APPLE. 



READ AT THE SOCIETY'S MEETING AT BATTLE CREEK, FEBRUARY 26, 1S73. 



In the Michigan Farmer of the 20th inst. I noticed some comments upon 

 each of the eleven varieties of summer apples recommended at Lansing, at the 

 January meeting of this Association. 



In speaking of the Primate apple, the writer says : " Strange that so valuable 

 a fruit should have no historical origin. It is a sort of Gipsey, growing in 

 various States, under diSerent and provincial names. Some of these names are 

 suggestive : Rough and Ready, North American Best, July apple ; these and 

 other names are expressive of its season, value, and the strong, hardy, and stocky 

 growth of the tree," &c. 



Upon reading this, it occurred to me that some years since I tried to trace 

 this fruit to its origin. Thinking it might be interesting to members of this 

 Association to know that a Michigan man had something to do with introduc- 

 ing this valuable apple to the notice of orchardists, I will, if in order, read to 

 you some correspondence had with regard to it, and published in Hovey's 

 Magazine of Horticulture some years since. 



In the volume for 1850 I find the following letter from Charles P. Cowles, 

 Esq., of Syracuse, N. Y., dated August, 1850, and addressed to Mr. Hovey : 



