THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 379- 



Cheshire who at first did not know the fruit, but after inquiry in liis neighbor- 

 hood lie sent nic scions of what lie thought must be the tree I meant. These 

 all failed, but a second lot were successful, and after having them set on three 

 different farms, and waiting with much anxiety and impatience the time when 

 I should excite much astonishment by tiie exhibition of the fruit, they at last 

 bore the Ladies' Sweet described by l)owning. It was not so bad as it migiit 

 have been, but by no means satisfactory. Again, I have grafts from scions 

 sent me in 1SG5, from Prospect. The tree from which they were cut is said ta 

 be known as the llichard's Sweeting, and the donor says it answers my descrip- 

 tion, and if, when it bears it fills my bill, pomologists will hear from it, other- 

 wise I shall hold my peace, liut in the mean time, as the grafts were set in 

 young trees and 1 am getting old and impatient, I concluded to advertise 

 for it in this manner. No apple with any stripes or splashes need apply, nor 

 one of any other color than lightish green and yellow. I think I should know 

 it among a thousand by its looks or taste. 



Muskegon, Michigan, August, 1877. S. B. Peck. 



THE YELLOAV TRANSPARENT APPLE. 



Dr. Hoskins, of Newport, thus describes this acquisition from Kussia. 



The Yellow Transparent is a Russian apple, like the Tetofsky, Duchess of 

 Oldenburgh, and Red Astrachan, which was raised from scions sent out by the 

 Agricultural Department in 1870. Dr. lloskins of Newport describes it as it 

 has grown in Vermont as follows : 



•'It is an extremely early bearer, giving fruit the third year from grafting on 

 a seedling root, and is now bearing its third crop, consisting of over a bushel. 

 The tree, notwithstanding its productiveness, is a free grower, being now some 

 eight feet high. It is also an erect grower, and bears its fruit on short spurs 

 close to the main branches, so that it can carry a heavy crop when small, with- 

 out breaking down. Though so full of fruit that there seems to be more apples 

 than leaves, yet the branches are not beut down at all. 



In size, the Yellow Transparent apple is a full medium, round-ovate inform, 

 straw-yellow in color, with an extremely melting, juicy flesh of delicate sub- 

 acid, but not very high flavor. It is very fair, uniform in size, and its chief 

 merit iu our eyes, aside from its perfect hardiness and early and abundant 

 bearing, is that it is the earliest dessert apple we know. It begins to come into 

 eating by the first of August, and the bulk of the crop is just now (August 

 10) ripening up. It will not keep long, soon becoming mealy and cracking 

 open after reaching maturity. But for a home apple, or to sell direct to con- 

 sumers in a near market, it cannot be surpassed, and its waxen beauty and 

 fairness, together with its acceptable flavor, will make it a favorite wherever 

 grown. It is about two weeks earlier tlian Tetofsky, and, if it had been intro- 

 duced first, we doubt if the Tetofsky would ever have been heard of. Yet the 

 Tetofsky is not to be despised, and we are glad that we have both." 



