316 



REMARKABLE MEXICAN TREE. 



public Lencfactor of his ago, now owns (liat 

 ])art ©f llie farm on wliicli the original Bald- 

 win tree grew, and has placed a monument 

 on the site where it once flourished. 



It has been thought by some, that there 

 were three varieties of the Baldwin, as 

 some fruited annually, some every odd nu- 

 merical year, and some on the even years, 

 which (as this, 1846) is the general fruiting 

 year. But on a careful investigation, they 

 are found to be identical. 



The tree with us, for thrifliness, for hard- 

 iness, fur fine form, and vigorous strength, 

 — for its abundant bearing and the beauty 

 and long keeping of its fruit, is placed at 

 the head of all other New England winter 

 apples. The fruit is always fair, above 

 medium size, of a fine rich red and yellow 

 color. The flesh nearly tender; in color, 

 yellowish, rich, juicy and fine flavored ; ex- 

 cellent for the table or cooking, and is in 

 use from November till May. 



I have given the Baldwin a thorough trial 



in my own orchard. This year is the bear- 

 ing year with me, and I have taken vinvty 

 barrels of Baldwins from trees planted 

 twenty-eight years ago in grass land, and 

 kept in that slate ever since. 



You may judge how superior to the New- 

 town pippin, this apple is for New England 

 orchard culture, when I inform you, that 

 from four yellow Newtown pippin trees, in 

 the same orchard, planted at the same time 

 with the Baldwins, 1 gathered only one and 

 a half barrels of apples ; while from two 

 Baldwins adjoining, in the same row, 1 took 

 seven barrels. 



The Baldwin is in Boston preferred to 

 any other variety for shipping. I have 

 been credibly informed, that one person, en- 

 gaged in shipping fruit from this port, has 

 this autumn purchased twelve hundred bar- 

 rels of Baldwins for this purpose. 

 Yours, with respect, 



Bekj. V. French. 



]Slovnt'_Monaii(ptot. Biaintree., Mass., Nov., 1846. 



REMARKABLE MEXICAN TREE. 



Thj\t IMexico abounds with trees and plants 

 of the most beautiful and extraordinary 

 character, we are already well aware. Our 

 green-houses and gardens bear ample testi- 

 mony to this fact, in the novel and curious 

 Cacti, so repulsive and forbidding in their 

 stems, and so lovely and brilliant in their 

 blossoms ; in the celebrated Manila, or Hand 

 Flower [Cheirostenion) ; the curious and 

 beautiful Achimenes, now so popular in our 

 green-houses ; the gaudy and striking Tiger 

 Flowers (Tigridia,) that adorn our borders 

 in' summer ; and a great number of spe- 

 cies that are less known except to indus- 

 trious collectors. 



Still Mexico is comparatively an unex- 

 plored country — for though several Euro- 



pean botanists have travelled through it, 

 and enriched the gardens and herbariums 

 of their native lands with portions of its 

 unique flora, yet there are whole districts 

 that have never been in the least explored 

 by any scientific eye — vast tangled forests, 

 full of strange air-plants, and festoons of 

 wild and gorgeous climbers — deep valleys, 

 where the climate and vegetation are those 

 of the sultriest tropics — and wide, arid 

 plains, studded with endless forms of succu- 

 lent plants, bristling defiance ! 



Now that our countrymen are obtaining a 

 foothold in Mexico, we may justly believe 

 that, little by little, its most interesting ve- 

 getable productions will be introduced to 

 our notice. It will be remembered that. 



