DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



389 



is a marked difference. I ascribe it to climate and 

 soil. Very respectfully, F. R. Elliott. Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, Dec. 20, 1846. 



POMOLOGICAL NoTES. MR. EDITOR Will yOU 



give me a little space in the columns of the 

 Horticulturist to make a few remarks on some for- 

 eign varieties of the apple; and I will commence 

 by saying that many varieties of European fruits, 

 are so imperfectly described in the books, that it 

 is often a very difficult matter to determine whe- 

 ther or not, they are true to name. Our climate, 

 our hot, dry, burning- sun, has such an effect on 

 many sorts of fruit, that the color, and the general 

 appearance of the fruit is altogether different from 

 that laid down in European publications. And I 

 am also quite of the opinion, that American au- 

 thors and nurserymen are but too much inclined 

 to follow descriptions given by European wri- 

 ters. Again, another -great difficulty seems to be 

 among ourselves, in selecting the largest, fairest, 

 and most beautiful specimens, as a criterion, 

 which often bear but little resemblance to the 

 great mass of fruit on the tree. 



The Blenheim Pippin, Kirke's Lord Nelson, 

 Brabant Bellejleur, Court Pendre Plat, Cornish 

 Gillijiovier, and several others, have at various 

 times been condemned by myself and others, as not 

 true to name, yet afterwards have been convinced 

 that they were true. 



^^ Blenheim Pippin, a large and showy English 

 apple. Fruit, very large, roundish, three inches 

 in diameter at the base. Skin yellowish, becom- 

 ing deep orange, stained on the sunny side with dull 

 and dark red stripes." Perhaps you will recollect 

 our conversation about this apple, last September, 

 when I had the pleasure of spending a few hours 

 with you, in looking over your beautiful grounds. 

 I then informed you that I received this variety 

 from Judge Buel in 1836: and that it proved 

 false to name. That last year I received it from 

 your own grounds. The same season one of the sci- 

 ons produced two apples, which proved to be pre- 

 cisely like those I received from Judge Buel. 

 You informed me that you had procured this vari- 

 ety directly from the London Hart. Society, and re- 

 quested I would give it a further trial. Among 

 the large number of the varieties of the apple 

 which I had just exhibited at the State Fair held 

 at Auburn, were these apples. All who examined 

 them there, pronounced them false to name. I 

 was almost ashamed of them; but I exhibited 

 them pretty much for the same purpose that my 

 friend Allen used to exhibit pictures of the Land- 

 pikes and Alligators, beside his fine Berkshires; 

 merely to show the contrast. On my return home 

 in the month of October, I again, with book in 

 hand, examined the fruit on the tree. " Fruit 

 very large," (no; small.) "Roundish," (no; coni- 

 cal, and skin yellowish-white nearly covered with 

 red.) " Flesh very sweet." I again condemned 

 it. Soon after I discovered in the nursery a tree 

 with two apples, one of which was large and 

 beautiful, and answered the description in every 

 particular, only it was somewhat more red. / am 

 now convinced that it is true to name. But it is 



not worth cultivating except for feeding stock. 

 Its peculiar sweetness, and withal, its very pro- 

 ductiveness, may in some sections of the country 

 render it an object for that purpose.* 



Brabant Bellejleur. — I received this from JtroGE 

 Buel; and a most superior fruit it is too. Fruit 

 very large, roundish, but can hardly be called 

 "oblong." Skin pale yellow, but instead of 

 slightly striped with red, it is generally nearly 

 covered with red, and in exposed situations often 

 with a fine bloom on the sunny side; the whole 

 being: covered with numerous dark specks. Flesh 

 firm, crisp, very juicy, rich and high flavored; 

 rather acid than sub-acid. A fine winter variety 

 well- worthy of extensive cultivation. The tree 

 is inclined to grow every way rather than upright; 

 however it makes fine strong shoots, and not often 

 very crooked. It requires to be worked on stocks 

 4 or 5 feet high, or tied up to a strong stake, until 

 broke of its bad habits. 



Kirke's Lord Nelson, another very large apple, 

 but in some respects not well described. The 

 skin is rather green than yellow; rather striped, 

 than covered with red. An abundant bearer; a 

 rampant grower. Fruit fair, but not superior. 



Sack and Sugar, another foreign variety, which 

 is as destitute of sugar as a vinegar barrel. Worse 

 than worthless. 



Green Everlasting. — Famous for long keeping; 

 and proof against unruly boys stealing them. At 

 all events they never will steal thembut once. The 

 tree is a fine grower, and this is the only good 

 quality which either the tree or fruit possesses. 



Let not my motives in making the foregoing 

 remarks, be misconstrued. I do it not in a spirit 

 of fault-finding; far from it. Our works on Hor- 

 ticulture are in all respects quite equal, if not su- 

 perior, to that of any other nation. But should my 

 remarks induce fruit growers to be more careful, 

 and less hasty in condemning, before they give 

 each variety of fruit a fair trial and a careful ex- 

 amination, my object will be attained. B. Hodge. 

 Buffalo Nursery, Jan., 1847. 



p. S. — In noticing, in the Horticulturist, some 

 strictures on Princes Manual of Roses, I would sug- 

 gest whether some standard ought not to be adopt- 

 ed among horticulturists and nurserymen, how 

 far one person may with propriety trespass on the 

 rights of others, in assuming their publications as 

 their own. 



I am the more inclined to make this inquiry, 

 from the fact, that a brother nurseryman has. 



* There is a pomological fact regarding apples, which we 

 have been aware of some time, which Col. Hodge's remarks 

 illustrale, and which all our readers may not know. Thu first 

 and second crops of a young apple tree, in many sons, seldom 

 attain the true character of the fruit. We have frequently 

 seen t'ruit on young trees, bearing the first l.wo or three speci- 

 mens, which we could not identif>% though the next crop 

 would all lake the normal form. A little more time must be 

 given, therefore, in testing the apple than oilier fruit. Col. H. 

 IS correct in saying the Blenheim Pippin is of little value 

 here. The truth is the apples of this country are so superior 

 to European varieties, that we predict, in ten years, more 

 than four-fifths of all the latter that have been introduced and 

 proved, will be abandoned as far inferior lo native varieties. 

 —Ed. 



