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128 ANNUAL REPORT. op ee aaa 
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exceedingly, perhaps over, cautious. Most of you have seen and tasted its — 
_ fruit, and will agree with me that it is of excellent quality, and for beauty ' 
of appearance unsurpassed. In regard to its season, there is some dispute. 
I can only say that I have kept the fruit without difficulty through the winter, 
and at this time (Jan. 15th) the specimens in my cellar have as fine an ap- 
pearance as when gathered, and will doubtless keep till March. I believe 
that if allowed to ripen on the tree, picked carefully, barreled, and put in a 
dark, cool cellar, they will be in fine condition for use during the latter part 
of the winter; but with the care ordinarily bestowed upon apples in lati- 
tudes where the fruit is more plentiful, they will not keep much after 
January Ist., 
The tree is as hardy as the Duchess, and as far as my own observation 
goes, not nearly so liable to injury upon the trunk. It is a very satisfactory 
tree to most planters in a new country, who are not willing to live and wait, 
as in the *‘ good old time.” With care, it usually fruits at five years, or, at 
most, at six years of age. 
It is to be regretted that an imperfection must be recorded against this 
valuable variety ; but truth compels the statement that it is somewhat liable 
to blight; not, indeed, to any such degree as the crab family, but this being a 
scourge before which we are comparatively powerless, we dread its most 
distant approach. However, a large proportion of the Wealthy trees in this 
section, of an age to be productive, are top-worked upon Transcendent or 
Hyslop, and have suffered from blight through the influence of the stock, or 
from being planted in contiguity to trees of the crab kind. Wealthy grafted 
upon common apple stocks and standing apart from crab trees are compara- 
tively uninjured. Indeed, no crab tree should ever be planted near an orchard 
of standards, as no doubt longer exists of the contagious character of the 
blight. This disease has not thus far attacked our standard trees to any 
‘such extent as to deter planting, but only to confirm the necessity of certain 
precautions as to tillage, enriching, &c. 
Probably the few Wealthy trees of bearing size have produced 40 or 50 
bushels the past season. A large increase is looked for the coming year. 
Crabs. 
Our crab orchards and nurseries have suffered this year, as before, from 
blight. While it cripples bearing trees more or less, it rarely kills, and 
great hopes are entertained that like the locust scourge, it may wear itself 
out and depart. 
Russians. 
Many new Russian varieties have fruited the past year, and look well, but 
they have not yet stood the test and are only regarded with hope. 
Seedlings. 
Many new varieties of seedlings, crabs, standard, and crosses of the two, 
