12 The Apples of New York. 



says I\Ir. Barns, in straw-head barrels. Some were contracted for by- 

 dealers in New York and some were sold by the captain of the steamboat 

 that carried them to the city. The prices were $i to $1.50 per barrel, 

 barrel returned. Among the favorite early kinds were Summer Pippin 

 (also called Sour Bough, Champlain and Nyack Pippin), Spice Sweet and 

 Jersey Sweet. 



IVIr. P. C. Reynolds of Rochester removed in 1836 from the northeast 

 part of Dutchess county to northern Ontario county near Palmyra. He 

 states that in 1830 on their Dutchess county farm were two orchards. 

 The older was planted about 1775 and contained nothing but "natural" 

 or seedling trees. In the younger orchard about 5 per cent were grafted 

 trees. Among the seedlings were some excellent apples. The grafted 

 varieties were Yellow Harvest, Bough Sweet, Fall Pippin, Westfield Seck- 

 No-Fiirther, Black Gilliflower, Rhode Island Greening and Esopus Spitzen- 

 burg. The Baldwin was not known there. That portion of the fruit not 

 used by the family was either fed to farm animals or made into cider. 

 There were some large orchards in the neighborhood inside of which no 

 animals were permitted. The fruit of these trees was used for making 

 cider brandj^ otherwise called " apple-jack." In that form it became an 

 article of commerce. 



This is an interesting account and typical of the orchard condi- 

 tions in that part of the state in the first quarter of the last century. 

 The view which Mr. Reynolds gives of apple orcharding in northern 

 Ontario county in 1836 is equally interesting because it is typical 

 of the apple orcharding of that time in what is now an important 

 apple-growing region of New York. 



He says their farm in Ontario county in 1836 had two orchards with 

 about 10 per cent of the trees bearing grafted fruit. A few more varieties 

 were grafted in but no Baldwins. No apples were sold from these 

 orchards till 1843 when some commission men from Palmyra bought the 

 grafted fruit for a New York firm paying about 75 cents per barrel for 

 the fruit, finding the barrels. The fruit was shipped by the Erie Canal. 

 In 1848 he began to graft the seedling trees in one orchard to varieties 

 that were being recommended by Barry, Thomas and Downing and in- 

 cluded Northern Spy, Baldwin, Detroit Red, Gravenstein, Porter, Peck 

 Pleasant and a number of other sorts. 



Development of Nurseries. Concerning the Prince nursery 



above mentioned, L. B. Prince says ■} 



" The nursery, which was perhaps the first large commercial one in 

 America, was established about 1730 by Robert Prince. The Huguenots 

 who settled at New Rochelle and on the north shore of Long Island 

 brought with them a varietj^ of French fruits, and the interest thus created 

 in horticulture resulted in the establishment of this first nursery. For a 

 number of years attention was confined chiefly to the fruit trees with 

 which to stock the new country, and it was only when more settled con- 



'Cyc. Am. Hort., Bailey, III: 1435. 



