The Canadian Horticulturist. 



THE QUALITY OF APPLES. 



'O be successful in fruit growing, more attention must be given to 

 secure fruit of high quahty. If only first-class fruit be offered for 

 sale, the demand for it will be enormously increased. Quantity 

 has been too long the chief aim of growers. The inferior varieties, 

 that yield more largely, have taken the place of those of finer 

 quality, which were shy bearers. This has been especially true of 

 apples. Color has, however, counted as an important factor, and the red varie- 

 ties, though sometimes inferior, have been in better demand than varieties supe- 

 rior for cooking or eating, that lacked color. Most people like a Greening 

 apple better than a Baldwin, but because the latter has color and is quite as 

 productive, it has had the preference. The Fall Pippin and Swaar are even 

 better than the Greening in quality, but they are shy bearers and cannot be 

 grown with profit without high culture and manuring. The Spitzenberg has 

 good color, but is not a strong-growing tree and is a poor bearer, and is now 

 not largely grown for market. One reason for defective yields and poor quality 

 of apples is, we believe, the decrease of mineral fertilizers in the soil. The 

 stronger and more vigorous growth of the Baldwin and Greening trees enabled 

 their roots to gather more potash, phosphate, and other material for perfecting 

 the fruit. But within two or three years these varieties, especially the Baldwins, 

 have proven less reliable to produce a crop than they used to be. On the other 

 hand, trees of the Spitzenberg variety, which were liberally manured with wood 

 ashes and phosphate, maintained a healthy dark green foliage until fall and 

 ripened large and finely-colored fruit. The deficiency of mineral manures is 

 seen first in the foliage, which is easily injured by blight. Of course, wherever 

 the foliage is destroyed, the fruit is poor or fails entirely. 



We believe there is profit for farmers in New England in paying more 

 attention to fruit growing, not merely apples but pears, plums and the smaller 

 fruits, where there is a near market. The aim should be to grow the very best 

 quality and depend on this to secure a paying price. The pears grown near 

 Boston have the reputation of being the best quality grown anywhere. But if 

 due care is given to selecting the best varieties and manuring liberally with 

 mineral fertilizers, other localities can doubtless produce as good pears as any 

 grown in this vicinity. The pear is a fruit which requires a good supply of 

 phosphate. It also requires better cultivation than is usually given to apples. 

 The pear orchard should be cultivated every year, because it is unsafe to apply 

 the large amount of stable manure to pear trees when in grass that is needed to 

 keep them thrifty. We can keep an apple orchard in grass and top-dress it 

 heavily enough to offset this drain on the soil. — Country Gentleman. 



