1 68 



THE CANADIAN H0RTICULTURIS2. 



season. Besides this be can keep up con- 

 tinuous shipments, which is often an im- 

 portant condition of success. 



At Maplehurst we usually make up a car- 

 load of Astracan and Duchess in August 

 for export in cold storage, and forward our 

 Gravensteins about the middle of Septem- 

 ber, just as soon as they color, and just be- 

 fore beginning on our King apples. 



Our Gravensteins have equalled any var- 

 iety for profit, bringing the top price in the 

 British market about the first of October. 



The following is our description of this 

 apple, as written for Fruits of Qntario : 



Origin. — According to Hogg, the original 

 tree grew in the garden of the Duke of 

 Augustenburg, at the Castle of Grafenstein 

 in Schleswic-Holstein in Germany, and was 

 still standing about the year 1850. Leroy 

 inclines to accept a statement by Hirschfelt, 

 a German pomologist, who in 1788 wrote 

 . the first description of the apple, and stated 

 that it was brought to Germany from Italy. 

 The earliest trace of the apple we can find 

 dates back to about 1760. It is now widely 

 grown in Western Europe, and is a favorite 

 everywhere. 



Tree. — Much more vigorous in growth 

 than ordinary varieties, and when in bloom 

 remarkably beautiful with its extraordinary 

 sized pure white blossoms ; hardy and pro- 

 ductive. 



Fruit. — Large to very large, the sample 

 photographed was 3 inches long by 3^ 

 broad ; form oblate conical, somewhat one- 

 sided and more or less pentagonal ; skin, 

 greenish yellow to orange, beautifully striped 

 and splashed with two shades of red ; stem, 

 stout y^ inch in length, set in a deep narrow 

 cavity ; calyx partially closed, wide long 

 , segments, set in a wide irregular, slightly 

 russet basin. 



Flesh. — White ; texture, crisp and very 

 " juicy ; flavor, rich, vinous and aromatic. 



Season. — September to October. 



Quality. — Dessert, very good ; cooking, 

 first rate. 



Value. — Home market, first-class; foreign 

 market, first-class. 



Adaption. — General in the apple sections, 

 especially on the borders of the great lakes. 



In order to study this question of adaption 

 more closely we have made enquiries of 

 some of our leading fruit growers in various 

 sections and have received the following 

 replies : — 



"For real quality there is nothing in all our 

 list of fall apples that will surpass the 

 Gravenstein. But it does not seem suited 

 to all the varied conditions that we have 

 even in this province. In its favorite con- 

 ditions the tree is a strong, vigorous and 

 upright grower and a good bearer of well 

 developed and handsome fruit. But it does 

 not find these conditions in our inland 

 counties. It seems to require a somewhat 

 humid atmosphere for its proper develop- 

 ment, and while it does well along the shore 

 of Lake Huron and on the Georgian Bay it 

 produces too many gnarled and unshapely 

 specimens to be considered a success in this 

 or in any of our inland districts. I have 

 watched it closely, for eight years at the 

 Western Fair, London, and the best speci- 

 mens have invariably come from some of the 

 districts bordering on our great lakes. It 

 will never be a profitable apple for the inland 

 farmer of Western Ontario, though I would 

 not be without one tree of it." T. H. Race, 

 Mitchell, Perth County, Ont. 



"Gravenstein is in my judgment the best 

 apple we have for fall use. High in flavor, 

 large, fine color, tree a strong grower and 

 very good bearer. Only for its liability to 

 spotting with fungus it is as near perfection 

 for its season as any we can hope for. With 

 attention in cultivation and manuring and 

 regular spraying in proper times this apple 

 can be produced profitably for home use 

 and foreign markets." Alex. McD. Allan, 

 Goderich. 



"Gravenstein is very little known in this 

 locality, but I have seen very fine specimens 

 at Collingwood, though it is not grown 

 there only to a very limited extent. If there 

 was a good market for it I have no doubt it 

 would be grown and would succeed well in 

 the Georgian Bay District." G. C. Caston, 

 Craighurst. 



" I have three' trees of Gravenstein apples 

 that have borne heavy crops of very fine 

 fruit each alternate year, and always bring 

 the best price in the market. I consider 

 it one of the best varieties of September 



