Fruits for JMarkct Orchards in the West. 21 



Hale's Early, though it rots badly, is worth lighting for. The tree 

 is vigorous, the buds pre-eminently hardy, the fruit very abundant, 

 beautiful, and, for an early peach, good. It needs good ventilation, on 

 high ground, bv wide planting, and pruning to a high trunk ; by thin- 

 ning of the fruits that touch one another, the catching of the curculio, 

 and the picking off of the rotting peaches. With these two latter pre- 

 cautions it was ripened by Judge Brown of Villa Ridge, near Cairo, 

 in this wet and unfavorable season. .Troth's Early, or its near relative, 

 Haine's Early, is a peach of few faults, and many good qualities. The 

 tree is vigorous and productive, the fruit very red and beautiful. Large 

 Early York is larger and higher flavored, but the fruit is not quite so 

 fair. It ripens in immediate succession. Between Large Early York 

 and Oldmixon Free there is a gap in the succession ; but the Craw- 

 ford's Early and Yellow Rareripe, which are used to fill, or partially 

 fill it, have tender buds, and are unproductive. Oldmixon has large 

 and finely colored fruit, and produces well. Stump-the- World is 

 hardly so high-colored, but the tree is very pi'oductive, and the fruit 

 quite uniform in size. Late Red Rareripe, which comes in the season 

 of Late Crawford, is more desirable than that variety, in being more 

 hardy. It is large, high-colored, and good. Smock, like other yellow 

 and reniform sorts, is not quite so hardy as some, though large, handsome, 

 and salable, when it comes. Heatii Cling, though a reniform variety, is 

 quite hardy, and its fruit is very fine in quality, though often not fair, 

 as it mildews and cracks, and, in a wet autumn, rots. 



In choosing market fruits we have to look at many considerations 

 that the amateur scorns ; such as high color, large size, productiveness, 

 carrying well, and the like. Until the mass of consumers are as famil- 

 iar with the names and qualities of fruit as the producer, they will 

 judge fruit by the eye, and purchase with little I'egard to quality, or 

 difficulty of production ; and will not pay the difference of the cost 

 between a Ben Davis and a Newtown Pippin. Many, indeed, cannot, 

 afford to do so, and naturally prefer a tolerable apple, pear, or other 

 fruit, within the i-each of their means, to an excellent variety, which 

 they cannot purchase. 



I have heard some very sharp debates, in our horticultural societies, 



