Nortoji's Melon Apple. 13 



and that of his neighbor, Mr. Chapin, who either brought it 

 from the east, or originated it, the only old trees that we know 

 of, now stand. 



Since we first noticed it, we have propagated and dissem- 

 inated it extensively mider the above name, being, in our 

 opinion, a fruit of the first quality of its season. We have 

 repeatedly sent specimens to eastern pomologists with the 

 view to identify it with some eastern variety, as it was a 

 matter of uncertainty whether itAvas brought from the east or 

 originated in Bloomfield, but we have not been able to trace it 

 to any other source than that where we first found it. Our 

 description and yours agree pretty closely, but you err in sea- 

 son of use. Instead of " September and October," it is in eat- 

 ing from October till March : we have eaten them in fine con- 

 dition in the middle of the latter month. 



It is somewhat strange that Mr. Smith, in communicating 

 with your society, should have overlooked these facts in the 

 history of this fruit. It could not be unworthy of note that it 

 had been described three years ago, in the leading journal of 

 Agriculture and Horticulture in the state where it was found 

 and ever since propagated and sold, under the name then given' 

 for plain and proper reasons. 



We have thought it might be well to place these facts be- 

 fore you and your readers, for the purpose of preserving, as 

 far as possible, uniformity of nomenclature, an object which, 

 we are happy to know, your society and others have already 

 taken some new and important measures to attain. 



Rochester, N. Y., December 1847. 



Had we been aware of any description of the new apple in' 

 question, we should have looked it up before the publication 

 of our own. The agricultural papers of the country are now 

 so numerous that we do not pretend to look out the little po- 

 mological information which they may occasionally contain. 

 Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry have long been our correspond- 

 ents, and if any new fruits had come to their notice, we sup- 

 posed they would have communicated the descriptions through 

 our pages, where they would meet the eye of all the principal 

 cultivators in the country. It is scarcely to be expected that 

 pomologists will look to agricultural papers for descriptive 



VOL. XIV. — NO. I. 2 



