232 THE APPLES OF NEW YORK. 



forming the head of the tree should be distributed along the main 

 stem at some little distance apart. This distributes the load upon 

 the trunk and gives more spring to the body of the tree, thus tending 

 to prevent its splitting with heavy loads. Standard orchard trees of 

 Northern Spy should stand forty to fifty feet apart in order to pre- 

 vent their becoming too much crowded when fully matured. 



Historical. Originated in a seedling orchard at East Bloomfield, N. Y., 

 which is famous for the production of this variety, the Early Joe and the 

 Melon. This orchard was planted by Heman Chapin with seedling trees 

 grown from seeds brought from Salisbury, Connecticut, about the year 1800 

 (3, 4. 5, 6, 7, 18). Sprouts from the original tree were taken up and planted 

 by Roswell Humphrey and by him the first fruit of the Northern Spy was 

 raised as the original tree died before bearing. In 1847 nine of the trees 

 set out by Humphrey were still living (6). The variety was confined to the 

 vicinity of its origin for many years and it was not till about 1840 that it 

 began to attract the attention of fruit growers in other localities (6, 12). Its 

 great value then came to be more widely recognized and in 1852 the American 

 Pomological Society not only listed it as a new variety of promise but also as 

 a variety worthy of general cultivation. Since that time it has become ex- 

 tensively planted not only in New York but in various other portions of the 

 more northern apple-growing regions. 



TREE. 



Tree large, vigorous; branches long, moderately stout, curved. Form up- 

 right, dense, becoming roundish with willowy, slender laterals somewhat in- 

 clined to droop. Twigs long to medium in length, erect, straight or some- 

 what crooked, slender to moderately stout; internodes long to rather short. 

 Bark dull, dark brownish-red mingled with olive-green lightly streaked with 

 thick scarf-skin; heavily pubescent. Lenticels numerous, conspicuous, small, 

 roundish or oblong, slightly raised. Buds deeply set in bark, medium to small, 

 broad, plump, obtuse, appressed, slightly pubescent. 



FRUIT. 



Fruit except when it is seedless is usually large or very large. Form round- 

 ish conical, sometimes inclined to oblong, often noticeably flattened at the 

 base, nearly symmetrical, sometimes regular but often noticeably ribbed. Stem 

 medium to long, moderately thick. Cavity large, acute, very wide and deep, 

 often broadly furrowed, usually with greenish-russet radiating upwards to the 

 brim. Calyx usually small, closed, sometimes partly open ; lobes short, broad, 

 obtuse. Basin small to medium, narrow to medium in width, moderately deep, 

 abrupt, usually somewhat furrowed. 



Skin thin, tender and smooth. In highly colored specimens it is glossy and 

 the clear pale yellow ground color is nearly concealed with bright pinkish-red 

 mottled and splashed with carmine and overspread with a thin delicate bloom. 

 Dots medium to small, not conspicuous, scattering, whitish, gray or russet. 

 Prevailing effect bright red or striped red. Rarely the yellow or green color 

 predominates. In such cases the quality of the fruit is low. 



