THE APPLES OF NEW YORK. 347 



localities the variety has succeeded so well that it is regarded as 

 pretty hardy and long-lived. E. W. Catchpole of North Rose, 

 Wayne county, reports that in an orchard planted in that locality 

 in 1861 with Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and Tompkins King, 

 the Tompkins King has been neither as hardy nor as productive as 

 either of the other two varieties named and already shows a con- 

 siderable number of vacancies in the rows. H. D. Cole of Inter- 

 laken, in southern Seneca county, reports that he has an orchard of 

 Tompkins King top-grafted about seventy years ago upon trees 

 which were planted about one hundred years ago. These trees are 

 still bearing good crops. He regards this variety as not sufficiently 

 hardy if grown on its own trunk, but vigorous, healthy, long-lived 

 and reliably productive when top-worked upon hardy stock. The 

 experience of many other fruit growers throughout the state cor- 

 roborates that of Mr. Catchpole and Mr. Cole and goes to show, 

 that because of its comparatively weak root development and liability 

 to collar rot and winter injury, Tompkins King should be top- 

 worked upon some variety which has a stronger root development 

 and a more hardy trunk. Some have had good success in using 

 common seedling stock for this purpose and others have found 

 satisfactory results from top-working it upon Tolman Szveet, 

 Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Oldenburg, Golden Russet, 

 Roxbury and other vigorous, hardy varieties. 



Historical. Some have thought that the original tree of Tompkins King 

 grew at Jacksonville, Tompkins county, N. Y., but Bailey found that that tree 

 had been grafted and therefore it could not be the original seedling (28). 

 The variety appears to have originated near Washington, Warren county, 

 N. J. It is said to have been brought from that locality to Tompkins county, 

 N. Y., by Jacob Wycoff in 1804 by whom it was named King. The Congress 

 of Fruit Growers at Rochester added Tompkins County to its name to dis- 

 tinguish it from other King apples (15). James M. Mattison of Jacksonville, 

 N. Y., investigated the subject of-the origin of Tompkins King during the 

 winter of 1860 and published an account of his investigation in the April 

 number of the Horticulturist of that year. We quote his report in full. 



" Having given the subject a pretty thorough investigation, I present the 

 following as the true history of the King Apple of Tompkins County: 



"About fifty-six years ago, Jacob Wycoff brought it from Warren county, 

 X. J. Mr. Wycoff moved to this county about sixty years ago, and finding 

 the art of grafting practised here, procured the grafts while on a visit fifty- 

 six years ago. Mr. Wycoff is now dead, but always claimed it to be a seed- 



