70 



Gravenstein. 



Good points : — 



1. Fine qualitj^, cooking 



eating. 



2. Handsome appearance. 



3. Tree needs little pruning. 



4. AVell known. 



and 



Bad points : — 



1. Shy or biennial bearer, 



2. Winter-kills. 



3. Collar rot, rank grower. 



4. Fades in storage, 



5. Sun-scald and canker. 



(13) Red Astrachan. — This is another of the Russian 

 apples which has achieved success in the United States, and 

 which I would include as a commercial apple for Massachu- 

 setts. It is very earlj in season, following the Yellow Trans- 

 parent, and being fit for cooking in July. It is consequently 

 a profitable variety for local markets and for home use, while 

 its attractive color combined with its earliness makes it popu- 

 lar. It is, however, very tender in flesh, and will not stand 

 shipping well. It is principally valuable as a cooking apple, 

 though well-grown, fully developed specimens are very good 

 eating. The tree is medium in size, coming into bearing 

 early, and is reasonably productive, though inclined to bear 

 biennially. Its tendency to be irregular in both size and 

 shape is rather a serious drawback to a commercial variety, 

 making quite a loss from unmarketable fruit. The fruit 

 drops considerably, unless several pickings are made. 



Good points : 



1. Fine color, 



2. Very early. 



3. Productive. 



4. Hardy tree. 



Red Astrachan. 



Bad points : — 



1. IrregTilar in size and shape. 



2, Very tender in fruit. 



{13) Fall Pippin. — The origin of this variety is some- 

 what in doubt, but it is good enough so that its origin does not 

 much matter. It ought to have originated in Massachusetts. 

 The tree is large and rather vigorous, making a roundish, 

 rather dense top. Both leaves and fruit are seriously subject 

 to the apple scab fungus, which is a decided drawback where 

 this disease is troublesome. The fruit ripens very unevenly, 



