538 Descriptions of Select Vai^ieties of Apples. 



been made. It is, in our opinion, a very superior fruit ; with 

 a flesh remarkably tender and juicy, and a flavor strongly 

 partaking of the melon, from whence probably its name. It 

 is a large fruit, and of a peculiarly bright and handsome 

 appearance. It is, in some respects, like the Northern Spy, 

 and comes from the same source, as will be seen by Mr. 

 Smith's letter, which we copy : — 



"I have taken the liberty of forwarding to thy address, a 

 few specimens of an apple known here as the ' Watermelon,' 

 though noticed in a Rochester Nurseryman's Catalogue as 

 ' Norton's Melon,' for what reason I am not informed. It has 

 been cultivated to a very limited extent in East Bloomfield 

 for perhaps thirty or forty years, having been circulated from 

 the old Chapin orchard, famous for its paternity of the Nor- 

 thern Spy, &c. From a member of the Chapin family, I 

 learn that it is not considered a native of their vicinity, but 

 was brought from Salisbury, Ct. On this point, however, 

 there seems much uncertainty ; and I have thought it expe- 

 dient to send it to your society for exhibition, hoping that it 

 might be recognized. Ordinarily it keeps well until midwin- 

 ter, frequently several weeks later. The smaller specimens 

 indicate the average size." 



No such apple is known to us to exist at the present time 

 in Connecticut, though it may be still confined to some par- 

 ticular locality. It is probable it was raised from seed at or 

 about the same period as the Northern Spy. 



Size, large, about three and a half inches broad and nearly 

 three deep : Form, roundish, very slightly flattened at each 

 end, little angular, with an uneven and somewhat knobby 

 surface : Skin, fair, smooth, pale yellow in the shade, par- 

 tially covered with light red, and distinctly striped with Vermil- 

 lion scarlet, russeted around the stem, and covered with large 

 scattered russet specks : Stem, medium length about one inch, 

 rather slender, and deeply inserted in a funnel-shaped cavity : 

 Eye, large, partially closed, and rather deeply sunk in a large, 

 open basin; segments of the calyx broad: Flesh, white, fine, 

 crisp, and very tender : Juice abundant, with a delicious ad- 

 mixture of sweet and acid, and with a rich melon flavor : 

 Core, medium size, nearly close : Seeds, medium size, rather 

 broad. Ripe in October and November. 



