PROMISING NEW FRUITS. 401 



true sort, which evidently possesses high merit in several important 

 points, and gives evidence of becoming a popular variety. 



Its rediscovery, after remaining practically an unknown sort except 

 in a few widely scattered localities, is due to Mr. Thomas T. Newby, 

 of Carthage, Ind. Mr. New by 's father grafted a tree with scions- from 

 a tree of unknown identity in an orchard in that vicinity in 1854, and 

 some twenty years later Mr. Newby himself grafted a small seedling 

 tree of the same variety. Being impressed with the beauty, symmetry, 

 and uniform size of the fruit, which he found to be of fair dessert 

 quality, Mr. Newby, who had supposed it a well-known old variety, 

 became convinced of its value when he found that the severe winter of 

 1880-81, which nearly ruined the orchards in his section, did not injure 

 it. He then undertook to ascertain its identity, submitting specimens 

 to experts and exhibiting the variety at State and other fairs repeatedly 

 with this end in view. These efforts having failed, a committee of the 

 Indiana Horticultural Society in 1894, in commending its excellence, 

 published it in the report of the society for that 3 7 ear under the name 

 "Newby," and it was described under that name in the Report of the 

 Pomologist of the Department of Agriculture for that year. 



During the summer of 1900, among the old varieties which reached 

 the Department were some specimens of Doctor from Mr. D. C. 

 Boring, of Thornville, Ohio, and it was through these that the identity 

 of Mr. Xewbv's apple was established. Meanwhile Mr. Newby had 

 in the autumn of 1899 forwarded for exhibition in the American fruit 

 exhibit at the Paris Exposition during the summer of 1900, a quantity 

 of specimens of the variety, which attracted much attention "by their 

 symmetrical form and beautiful color. Scions were distributed by the 

 Department in 1895 to a number of State experiment stations and indi- 

 vidual growers throughout the more important northern apple districts, 

 and from its behavior during the past four years it is considered well 

 worthy of experimental planting for special markets from Maryland 

 northward to Maine and westward to Lake Michigan. While not of 

 the highest dessert quality, it is superior in this respect to a number of 

 the standard commercial sorts and in beauty is surpassed by none. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form oblate or roundish oblate, sometimes slightly oblique; size 

 uniformly large; surf ace very smooth, glossy at ripening time, becom- 

 ing very oily when stored under ordinary cellar or warehouse condi- 

 tions; color a rich yellow, lightly washed with mixed red and 

 indistinctly striped and splashed with crimson; dots scattering, russet, 

 occasionally aureole; cavity regular, large, deep, with gradual slope, 

 somewhat russeted; stem short, rather stout; basin regular, large, 

 deep, furrowed and downy; calyx segments medium, converging, 

 1234 A1904 26 



