22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1897. 



ground tliey occupy after having attained their natural size ; 4tli, fur- 

 nish sutlicient fertilizer to keep the trees in a healthy condition. 



It has become the established habit of the apple orchards in the 

 New England States to produce by far the larger crops on the even 

 calendar year. The bearing year may be changed by picking the 

 blossoms from the trees on the even year, and if done when the trees 

 first commence producing fruit may be done with comparatively little 

 labor, and until there is a more equal production in successive years 

 would prove profitable for the growers. This method of equalizing 

 the production of the apple crop is not the result of recent practice. 

 Downing, in his standard work on " Fruit and Fruit Trees of Amer- 

 ica," says : " The bearing year of an apple tree or a whole orchard 

 may be changed by picking off the fruit when the trees first show 

 good crops, allowing it to remain only in the alternate seasons which 

 we wish to make the bearing year." 



^Vhile the varieties of the apple that have been tested or brought 

 to public notice may be numbered by the thousand, the number 

 selected from the best sufficient to furnish fruit the entire year is com- 

 paratively few, and for the most profitable commercial purposes still 

 more limited. The progress of a new apple, whatever its merits to 

 general favor, is slow. The dealers prefer to handle the well-known 

 varieties, and consumers know by name the apple better than any 

 other fruit and prefer to purchase such as they have tried and have 

 proved satisfactory. 



Worcester County has produced several valuable varieties of the 

 apple ; of those having received favorable notice in the printed lists 

 are the Hubbardston, Mother, Leicester Sweet, Magnolia, Priest's 

 Sweet, Sutton, Washington Eoyal or Palmer, Fall Orange, Hill's 

 Favorite, Lane's Sweet, Washington Sweet and Knapp's Harvey. 



There have been no new varieties shown within the past few years 

 deserving special notice, though some varieties long known are receiv- 

 ing more attention and coming into more general cultivation. The 

 Mackintosh, under cultivation almost a hundred years, has not 

 appeared in our exhibitions until recently ; it is medium size, perfect 

 form, a bright red or crimson color, excellent quality and a superior 

 dessert apple. The Wealthy, a western apple, has recently made its 

 appearance npon our exhibition tables from several growers ; it is a 

 handsome fruit and of excellent quality, and those having had experi- 

 ence with it speak favorably of its growth and productiveness. The 

 Palmer and Sutton if more generally grown would become valuable 

 market varieties, especially for a home market. The Fletcher Rus- 



