MASSACHUSETTS 



1343 



at full age only moderate size, not nearly 

 as large as the Rhode Island Greening. 

 It comes into bearing reasonably early, 

 from six to seven years, bears good crops 

 biennially but lias very little fruit in the 

 off year. The fruit is greenish in color, 

 or yellowish when fully ripe, and usually 

 has a distinct blush on the sunny side, 

 making it a decidedly attractive apple 

 to any one who is not wedded to a red 

 variety. There is an indication of qual- 

 ity to a good Palmer Greening that is 

 very attractive, particularly to one who 

 has ever eaten it. It is especially valu- 

 able as a dessert apple, as its quality 

 ranks from good to best. Professor 

 Dickens, of Kansas, wrote recently of some 

 Palmer Greenings which had been sent 

 him for his class in pomology: "Two out 

 of eight in my senior class pronounced 

 it the best apple they had ever eaten, and 

 they know Grimes Golden and Jonathan 

 pretty well." It will keep till December, 

 or even till March, in good storage, and 

 its medium size and very uniform shape 

 and size make it an ideal box apple. In 

 my opinion it ought to be grown more 

 extensively in Massachusetts. 



(10) Sntton (Beauty) 



The Sutton is supposed to be a seedling 

 of the Hubbardston and originated in Sut- 

 ton, Massachusetts. The tree is vigorous 

 and healthy, and very upright in growth. 

 One who had become familiar with the 

 Sutton tree would always be able to pick 

 it out. It has a marked tendency to bear 

 biennially, which is an objection. While 

 as yet not at all well known as a market 

 variety, I believe it is one of the coming 

 market varieties. Beach says of it: "In 

 color, texture, quality and season the Sut- 

 ton is intermediate between the Baldwin 

 and the Hubbardston." It is very uni- 

 form in both size and shape, being rather 

 above medium in size and of a fine conic 

 shape. It is excellent in quality and of 

 fine red color. It seems specially suited 

 to the fancy box trade, but its flesh is a 

 little too tender for the general market, 

 though it is all right in barrels if handled 

 carefully. I believe it is the type of apple 

 which ought to be grown here in Massa- 

 chusetts and am glad to note that Beach 



reports it as one of the coming commer- 

 cial apples in New York. 



(11) Gravenstein 



This is a German variety introduced 

 into the United States about 1826. Its 

 very attractive appearance and excellent 

 quality make it popular, even in spite of 

 the fact that as a rule it is not very pro- 

 ductive. For cooking it is not excelled 

 by any variety of its season, and when 

 fully ripe and not overripe it is an excel- 

 lent dessert variety. The tree is a very 

 vigorous grower, in fact, too vigorous 

 unless handled carefully, having a ten- 

 dency to grow too late in the fall and to 

 be damaged by the severe weather which 

 follows. It is liable to sun-scald and to 

 canker. It comes into bearing fairly 

 early, usually from seven to eight years, 

 and is a reliable cropper, though not a 

 heavy one, with a considerable tendency 

 to bear biennially. The fruit ripens quite 

 unevenly and ought to be picked twice 

 or even three times to secure the best 

 results. The season is from the middle 

 of September until November. It may 

 be kept later than this in good storage, 

 but the color fades badly if it is kept 

 much beyond its season, far more than 

 the Mcintosh does. It is apt to grow a 

 good many culls, particularly in the off 

 year, running very variable in both shape 

 and size. Where it succeeds no other 

 apple of its season can compete with it in 

 the market. In quality it ranks from 

 good to best. 



(12) Red Astraelian 



This is another of the Russian apples 

 which has achieved success in the United 

 States, and which I should include as a 

 commercial apple for Massachusetts. It 

 is very early in season, following the 

 Yellow Transparent, 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 make it pop- 

 ular. 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 speci- 

 mens are very good eating. The tree is 

 medium in size, coming into bearing very 



