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ENCYCLOPEDIA OK PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



variety, particularly on light soil, where 

 it does especially well. 



(6) Williams Early 



This is another of our Masaschusetts 

 applos, and like a great many things 

 which Massachusetts has done, this is a 

 good job. It originated in Roxbury, 

 Massachusetts, more than one hundred 

 and fifty years ago, and in my opinion 

 is one of the best and most profitable of 

 the early varieties. The tree is rather 

 a poor grower and is therefore often best 

 top-worked on some better-growing va- 

 riety, as Pewaukee or Spy. It is a fairly 

 good cropper and has a decided tendency 

 to be an annual bearer when it receives 

 the right treatment. The fruit is only 

 medium in size, but a beautiful bright 

 red, with a fine though mild fiavor. Its 

 strong point is for dessert, but, contrary 

 to the opinion of some others, I consider 

 It a very fine cooking apple. The fruit 

 ripens unevenly, so that it needs more 

 than one picking, and as it is tender both 

 in skin and flesh it ought to be handled 

 ■with care and packed in boxes. It is a 

 prime favorite in the Boston market and 

 I should not hesitate to plant it as a 

 commercial variety. 



(7) Oldenhurg 



This is one of the Russian varieties 

 •which has "made good" in America. It 

 is especially valuable where extreme 

 hardiness is required, but I believe it is 

 worthy of a place in our list of commer- 

 cial varieties for Massachusetts. As sug- 

 gested, the tree is very hardy, but is of 

 only moderate size. It grows vigorously 

 while young. Its most valuable charac- 

 teristic, however, is its early bearing. 

 Fruit is frequently borne on trees at three 

 and four years, and fairly good crops are 

 often borne at four and five years. It is 

 also a reliable cropper, often yielding an- 

 nual crops, and the fruit hangs well to 

 the tree. The foliage is fine and healthy, 

 and altogether it is a fine tree for a filler, 

 where this system of planting is used. 

 The fruit is of good size and very attrac- 

 tive, being a fine light yellow, with stripes 

 and splashes of handsome red. It runs 

 very uniform on the tree, with few culls, 

 and is altogether a very good commercial 



sort. The flesh is firm but juicy, with a 

 sprightly, sub-acid flavor, and, though not 

 high in quality, is still passable. 



(8) Eoxbury Russet 



This is still another of the fine old 

 varieties which have originated in Massa- 

 chusetts and goes back to the seventeenth 

 century. From a commercial standpoint 

 it is undoubtedly the best of the russets 

 and is especially valuable as an export 

 variety, the English market being particu- 

 larly strong on russets, and especially the 

 Roxbury, since it is marketed late in the 

 year. It is perhaps being planted less 

 since cold-storage facilities have im- 

 proved, but I believe it is still worthy of 

 a place among our list of market varie- 

 ties. As a cropper it is somewhat vari- 

 able, but has a strong tendency to annual 

 bearing when well cared for, as it does 

 not tend to overbear. The tree is medium 

 to large in size and rather a vigorous 

 grower, making usually a flat top. Its 

 principal weakness, so far as the writer 

 knows it, is a tendency to European cank- 

 er where that disease is common. It makes 

 a twiggy growth, being full of short fruit 

 spurs and easily recognized by one famil- 

 iar with the variety. The fruit is medium 

 to large, being rather variable in both size 

 and shape. It is sometimes oblate, some- 

 times somewhat conic and almost always 

 irregular in cross-section. For this reason 

 it is not a good variety for boxing, 

 though these objections apply less to the 

 fruit on well-cared-for trees than on those 

 which receive less care. The flesh is yel- 

 lowish in color, very flrm, but reasonably 

 tender and juicy, with a sprightly sub- 

 acid flavor. In quality it would rank, in 

 the writer's opinion, as good to best. 

 There seems to be considerable objection 

 to it as a commercial variety for our 

 American markets, but I believe that this 

 objection is going to disappear as people 

 become accustomed to attaching less im- 

 I)ortance to the red skin of an apple. 



(0) rnlmor Greeninc (or Wasliing:ton 

 Royal) 



This is still another Massachusetts ap- 

 ple, having originated at Sterling, Massa- 

 chusetts. The tree is only moderately 

 vigorous, even when young, and attains 



