THE APPLE 49 



OBAXGE. 



Early Orange, , Royal George, 1 Eoyal Persian. 

 Koyal Orange, | Persian, 



Fruit, medium, roundish, orange color, with a ruddy tint in the sun ; flesh, dark orange, dry, 

 insipid ; kernel, sweet. Season, middle July. 



BED MASCTTLINB. 



Early Masculine, I Abricot Precoce, I Abricotier. 

 Brown Masculine, | Abricotier Hatif, | 



Fruit, small, round, yellow, spotted with dark red on the sunny side ; flesh, yellow, poot 

 flavoi ; kernel, bitter. Season, middle July. 



WHITE MASCULINE. 



White Apricot, | Abricotier Blanc, I White Algiers. 



Abricot Blanc, J Early White Masculine, | 



Differing from the above only in its color, and ripening a few days later. 



THE APPLE. 



Pyrus Mains, L. Rosacece of Botanists. 



OP all fruits natural to temperate climates the apple has ever had 

 preference. The " crafte of graftynge, alterynge, and plantynge of 

 fruits," was written on by a British writer in 1502, but it had then 

 long received the attention of " wise men of the East," and had ar- 

 rived at all the perfection of the present day ; the art of producing 

 and propagating varieties, probably, being then as well understood as 

 now, except however, as compared to the population, by a less num 

 her of persons. A native, in its wild state, of this country and of 

 Europe, it is generally understood that, from the variety pyrus mains 

 of Lindley, our cultivated sorts have originated. Twenty-two varie- 

 ties are the number first mentioned and named by Koman writers ; 

 these have increased, until now, probably, 2,000 would not include the 

 whole number named and partially or wholly described. 



To the labors of Thompson, Downing, Thomas, and others, as well 

 as of local and national Pomological Societies, we owe much for aid 

 in winnowing this immense number, the wheat from the chaff; and 

 yet such is the extent of our country, and the habit of all our pioneer 

 settlers to sow seeds of the best apples, that we are yearly in the 

 production of vast numbers of new seedlings, adapted mainly to 

 their own locality only, but occasionally of such excellence as to 

 warrant their general introduction. It is owing to this, that, not- 

 withstanding pomological writers are daily condemning, our list of 

 esteemed varieties is constantly swelling, to the almost utter coa 

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