1853. 



ISEW ENGT:,AND FARMER. 



17 



HUNT RUSSET. 



Tiikft it all in all, for productiveness, fur the des- 

 sert, kitchen, for the home market and for expor- 

 tation, and for its heaut^' of form and coloring, the 

 HuxT Russet, we tliink, excels any other apple in 

 New England, and stands at the head of them all ! 

 We say this considerately, after all the opportu- 

 nities we have had of testing apples, and helieve 

 this to be the opinion of some excellent judges of 

 fruit who have hail occasion to compare this with 

 many other varieties. 



The first governor of Massachusetts, VVinthrop, 

 purchased a tract of land for a plantation, and 

 upon which he intended to reside, on the north- 

 west bank of the river, in the beautiful town of 

 Concord, about eighteen miles, and nearly west, 

 from Boston. The land gradually' rises until it 

 reaches a height commanding a pleasant view of 

 the subjacent (^untry, including nearly all of the 

 village, and the broad meadows on the banks of 

 the river,, then probably covered with forest trees. 

 Owing to some doiuestic affliction, as was supposed, 

 the governor never entered upon this land as a 

 resident, and sold it to a gentleman from England, 

 by the name of Hunt, whose descendants in a di- 

 rect line own and occupy a considerable portion of 

 the land at the present time. 



It was this purchaser of the land from Governor 



WiNTHROP who introduced the apple portrayed 

 above. From inquiries which we have made among 

 the descendants of old Deacon Simon Himt. it ap- 

 pears that tlie tree originated and occupied a site 

 near the highest point of land in the tract. This 

 land is now owned and occupied b}' Capt. Nathan 

 Barrett, one of the largest and best farmers in 

 that ancient town. We have repeatedly visited 

 his farm, examined his trees and their products, 

 and believe that he entertains the opinion we have 

 expressed of the Hunt Russet. He puts up sev- 

 eral hundred barrels of apples this year, and among 

 them a large portion of this favorite. So far as we 

 have been able to trace the history of this apple, 

 we believe that all the trees of this variety now 

 growing in New England sprung from the tree 

 planted on tlie old Indian Hill in Concord, by Mr. 

 Hunt. 



We are inclined to think that the Hunt Russet 

 is identical with the apple described by Cole, 

 Downing and Thomas, as the English Russet. 

 The reader will observe that our engraving answers 

 Mr. Downing's description of the Englisli Russet 

 which we copy below. He says the "stalk is rath- 

 er small." In the engraving above the stalk is 

 rather large, but is true, as the waole poitrait is, 

 to life. 



The fruit, (as Downing says of the English^Rus- 



