24 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Jan. 



THE NORTHERN SWEETING APPLE. 



Two years ago we eaw this beautiful and delicious 

 sweet apple, for the first time, exhibited at the Pomo- 

 logical Congress in New York, by Jonathan Batty, 

 a respectable nurseryman of Keesville, N. Y. After 

 tasting, we at once noted it as the best noeet apple 

 we had yet seen at that season of the year, (October.) 

 Others who then saw it, and who were fully compe- 

 tent to judge correctly, thought as highly of it as 

 we did. 



After our return from New York we were pre- 

 sented with specimens of the "Munson Sweeting" 

 from a friend in Cortland Co., and it struck us at 

 once as being identical with the " Northern Golden 

 Sweet" of Mr. Batty. This season we again saw 

 it in New York, from Mr. Batty; and our friend Mr. 

 Jesse Storks of Marathon, Cortland Co., sent us a 

 small box of his " Munson Sweeting," which has 

 confirmed our opinion as to their identity. 



Mr. Batty says it originated in the orchard of 

 Nathan Lockwooii, of St. George, Chittenden Co., 

 Vermont, planted by liis father more than sixty years 

 ago. Mr. Storrs says it was brought into Cortland 

 Co. from Massachusetts, and is probably known there 

 as "Munson Sweeting." At the last session of the 

 Pomological Congress, it was brought before the 

 fruit committee, of which Dr. Brinkle of Philadel- 

 phia was chairman, and Messrs. Chas. Downing, 

 C. M. HovEY, and Root. Manning, were members. 

 The committee were much pleased with it, and sug- 

 gested naming it "Northern Sweeting," leaving out 

 Golden, as there is already an old and well known 

 " Golden Sweeting." 



Tliis class of apples, called sweet, is much more 

 sought for now than formerly, both for kitchen and 

 table uses. There is scarcely a family now but 

 seeks a small supply of sweet apples for cooking, and 

 many persons prefer them, if good, for eating. We 

 have several varieties of sweet apples here, many of 

 them as large as small pumpkins and but little more 

 palatable — their chief use is for feeding cattle. The 

 Pound Sweet is of tolerable quality, bakes well, and 

 makes good sauce. It is just now in season, and 

 people are glad to get them at a dollar per bushel ; 

 but neither this nor any other that we know of in use 



now, cultivated here, can properly be 

 called a dessert sweet apple. The Bailey 

 Sweet is excellent, but its season is after 

 the one we now notice. A fine sweet 

 apple, fit for dessert or cooking in October 

 and November, is therefore a great acqui- 

 sition, notwithstanding the vast number 

 of varieties now in cultivation. Such is 

 the "Northern Sweeting." In the Now 

 England States it will undoubtedly suc- 

 ceed well, as also in New York and the 

 Middle and Western States generally. 

 Lovers of sweet apples will no doubt test 

 it as soon as possible. 



Size medium ; form roundish, slightly 

 angular or ribbed ; stalk moderately stout, 

 two-thirds of an inch long, in a pretty deep 

 cavity. Calyx closed, segments long, rn 

 a pretty deep and slightly plaited cavity ; 

 skin smooth and fair, of clear yellow, be- 

 coming golden at maturity, with a red 

 cheek ; flesh yellowish, fine grained and 

 tender, abounding with a rich, agreeable, 

 saccharine juice ; tree a vigorous grower 

 and good bearer ; season, October and November, 

 aud may be kept, we believe, through a considerable 

 part of the winter. 



THE OANANDAIGUA PEAR. 

 Catharine, erroneously, of Western ^'ew York. 



Some seven or eight years ago, this pear was brought 

 to our notice by Henry Fellows, Esq.,* of Penfield, 

 who has for a long time brought it to the Rochester 

 market. At first sight, one would suppose it to be 

 the Bartlett, but it is essentially different in rhany 

 particulars of both tree and fruit. Mr. Fellows 

 lias fine old bearing trees, planted in 1812, being now 

 between 30 and 40 years old. He informed us that 

 he obtained his trees or grafts from the late Judge 

 AxwATERof Canandaigua, who brought it there from 

 Connecticut about the year 1806, or previous to that 

 time. Until within a few years, this fine pear seems 

 to have attracted very little attention here : but tliis 

 is not at all remarkable, since it is but a short time 

 since the White Doyenne (Virgalieu) was unmar- 

 ketable, and left to the hogs or to rot under the tree ; 

 now they are hard to be obtained at $3 to $5 per 

 bushel. 



Up to this time this pear has been called by Mr. 

 Fellows and others the " Catharine ;" but this is 

 evidently a misnomer, as there is an old and well 

 known variety of that name. For this reason, and 

 because it was said to be originally from Couuecti- 

 cut, we refrained from noticing it, expecting that it 

 might be found cultivated in some other place under 

 another name ; but so far we have found no trace of 

 it elsewhere. Recently it was exhibited at the Pomo- 

 logical Convention among seedling fruits from the 

 neighborhood of Geneva, we believe, and tlio fruit 

 committee to whom it was referred were much pleased 

 with it, and suggested that it be called tlie •' Canan- 

 daigua" pear, it being traced no farther than that 

 place, and all the trees in Western New York having 

 been obtained from that vicinity. 



The history of thia fruit is the same as that of the 



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I 



i 



)i 



* We shall r,btain fr(»ra Mr. Fellows pome facts in his own 

 experience with the culture of this pear. Fie and his sons are 

 proprietors of a nursery at Fenflcld. in this county. 



