CHOOSING VARIETIES 17 



and Southern Winter varieties being impossible to ripen in the North 

 I have usually taken the Southern Hudson Valley as a guide in stating 

 time of reaching maturity and continuing in season. Such varieties as 

 Winesap and Grimes, Apples grown more largely in other sections, are 

 estimated according to their season in those sections. 



The length of time that fruit may be kept in prime condition 

 whether in home or commercial cold storage varies with every variety 

 and with such factors as soil, season, time of gathering, way handled 

 after picking, manner and character of storage. These vary so much 

 that they must be learned only by personal experience. And yet 

 certain varieties, for instance, Red Canada Apple, are noted for 

 peculiarities such as shrivelling, due probably to thin or 'unusually 

 porous skins. This they seem determined to do in spite of every pre- 

 caution to prevent it. Therefore they -should be eaten or cooked before 

 they begin to lose their crispness and juiciness. 



Long-keeping quality, while less important commercially than 

 before the advent of cold storage, is from the home storage standpoint 

 as imoortant as ever, especially in the case of Grapes, Pears and Apples, 

 which by proper choice of varieties may be made to keep under home 

 storage conditions till Easter or later. 



As far as possible in estimating the value of a variety from the 

 home standpoint, I have endeavored to rely upon my own personal 

 experience, observation, and knowledge of each variety, rather than to 

 follow the opinions of others, because the reader will in this way have 

 a definite not necessarily a better standard with which to make 

 comparisons. 



Doubtless many more varieties should be included in the various 

 lists, but I have felt it safer to mention only those of well-established 

 reputation. In every section the popular varieties include several to 

 many not grown or known elsewhere. Among these it will be well 

 to choose freely because they are already of proved local worth. In 

 fact, it is a safe rule when making up a list to discover by local 

 inquiries what kinds succeed best and what ones fail before deciding 

 finally upon which ones to plant. Failures will thus be avoided to 

 a large extent. 



How many varieties to plant must naturally be determined by 

 such considerations as the area available for planting, the size of the 

 family, the fondness of the household for fresh and preserved fruit, 

 the quantity to be given to friends, and so on. In a general way 

 it is best to choose enough varieties to make a continuous succession 

 of dessert and cooking fruit from earliest to latest. For instance, 

 one early, one mid-season and one late variety of Strawberry, 

 Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Currant and Gooseberry, should 



