APPLE VARIETIES 243 



cropper and that the fruit is of high quality. 

 It comes into bearing at a very early age, — I 

 think it is perhaps the earliest bearer we have. 

 It has a tendency to bear large crops and prob- 

 ably will require some attention at thinning 

 time. It is an apple well worth watching. 



Northern Spy 



No orchard anthology would be complete 

 without some mention of the Northern Spy, one 

 of our good, old-time favorites. It originated 

 in an orchard of seedling trees planted by 

 Heman Chapin about the year 1800, at East 

 Bloomfield, New York. The original tree died 

 before it had produced any fruit, but a neigh- 

 bor had taken some sprouts from around the 

 tree to plant in another orchard. The first 

 fruit was produced from one of these sprouts. 

 This is another case where a good variety had 

 a hair's breadth escape from being still-born. 

 A monument was erected to the Northern Spy 

 in 1912 bearing the following inscription : 



"The original Northern Spy apple tree stood 

 about 14 rods south of this spot, in a seedling 

 orchard planted by Heman Chapin about 1800. 

 The Early Joe and Melon apples also orig- 

 inated in this orchard,' ' 



To many persons the "Spy" is the standard 

 of apple quality. It has a certain sprightliness 



