FRUIT-CULTURE. 91 



Statement of a Gentleman of Groveland. 



I have perhaps fifty apple-trees, consisting of Northern 

 Spy, Hubbarclston Nonsuch, Baldwin and Roxbury Russet, 

 for winter use, and Gravenstein and Porter for the fall, grow- 

 ing on a variety of soil, with a subsoil of slate or gravel, 

 with no especial pains to enrich, but growing upon the natural 

 soil. My trees are most of them thirty or more years old; 

 some of them, however, have been grafted within ten years, 

 and upon these I have had the best crops. 



While all around me the canker-worm has been busy, I 

 have as yet escaped, but until this year have had plenty of 

 caterpillars, but consider them of but little account and easily 

 managed when compared with the canker-worm. I know of 

 no way to get rid of the borer or the latter worm when once 

 they favor you with a call. 



Upon the question of priming, I know there exists a variety 

 of opinions. I always prune when I see the need, without 

 regard to time of year, preferring to do so when the tree is 

 bare ; if done in the spring or summer, when the tree is full, 

 of sap, very much care must be used to prevent the bark 

 from being injured. 



You ask what disposition I make of the wormy fruit that 

 drops. The most profitable use I can make of such apples is 

 to sell them to some neighbor who appreciates early-made 

 cider. 



Of the five best varieties, for this part of the county at 

 least, I would name first the Gravenstein, then the Northern 

 Spy, Baldwin, Roxbury and Hunt Russets. I am of the 

 opinion that Northern Essex is the most favorable section to 

 be found for the first-named variety. I have visited many 

 times the exhibitions of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, and very many of the county exhibitions in various 

 parts of the State, also the state fairs of New Hampshire and 

 Maine, and have never seen so good specimens as are here 

 grown. My trees of this variety are upon grafts say from 

 six to ten years old, put into vigorous trees, which bore pro- 

 fusely this year bushels of apples that would measure twelve 

 inches in circumference each. 



The Northern Spy, for a late apple, is my favorite. I had 



