68 A Short List of A^pples, Old and Hew. 



A SHORT LIST OF APPLES, OLD AND NEW. 



By SuEL Foster, Muscatine, Iowa. 



Mr. Flagg, of Alton, 111., gave, in the Journal for Janviary, 1S70, 

 a list of fourteen varieties of apples ; and his experience in orchard 

 culture is, probably, equal to any man's in his region. Several in his 

 list we would not consider number one, two hundred miles farther 

 north. My experience of sixteen years has taught me to change my 

 list some every year, until I now find myself moved almost entirely off 

 of the old foundations. For instance : Red June, Fall Wine, White 

 Winter Pearmain, Winesap, Gilpin, and many others, ten years ago 

 were very generally put in the list as number one ; now we find we can 

 substitute better varieties. One cause is, as the trees become older, the 

 fruit becomes smaller ; and of most of these varieties the fruit is scabby 

 and quite unsalable. No doubt a part of this defect is owing to a dis- 

 order well known, but not generally recognized, namely — neglect. 



Varieties ripening in the order named : — 



Summer. — Alerson's Early, Red Astrachan, Sweet June, Duchess 

 of Oldenburgh, Warfield, Benoni. 



Fall. — Dyer, Late Strawberry, Peach Pond Sweet, Kentucky, 

 Maiden's Blush, Baily Sweet, Fameuse. 



Winter. — Jonathan, Domine, Talman Sweet, Ben Davis, Striped 

 Sweet Pippin, Wagener, Grimes's Golden, Rawle's Janet, Willow 

 Twig. 



Well, now I have got the list one third longer than I ought to have it, 

 and yet I have left out a dozen of my varieties, such as Fall Orange, 

 Lowell, Porter, Roman Stem, Red Canada, and some good long-keep- 

 ing sweet apples, which I am intending to bring out in a few years — 

 something better than the Sweet Romanite. 



Here are several of the varieties in the above list the public are un- 

 acquainted with, and need a little explanation about. 



Alerson's Early. — Not found in any of the fruit books or nursery 

 lists that I have seen. We obtained it of J. W. Frazier, of Salem, 

 Iowa ; he of one of his neighbors, who brought it from Salem, Ohio. 

 .It is the earliest, sourest, best pie apple I know of Tree rather stout 

 grower, upright; very large, green leaf; twigs thick, with a large bud. 

 I think it will prove only what we call half hardy. Fruit rather large, 

 irregular, green, becoming light-yellow when ripe. Season, July and 

 first half of August. 



