Deterioration of Apples. 



211 



DETERIORATION OF APPLES. 



BY L. DORAND. 



ETERIORATION of Apples. In the 

 " January Review," you copy a short note 

 on the above subject from the " Michigan 

 Farmer." 



The writer goes on to show in sub- 

 stance, that the various kinds of winter 

 apples in Michigan, have shortened their 

 time in keeping during the last twenty 

 years, three, four and five months from 

 what they originally were. He says : 

 " Apples have already become a staple 

 of Michigan, and if the thousands of 

 trees now growing, supposed to be the 

 latest keepers, prove only to be medium, 

 our markets will be nearly destitute of 

 apples by the first of March, unless dif- 

 ferent varieties are grown. With us the 

 Newtown Pippin has not proved itself 

 what it is recommended to be in other locations ; it is three years 

 out of four scrubby and of a diminutive size, &c." For the last 

 twenty years the Newtown Pippin apple has been deteriorating in 

 juiciness and size, until it has now become apparently worthless 

 for cultivation in all this section of country. For twenty years 

 previous to this time this apple matured and grew well in this 

 section, according to report from old orchardists and from what we 

 can judge by the number of middle aged trees of that variety in 

 the orchards. We believe that these remarks in regard to this 

 apple, will hold good through New England ; but what the cause 

 of this deterioration is of course more than we can tell, or proba- 

 bly any one else. But Downing says in his " Fruit Book," that 

 the Newtown Pippin flourishes and matures well in the Jerseys, 

 in some of the Middle States, and in the valley of the Hudson. 

 And this reminds us of the famous orchard of R. L. Pell, of Pel- 

 bam, of 20,000 bearing trees, all of Newtown Pippins ; out of his 



