Western Seedling Fruits. 135 



gether intermitted. Our hope is that he may yet live in the 

 enjoyment of a green old age— happy in the multitude of its 

 pleasing reminiscences, 



Coshocton, February 24, 1846. 



Art. IV. Remarks on Western Seedling Fruits ; with ob- 

 servations upon the Fire Blight of the West. By A. H. 

 Ernst, Cincinnati, Ohio. 



Dear Sir : — In yonr January number, in the article en- 

 titled a "Retrospective View of the Progress of Horticul- 

 ture," page 2 and 3, you remark, " the seedling varieties of 

 apples in the West are exceedingly numerous," &c., and say, 

 " already some of these supposed native fruits have proved 

 to be Eastern varieties," then conclude your remarks on that 

 subject by saying, " the Detroit, Putnam Russet, and other 

 apples, have so proved, and we suspect the Stone pear to be 

 only a well known eastern variety." It is doubtless gratify- 

 ing to your numerous pomological readers, that the vexed 

 question of identity and origin of the above referred to ap- 

 ples, is settled ; but they will, with myself, regret that you 

 have not been more particular in stating your authority. I 

 did not know that the Detroit apple was ever claimed as a 

 "Western seedling;" in my efforts to discover its origin, I 

 had been led to believe that it had been brought to Detroit 

 by the French emigrants, at an early day, from which grafts 

 were brought to this region by a Major Armstrong of Gen. 

 Wayne's army, who visited Detroit. In my visits East, I 

 have not met with the fruit. It is true Mr. Downing, in his 

 excellent book, calls it the " white Bellflower," and says, " it 

 is a native, and was originally carried to the West by Mr, 

 Brunson ;" but he has evidently got hold of a different fruit. 

 The outline of his white bellflower, shows a short and thick 

 stem, whereas that of the Detroit apple is long and slender. 

 So of the wood, he says, " it grows pretty strongly ;" this is 

 quite the reverse in the Detroit, it grows long and slender, 

 and of a reddish cast, and disposed to mildew at the ends of 



