140 Western Seedling Fruits. 



We are right glad to hear from our correspondent, Mr. 

 Ernst. We had begun to think that our friends in the Queen 

 City had quite forgotten us. The Farmer and Gardener, 

 the former organ of communication, has been allowed to drop 

 away, and as we had heard nothing of the progress of the 

 Horticultural Society for some time, we began to fear that 

 the taste for Horticulture had met witli a reaction ; and that 

 the spirited beginning which was made two years ago, had 

 resulted in an injury to the onward progress of the science. 



When we penned the remarks in regard to Western seed- 

 ling fruits, which our correspondent has quoted, viz : that 

 the " Detroit, Putnam Russet, and other apples, had proved 

 to be Eastern varieties," we supposed we were stating only 

 what was generally known and acknowledged by every Po- 

 mologist. certainly by every one who has been a reader of our 

 magazine. Such a remark would not have been made on our 

 own authority. There had formerly been some doubts about 

 the synonymous character of these kinds, but they had recently 

 been cleared up, and their identity generally admitted by cul- 

 tivators. Cut as Mr. Ernst has regretted that we were not 

 more " particular in stating our authority."' we will, as briefly 

 as possible, show on what authority our remarks were made. 



First, in regard to the Detroit apple, a figure of which we 

 have given in the preceding page. In the month of Feb. 

 1844, Mr. Ernst sent specimens of two varieties of apples to 

 the Mass. Hort. Soc, with a communication in relation to the 

 same, which will be found in our Vol. X, p. 166. One of 

 these he called the Detroit, and the other the Cannahan ; of 

 the latter, we annexed an engraving to his letter, made by us 

 from the specimens forwarded, and also a description of the 

 apple. We also made a drawing of the Detroit at the same 

 time, from which the engraving in the above article is now 

 made, and a description we also gave at the page referred to: 

 the drawing which Mr. Ernst forwarded to us now, would 

 only enable us to give a representation of the fruit, and not 

 a correct section. 



We had often seen the Detroit apple, mentioned in the 

 Western periodicals, and doubts expressed as to its being a 

 new fruit, previous to our seeing the specimens sent for ex- 

 hibition, and we felt somewhat anxious to know more in re- 



