63 



SORTS. DESCRIPTION. 



SUSQUEHANNA. Fruit large, nearly globular. Suture half round. 



Skin rich yellow, with a beautiful red cheek 

 nearly covering the whole surface. Flesh 

 yellow, sweet, juicy, with a rich vinous flavour. 

 Free stone. 



THE APPLE. 



At the Cape, the difference of climate and rainfall be- 

 tween West and East affects the apple very considerably. 

 In the former, it is far less sought after and valued than 

 are the peach and the pear, and the evidence of the seasonal 

 market all goes to show that growers for sale have hitherto 

 been satisfied with a few varieties and those rather poor 

 ones. Choice apples of the very best sort are only to be 

 found in a few amateurs' gardens and rarely appear on the 

 market. Those most commonly seen appear to be bastard 

 seedlings of the Red Astrakhan or some similar sort, and 

 have passed through many stages of degeneration. In 

 general they come late and stay long, and this is their main 

 virtue, for neither in flavour nor size have they much to 

 recommend them. Of late, however, most of the best kinds 

 have been introduced and are now readily obtainable. The 

 climate of the South- West coast region is not very favour- 

 able to the apple. It requires a season of complete rest, 

 Hence its demands are best met by the dry, cold, and 

 practically rainless winter of the Eastern Province. West- 

 away it does extremely well as soon as the higher levels 

 are reached, and probably the Koude Bokkeveld will one 

 day be a noted apple-growing country, in virtue of the 

 more uniform low temperature that prevails during the 

 season of winter rest, in contradistinction to the capricious 

 alternations of temperature of the coast-level. On these 

 cool uplands the apple-tree is not forced into too rapid 

 growth and premature bearing. It is likely that when fruit 

 culture is better studied, high veld farmers will grow and 

 send away an immense and creditable apple crop to coast 

 markets, even as Kent, Gloucester, Hereford and Devon do 

 in England. 



