434 The Commercial Apple Industry 



antly sub-acid. It begins to ripen early in August and 

 extends into September. The tree is large and vigorous 

 and comes into heavy bearing -moderately young and yields 

 good biennial crops. Its commercial production in carload 

 quantities is mostly confined to the early apple section of 

 southern Illinois, particularly Johnson and Union counties 

 where it ripens the first of July. Its production is not in- 

 creasing and it finds little favor in the East. 



Bonum (Magnum Bonum}. 



Bonum is well known in the Piedmont district of Vir- 

 ginia and North Carolina, It is highly prized in these 

 states as a commercial variety and invariably commands 

 good prices. It originated in Davidson County, North 

 Carolina, early in the last century, but has never been dis- 

 seminated to any extent outside of the Piedmont region. 

 It is important commercially in several North Carolina 

 counties and particularly in Rappahannock and Patrick 

 counties, Virginia, where it is planted in solid blocks and 

 produced in carload lots. 



The tree is moderately vigorous and comes into bearing 

 early. The fruit is of medium size, superior quality, with 

 yellow skin, mostly covered with crimson and dark red. 

 The flesh is white, often stained next to the skin. It is 

 tender, juicy, and has a peculiar aroma. It is highly 

 prized as a dessert in the southern markets. 



Its season extends from September to about December 

 1st. This is a profitable variety only in certain regions 

 and does not yield as heavily as the more standard sorts. 

 It also has a tendency to drop and has a short picking sea- 

 son. Its place in the commercial orchard is assured, 

 although it will never be grown in considerable quantities 



