42 ORCHARD FRUITS IN VIRGINIA AND OTHER STATES. 



Rebel. 



Although unimportant commercially at the present time in these regions and grown 

 only sparingly in a few orchards, the fine appearance and good dessert quality of the 

 Rebel apple make it worthy of more general testing than it has yet received. In sea- 

 son it is late fall and early winter. 



In the middle Piedmont region on Cecil clay it does well and is apparently of value. 

 It is less successful generally when grown on the red clay loams as far north as Rappa- 

 hannock County, Va., than it is farther south. At some points in the Shenandoah 

 Valley (which is, of course, outside the limits of the regions in question) the fruit as a 

 rule is rather undersized. 

 Bed Astrachan. 



The Red Astrachan is not important in these regions at the present time, but in some 

 sections where early apple growing is a commercial industry it is one of the most profit- 

 able varieties grown. It is known to possess a wide range of adaptability in many 

 different sections of the country, and from available data at hand it seems probable that 

 it may be of value in large portions of these regions for its season, which in most of the 

 Piedmont region is during July. Possibly it would begin to ripen at extreme southern 

 points late in June. The range of conditions, however, from which actual data have 

 been obtained have been rather limited. The tree as a rule makes a strong growth. 

 It is late in coming into bearing, often being 10 to 12 years old before it bears heavily. 



At 1,000 to 1,300 feet elevation on Cecil sandy loam and on Cecil clay in Virginia 

 satisfactory results are claimed. Similar favorable reports are given in the South Caro- 

 lina section of the Piedmont, where this variety is more or less grown. It has seldom 

 been found at the higher altitudes; hence, its behavior in the more elevated places and 

 under the soil conditions of the mountains can not be definitely stated. At one point 

 in North Carolina on soil similar to Cecil sandy loam, at about 2,000 feet elevation, it is 

 said to develop a slightly bitter taste, which makes it unpopular, but aside from this it 

 is said to do well under these conditions. 

 Red June. Synonyms: Carolina Red June, North Carolina Red June, June. 



The distribution of this variety in the Piedmont region is quite wide, though the 

 individual plantings are small. It is one of the earliest ripening varieties grown in 

 the region, and is considered of value for its season. In general, the comments rela- 

 tive to Red Astrachan are applicable to this variety also. At points in the extreme 

 southern portion of these regions it is grown more commonly than the Red Astrachan 

 is. On the sandy loam of Lumpkin County, Ga., with an elevation of 1,500 feet, it is 

 said to do especially well. 

 Rhode Island Greening. Synonym: Greening. 



As might naturally be expected, this variety is of but little value here under any 

 of the existing conditions. It follows closely the behavior of most northern varieties 

 when grown at southern points. Fortunately, it is in only a few orchards. The 

 most satisfactory location observed is in western North Carolina, at an elevation of 

 3,000 feet, on a deep porous loam. Under most conditions in these regions where it 

 has been found, early maturity, premature dropping, and decaying are common faults. 

 In most southern locations, except at high altitudes, it lacks nearly all the points of 

 merit which in the northern fruit-growing regions make it one of the standard com- 

 mercial winter sorts. 

 Rome Beauty. Synonym: GilletVs Seedling. 



Although this is a well-known variety and one widely distributed, it is rarely found 

 in the regions in question. As a rule, wherever it has been .planted it is growing under 

 some other name, and only a tree or two of it in a place. Most of the trees in this 

 region are young; hence, the variety has not been tested for a sufficient length of 

 time to definitely determine its merits. It appears, however, to be promising for 

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