NEW YORK 



1417 



from 1890 to 1900 notable improvements 

 in the methods of orchard management 

 in matters of tillage and cover crops 

 came into vogue among progressive com- 

 mercial orchardists. During the same 

 period the facilities for holding apples 

 both in common storage and cold stor- 

 age were greatly increased. The export 

 trade developed more extensively, giving 

 steadier markets for the better grades 

 of fresh fruits and also of evaporated ap- 

 ples, and the business of canning apples 

 assumed considerable importance. Upon 

 the whole the industry of growing ap- 

 ples now rests upon a more stable and 

 satisfactory basis than at any period in 

 its previous history. 



Varieties Now in the Lead 



"In 1896 the writer, assisted by Prof. C. 

 P. Close, made an inquiry as to what 

 varieties were then grown most exten- 

 sively throughout the state and their 

 relative hardiness. During the present 

 year many inquiries have been made 

 also among fruit growers of the state 

 concerning the varieties that are being 

 grown, as to their relative importance 

 and characteristics. From these and 

 other data it appears that the Baldwin 

 ranks preeminently above any other 

 kind of apple in importance in the com- 

 mercial orchards of the state. Probably 

 more Baldwin apples are put upon the 

 market than all other kinds combined. 

 Rhode Island Greening ranks next in im- 

 portance It is doubtless speaking with- 

 in bounds to say that these two varieties 

 supply at least two-thirds of the apples 

 grown for market in New York. Next 

 in general importance comes the North- 

 ern Spy. 



The relative rank of other varieties is 

 not so easily determined, but in the fol- 

 lowing list those of more general impor- 

 tance precede those of less importance, 

 although it may not be in exact order. 

 Among the most important kinds besides 

 the three just named, are Tompkins 

 King, Roxbury Russet, Golden Russet, 

 Hubbardston, Bsopus Spitzenburg, Black 

 Gillflower, Ben Davis, Tolman Sweet, 

 Twenty Ounce, Pumpkin Sweet, Swaar, 

 Westfield Seek-No-Further, Fameuse, Fall 



Pippin, Yellow Bellflower, Yellow New- 

 town, Green Newtown, Jonathan, Red 

 Astrachan, Oldenburg, Maiden Blush, 

 Wealthy, Mcintosh, Gravenstein, Alex- 

 ander, Early Harvest, Yellow Transpar- 

 ent, St. Lawrence, Blue Pearmain. 



Adaptation of Yarieties to Particular 

 Eegions 



"It is worthy of notice that the apples 

 in the above list which are of dominant 

 importance in the present-day commercial 

 orchards of New York, are of New York 

 and New England origin. Baldwin, Rox- 

 bury and Hubbardston came from Massa- 

 chusetts; Rhode Island Greening and 

 Tolman Sweet came from Rhode Island; 

 Twenty Ounce, Pumpkin Sweet and 

 Seek-No-Purther are from Connecticut; 

 Pall Pippin is probably from Eastern 

 New York; Tompkins King is said to 

 have originated in New Jersey, but was 

 first brought to notice in Central New 

 York; Esopus Spitzenburg, Jonathan and 

 Swaar, originated in the Hudson valley; 

 Green Newtown Pippin and Yellow New- 

 town Pippin on Long Island; Early Har- 

 vest in Central New York; Yellow Bell- 

 flower and Maiden Blush in New Jersy; 

 Fameuse, Mcintosh and St. Lawrence, in 

 Canada; Red Astrachan, Alexander, Old- 

 enburg and Gravenstein in Russia or 

 Germany. Only one of the list, the Ben 

 Davis, comes from south of the Mason and 

 Dixon line, and this one succeeds better 

 in the South and Southwest than it does 

 in New York. While the Yellow Newtown 

 Pippin, under the name of Albemai^le 

 Pippin, has become a very important 

 commercial variety in some portions of 

 the South, yet a case like this is excep- 

 tional. 



"The Baldwin, which in New York is 

 a standard winter variety, becomes a 

 fall apple in Virginia and Arkansas. 

 Varieties like the Ben Davis, Grimes 

 Golden and York Imperial require a 

 warmer and a longer period for their 

 development than do such apples as 

 Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and 

 Tompkins King, therefore, these can nev- 

 er become standard sorts in Central and 

 Western New York by reason of climatic 

 conditions. But the adaptability of a 



