THE PROBLEM OF VARIETIES. 



57 



variety could doubtless be made very profitable in this region under favorable c on- 

 ditions. as the fruit reaches a high degree of perfection: but it is a question if that 

 disease is not too serious a menace to warrant extensive plantings. 



York Imperial. Synonym: Johnson's Fine Winter. 



The origin of this variety traces to York County. Pa. In the course of the develop- 

 ment of the apple industry it has become of commercial importance in many sections 

 throughout the country, including the Ozark region. While it is not one of those 



Fig. t,.— a tree of the York Imperial apple in northwestern Arkansas. 7 years of age. This tree was 

 selected by the man in charge of the orchard as approximating his ideal for a tree of this variety. The 

 top, however, should be thinned out. A tree of this type is formed by leaving a central '-leader" when 

 it is pruned at time of planting and forming the head from the large number of relatively small branches 

 which radiate from the leader. (Compare PI. V. fig. 2.) 



varieties which custom has placed in practically every orchard, at the same time it 

 is in a great many of them. Most of the larger orchards contain it. 



The tree makes a good strong growth and is ordinarily quite free from disease, 

 except blight. It is one of the most susceptible to this disease of all the varieties 

 commonly grown in this region. However, rarely more than the twigs of the current 

 1'fl growth are involved, and the lives of the affected trees are therefore not 

 greatly endangered; but the blighted twigs may be more or less of a menace to other 

 trees in the same vicinity, since they constitute a source of contagion from which the 

 • may spread. Figure 6 shows a young York Imperial tree. 



