No. 574] 



VARIATION IN THE APPLE 



(ii:; 



from New Hampshire. At Pullman the fruit was rather 

 flat and strongly ribbed, while at White Salmon the apples 

 were oblong in shape and had, as a rule, rather small 

 cavities. It can not be recommended for Washington, 

 except possibly for local use as a culinary fruit. This 

 variety is a fairly good keeper. Those grown at Pullman 

 wilted badly late in the season, while the lot from White 

 Salmon gave evidence of considerable fungus infection. 



Rome {Rome Beauty). — This is one of the most popu- 

 lar varieties grown in the state east of the < 'ascade Moun- 

 tains and is about the only commercial variety which 

 reaches good marketable size in the high uplands of the 

 Inland Empire. The Rome reaches its highest develop- 

 ment in the Jonathan belt of the middle west. The best 

 specimens examined, all characters considered, came from 

 Morgantown, West Virginia. They were of a nearly uni- 

 form deep red color, of good size and attractive form, and 

 of pretty good quality for the variety. In many parts of 

 Washington the Rome fails to color well. The specimens 

 from White Salmon and Grandview were especially poor 

 in color. The latter were overgrown and of poor quality, 

 while the former were among the best of the variety. The 

 usual form of the variety is round or nearly so, varying 

 to somewhat roundish conic or roundish ovate. The form 

 of the cavity is subject to quite a little variation. As pro- 

 duced at Pullman and other elevated sections of the state 

 the cavity is very shallow, but becomes deeper in the val- 

 leys. The specimens from West Virginia had fairly deep 

 cavities. Indeed it seems probable that those localities 

 which produce Ben Davis of the elongated type also pro- 

 duce Romes with the shallow cavities. The Rome is by 

 nature a culinary apple. In quality it is but little better 

 than Ben Davis. It seems unfortunate, therefore, for the 

 lasting reputation of the industry, that it should have be- 

 come so firmly established in northwestern horticulture. 

 It is to be earnestly hoped that it may in time be replaced 

 by a variety of better quality. In its adaptations to the 

 conditions of the state, the Rome seems to be fairly well 



