HARRISON'S NURSKRIKS, BERLIN. MD. 



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THE APPLE. 



Kvery fanner, however small his possessions may be, who 

 lives in the apple growing district of the United States, should 

 have an apple orchard, the product of which should be found 

 on his table in some form every day of the year. It is the pur- 

 pose of this article to interest the farmer in this most valuable 

 of all fruits. So well known are the uses cf the apple that lit- 

 tle need be said upon the subject. In its numerous varieties, 

 its season of maturity extends throughout the year. No other 

 fruit in the temperate zone may thus be had in continuous 

 succession without resorting to artificial means of preserva- 

 tion. It is preeminent that they are the household economy. 

 Apples placed ready for the children when they awakein the 

 morning, to eat as appetite demands, will be found a turning 

 point where little ones are troubled with many petty ailments, 

 remarked a doctor whose name is well known all over the 

 country. Apples are good for the brain. A good ripe, raw 

 apple is completely digested in eighty-five minutes and the 

 phosphorus renews the nervous system in the brain. No man 

 should ever let his family go hungry for apples. 



Thinning Apples. 



It pays to thin apples, says a writer in the American Gar- 

 dening. This season I tried the experiment on a large scale to 

 settle the above assertion as a fact. I thinned them when 

 over half grown, so that no two apples would touch each other, 

 and the result was about double the large sized apples the 

 present season over what they were last season. If one has 

 some money to invest and is willing to wait a few years, pro- 

 vided he has proper soil and location, an apple orchard will 

 be a good investment, providing it is cared for as well as corn 

 and potatoes generally are. 



VARIETIES — Some persons commit a great fault by at- 

 tempting to grasp all the varieties that are offered; it is far 

 better for him who is about to plant an orchard, either large 

 or small, to determine which varieties are best adaptedfor his 

 purpose. For the small planter who is providing for the wants 

 of the family a number of varieties that ripen in quick succes- 

 sion will be the best, and the sorts should be selected with re- • 

 gard to their qualities for household use. 



Our descriptive list embraces the most popular varieties. 

 Although it is not as long as some, it is selected with special 

 care. 



New Varieties. 



Winter Banana. — New, excellent. The name is most 

 appropriate, as it has a delightful banana perfume. Fruit 

 large size, perfect in form, golden yellow, and beautifully 

 shaded and marbled with bright crimson red. Flesh lemon 

 yellow, fine grained, sub-acid, rich, aromatic flavor, and of the 

 highest quality. A good keeper. Tree a remarkably strong 

 grower, and on account of its great hardiness, will thrive in 

 any climate. Its early bearing is something simply wonder- 

 ful; generally producing a fine crop of fruit the second year. 

 Foliage large and free from blight or mildew. A valuable 

 market variety. November to May. Price, 4 to 5 feet, 25c. 

 each; $2.50 doz.; $15.00 per hundred; 3 to 4 feet, 20c. each; 

 $2.00 doz ; $10.00 per hundred. 



Bismarck. — Originated in New Zealand; tree short, 

 stocky growth, with thick, healthy foliage, hardy and produc- 

 tive; is doing well in nearly all places. Fruit large, hand- 

 some, yellow shaded and covered with red; tender, sub-acid, 

 quality not best, good for both dessert and cooking. Its most 

 remarkable characteristic is its early fruiting habit; one year 

 grafts have produced several fine specimens and two-year 

 trees seldom fail to produce fruit. Trees on dwarf stocks 

 grown in pots or tubs make beautiful decorative specimens. 

 Two-year old single-stem trees about 18 inches high produce 

 fine specimens. Late fall and early winter. Originator's des- 

 cription. 25c. each; $2.50 per doz.; $15,00 per hundred. 4 to 

 5 feet trees. 



Wismer's Dessert. Originated in Northern Ontario, 

 Canada. Tree iron-clad, hardier than Wealthy or Duchess 

 and fully as productive ; has withstood the severe winters of 

 that northern climate; size medium to large, beautifully col- 

 ored with yellow, shaded bright red in stripes and blotches; 

 verv handsome. In quality Wismer's Dessert excels any apple 

 ever originated; sub-acid, mild, delicious, being entirely distinct lrom the flavor of any other apple, resembling 

 that of a luscious, ripe pear in its melting juiciness. Originator's description. Season, December to April. 

 75c each, $6.00 per dozen. 



Bunch of our first grade Apple trees. 



