570 



I]/ I N D F A L L S . 



The Bessie, Cloud and Hoffman, after awhile, fully re- 

 covered and made a fair crop in the order named. 

 Alabama, Stevens, Neunan and all others did not get 

 over the bad effects, and some finally died. After many 

 years' experience, I find that cotton seed meal is about 

 the best and safest manure to use on strawberries." 



Early Norfolk Apples. — I send you by express a small 

 box of apples whose excellence entitles them to a place 

 in the pomological world. The Early Norfolk (see il- 

 lustration) originated at Norfolk in 1877, being a sport 

 from the Early Margarette. The fruit is medium to large 

 in size ; flat; color, yellow ground, striped and blotched 

 with red, nearly covering the surface ; stem bhort, calyx 

 closed The skin is firm and the flesh white, with a 

 pleasant sub-acid flavor. It is a very productive variety, 

 maturing July i to 15. The tree is vigorous, healthy, 

 of spreading habit, and grows to a large size in 15 years 

 time. This apple, for long shipments to reach early 

 markets, has no equal. It is a grand acquisition to our 



calyx closed. The tree is upright, strong, vigorous and 

 healthy. It surpasses the Red Astrachan in growth in 

 10 years time during which the two have been in my or- 

 chard. It is a very productive variety, alternating with 

 a heavy crop and a light one yearly. — J. L. Babcock, 

 Bay Slnrd Vineyards, Va . 



Mistakes in Packing. — Perhaps not one-third of 

 the farmers of Michigan who pack their own apples, 

 use the legal (flour) size of barrel. Let us see how it 

 pays. The apple crop of 1889 was a large one, proba- 

 bly larger than in any other state, and proved to be the 

 financial salvation of Michigan farmers. It was also 

 one of the very best years to learn facts regarding the 

 trade. During that summer and fall, I made it a point 

 to learn, as nearly as possible, what the difference in 

 price was between the full standard barrel and the 

 "snide," in Chicago. I found the range of prices for 

 the season to be $1.25 to I3.50 per barrel, and by in- 

 quiring at different times, and of a number of dealers, 



Early Norfolk Apple. 



list of extra early sorts. I am growing this and the 

 Fourth-of-July, described below, in an orchard of 1,200 

 trees and 100 varieties, including 40 as experimental 

 sorts, among them being several of the new Russian 

 apples. — J. L. B. 



Fourth-of-July Apple. — This variety is the most 

 valuable extra early apple that I know of. It was sent 

 to the eastern shore of Maryland by Charles Downing 

 in 1876. I brought 50 trees from there in 1879. This 

 lot comprised the entire nursery stock at that time, and, 

 so far as I know, were the only ones ever sent south ; nor 

 have I ever seen it listed by nurserymen, and none that 

 I have talked with seem to have heard of it. From the 

 description one might be lead to think it the Large Sum- 

 mer Queen, but it is quite different from that sort grown 

 in the same orchard. The Fourth-of-July (see illustra- 

 tion on opposite page) is oblong-conic in form ; color, 

 yellow ground, heavily striped with red. Flesh light 

 cream color and of a crisp, sub-acid flavor ; stem short. 



Cross Section of Early Norfolk. 



I found that the amount of difference in fruit amounted 

 to a little less than one-half a bushel, and the difference 

 in the selling price was from 50 to 75 cents per barrel, 

 or an average of 60 cents per barrel, after paying a 

 slightly increased cost on the barrel. Or, in short, the 

 Michigan grower received $1.20 per bushel for all the 

 extra apples required to pack full standard barrels. 

 And further, it is the large barrel that sells promptly, 

 while the small barrel often suffers loss, in the case of 

 a glut, by rotting down. This makes the difference 

 still larger. The shippers in ttie city are the largest 

 and best buyers, and they always want a large barrel 

 with ten hoops, and are willing to pay for it. 



The same rule applies to the whole line of small 

 fruits. As the case in common use is supposed to hold 

 16 quarts, but in reality holds only 14 to i4>^ quarts, 

 we frequently hear men state that they do not repre- 

 sent them as quarts, but only as 16 boxes. Such state- 

 ments are unworthy and suspicious, and we should ex- 



