FLORA 
AND 5YLVA. 
Vol. III. No. 24.] MARCH, 1905 [Monthly. 
THE BEST FRUITS ONLY. 
Judging by the lists published, few 
people pay any attention to the flavour 
of our hardy fruits, although there is a 
vast difference in value between good 
and bad. Messrs. Ellwanger and Barry, 
of Rochester, N.Y.,have kindly sent us 
some Apples, the "pick of the basket" 
in that country, mostly beautiful in 
colour and excellent in flavour. The 
best perhaps is yo72atha7i^ rather a small 
red Apple, the favourite with the head 
of the flrm^ and difficult to surpass in 
crispness and peach-like delicacy of 
flavour. It lasts from November to 
March, and is one of the best varieties 
for the table or market. Htibbai^dston 
N 071 such is a fine- flavoured, free-grow- 
ing, and good-bearing Apple. Esopus 
Spitze7ibu7^g is a deep red Apple with 
a fine, crisp, delicious flesh, and one 
of the best Apples in the Rochester 
district. Lastly, Norther77 Spy^ which 
comes to our markets occasionally as 
an Apple of high quality, with the 
added virtue of being an excellent 
keeper and a heavy cropper. Whether 
or not we can grow such Apples in our 
country, the lesson for us is to keep 
only to our own best fruits, because 
Apples of this high quality are sure to 
be grown more and more, and brought 
to our markets. Thus, quality will rule 
the trade, and to anticipate this, we 
should grow only Apples of the first 
quality and in kinds that will take the 
orchard tree shape, as well as smaller 
forms. However well the small trees 
on dwarf stocks may do for certain 
times and places, a well-grown orchard 
tree, freely thinned and well chosen, is 
the thing to depend upon. 
The best English Apple is 
the Ble7thei7n^ in spite of all 
" election " results, because it is a fine 
orchard tree and a good eating fruit, 
as well as one of the best of cooking 
Apples without sugar. The Ribstone 
Pippi77 is, I think, better than Cox's^ 
but the trees must be kept free from 
bug and canker, which can now be 
done by a winter dressing of Bordeaux 
mixture. It is so often grown in espalier 
and other distorted forms, that it rarely 
gets a good chance. There never was 
an Apple that had so much advertise- 
ment as Cox's Pipphi^^ndi yet, in spite of 
the enormous numbers of trees planted, 
one can hardly ever buy a bushel of it 
in the market. It comes in such small 
quantity and often of poor quality, 
although it does well in certain soils. 
