374 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
COGSWELL APPLE. 
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The Cogswell apple has been known in 
eastern Connecticut for thirty or forty years, 
and is now quite extensively cultivated there, 
though it is not until recently that it has at¬ 
tracted the attention of fruit-growers abroad, 
and now stands on the list of the American 
Pomological Society as one of the apples 
that promise well. As we have been favored 
with a barrel of them this fall, to test their 
eating-qualities, and have been acquainted 
with them, upon the tree and upon the des¬ 
sert table for some years, we have thought 
the above illustration and the accompanying 
historical notes would be acceptable to our 
readers. 
The apple is of great excellence and beau¬ 
ty, and we have little, doubt that when the 
authorities, who have the American Pomo¬ 
logical Society in keeping, have had time to 
test the apple, that their opinion will coin¬ 
cide with that of gentlemen who have grown 
it from its first discovery. It will be classed 
among the first-rate autumn varieties. 
The specimen before us is large, (10-2 inch¬ 
es in circumference,) flatish conical; yel¬ 
lowish upon one side, striped and clouded 
with red; many small white dots; stem 
short and stout, in a broad, rather shallow, 
russety cavity ; calyx large, in a rather shal¬ 
low basin ; flesh yellowish-white, crisp, ten¬ 
der, and of a sprightly pearmain flavor. It 
is in season from October to December. 
The specimen we have figured is of about 
medium size. 
This apple originated about fifty years ago, 
upon the farm of Col. William Cogswell, 
Griswold, Connecticut, now occupied by 
Frederick Brewster, Esq. It was a seedling 
first discovered in removing a wall, and from 
this circumstance went by the name of the 
Stone Wall apple. At first the fruit was 
not large, but of so high flavor that it was 
deemed worthy of propagation. The owner 
grafted trees upon his own premises with it, 
and by cultivation it was found to improve 
very much in size. It was scattered a good 
deal in his neighborhood, and afterward 
found its way into Windham County, where 
it stands in high repute, among the best 
fruit-growers of that very fine apple district. 
No finer displays of apples have ever at¬ 
tracted our notice, than we have seen upon 
the tables of the Windham County fair. We 
have been at considerable pains to ascertain 
the opinions of these gentlemen, who have 
cultivated this fruit long enough to prove its 
value. 
Mr. Edwin Newbury speaks of it as 
“ a first-rate bearer every other year, and in 
some instances, when grafted on bearing 
trees, bears every year. The fruit is almost 
invariably fair, and it is of first quality in its 
season, say from the first of November to the 
first of January. It will keep much longer, 
but loses its flavor after January.” 
Mr. Charles Clarke says, “ I consider it 
the best apple I grow among forty varieties, 
consisting of most of the best apples. My 
orchard produces from 150 to 300 barrels an¬ 
nually. It is very productive, bears very 
young, the fruit is always fair, keeps well un¬ 
til January, and moderately ivell until March. 
I graft more of this than all other varieties 
of apple.” 
Dr. J. B. Whitcomb says : “ It is an apple 
of large growth, very fair and smooth exte¬ 
rior, possessing a highly rich and spicy flavor 
peculiar to itself, very juicy, close and com¬ 
pact in texture, and very fine grain. It re¬ 
tains its peculiar flavor when cooked, and is 
highly esteemed for culinary purposes.” 
These gentlemen are not nurserymen, and 
have no pecuniary interest in giving these 
opinions. Henry A. Dyer, Secretary of the 
Connecticut State Agricultural Society, says 
“ this apple is in high repute in Brooklyn 
and the adjacent totvns where it is known. 
It is difficult to find an apple to excel it. I 
like to eat it better than any apple I know".” 
Mr. Dyer has the largest nursery in the State, 
and a good stock of this variety of trees on 
hand; and.may therefore be supposed to be 
not entirely disinterested in his opinion. 
The apple readily sells, where it is known, 
for a higher price than common winter ap¬ 
ples. A young gentleman upon our knee, 
whom age certainly has not sophisticated, 
declares them the best apples he has had 
this year. Our barrel has disappeared with 
astonishing rapidity, and that, we apprehend, 
vouches for the sincerity of his opinion. 
Pretty flowers are nature’s smiles. 
ETTCESIA DOMINIANA. 
We take the following article from the 
London Florist for January. It is accom¬ 
panied with a full sized colored engraving of 
a branch of the Fuchsia, with leaves and 
buds, and several half and full-blown flowers. 
They are deep, bright scarlet, and really su¬ 
perb. We wish we could give this colored 
plate with the article we copy, for the gratifi¬ 
cation of American amateurs of this fine 
ornament for the conservatory. 
On visiting Messrs. Veitch and Son’s nur¬ 
sery, at Exeter, some time ago, we were so 
much struck with this very fine hybrid, raised 
in January, 1852, from seed of Fuchsia specta- 
bilis crossed with Fuchsia seratifolia multi¬ 
flora, that we have been induced to give a 
colored representation of it, and we are sure 
that our readers will agree with us that it is 
well worthy of such distinction. The pa¬ 
rent plant is now about five feet high and about 
four feet through, and has been in full bloom 
since August. Young plants, struck in 
March last, are now about two feet high, 
with about twenty lateral shoots, all well 
studded with beautiful large scarlet flowers. 
This is unquestionably a first-rate autumn 
blooming conservatory plant, and an example 
of it has been flowering well against a south¬ 
east wall in the Exeter nursery during the 
summer. 
In cultivating this variety, the usual rules 
laid down for the culture of other Fuchsias 
must be observed ; begin by striking the cut¬ 
tings in silver-sand and leaf-mould prepared 
for the purpose, and placing them in a close 
frame or pit where there is a little bottom- 
heat. When the sun shines, shade for four 
or five hours during mid day ; and after the 
cuttings have been in for three or four days, 
pull off the light for ten or twelve minutes 
every morning, in order to allow the confined 
air and damp to escape. As soon as they 
are rooted, put them off into three-inch po'ts, 
in a mixture of equal parts silver-sand and 
leaf-mould. We prefer that mixture for the 
winter potting, for, being light and porous, 
it allows the water to pass off quickly. 
W T hen potted off, replace them in the frame 
or pit; and as soon as they become estab¬ 
lished, remove them to a warm and shady 
part of the greenhouse ; after hardening 
there for a week or two, they may be moved 
to a more airy part of the house, where they 
may remain till January, when they should 
receive a little artificial heat, say from 40 to 
50 deg. by day, and from 40 to 50 deg. at 
night. As the day lengthens, increase the 
day temperature to from 60 to 70 deg., the 
night heat being about 5 deg. less, maintain¬ 
ing a moist atmosphere at all times, with air 
both day and night when convenient. The 
plants should be kept as near the glass as 
possible, and should be shaded during the 
bright sunshine. If they do well, they will 
require shifting about once in five or six 
weeks ; and before the operation, the mould 
about the roots should be rather dry than 
wet. After they are shifted, give a good 
watering, and replace them in their old situa¬ 
tion, keeping them close for a day or two. 
In potting, drain well, and place some moss 
(Sphagnum) over the crocks, then some of 
the roughest of the compost, which (after 
the January shift) may consist of one part 
silver-sand, two parts turfy or fibry peat, and 
one part dry cow-dung, all well mixed to¬ 
gether with the spade, and used without sift¬ 
ing. As the season advances, pot rather 
firmly ; and we find it. a very good plan to 
put some of the moss on the top of the soil; 
when potted, the roots seem quite at home 
in it, and it prevents the mould from being 
washed over the pot. Use rain-water both 
for the soil and for sprinkling the plants over- 
