THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOV. 46 
hardiness and continuous season. The latter is 
not so important, because the natural season can 
be lengthened artificially for a month or two by 
proper management. There are some good stan¬ 
dard varieties which should be in every orchard, 
if it contains but a dozen trees ; and they are 
enough if there are many thousands. It is a 
great mistake to think because one plants a hun¬ 
dred or two of trees he should have fifty varie¬ 
ties. There are fruits that one wants for home 
use, and others that are for market; but gener¬ 
ally the popular market sorts are good for home 
use. My choice of ten varieties is: 
Summer —Early Harvest, Hed Astriicban, 
Full -Gravenatelnt Porter, Twenty-Ounce Pippin. 
King of Tompkins Co. 
Winter—Rhode Island Greening, Baldwin, North¬ 
ern Spy, Koxbury Russet. 
For ten Poiu s, ripeuiug in the order named, I 
would choose for standards: 
Summer—Clapp's Favorite, Manning s Elizabeth, 
Bartlett. 
Fall —Buerre d'Anjou,Seckel. 
Winter—Flemish Beauty, Lawrence. 
And for Dwarfs: 
Clapp's Favorite, Duchesse d’Angouleme, Louise 
Bonne de .lersey. 
Among the newest Apples I would choose 
Tetofsky and Duchess of Oldenburg, as the 
most promming for market apples and for do¬ 
mestic use; the former being a precocious bear¬ 
er, and both early. If I were to plant a hundred 
acres, I would have no more than these, and 
these do well with me on light, sandy loam, and 
with my friends who have gravelly or clay soils. 
the value or ah orchard. 
I consider an acre of well-planted and thrifty 
orchard to be worth £>1,000 as an investment. It 
will pay from *150 to *100 per acre, according 
to circumstances—thorough good management 
being the most important of these. It is a 
mattes-, therefore, which deserves the best study 
and attention. One plants for the future. He 
waits patiently and hid reward comes slowly. 
When it comes, it i» snre and lasting if he has 
deserved it: otherwise the opportunity is gofle 
for him forever. A man scarcely ever sees the 
planting and maturity of more than one orchard. 
What he does, then, in this way he should do 
well, if ho overdid anything well in his life. 
A FEW WORDS ABOUT APPLES AND 
PEARS. 
• PRE8. T. T. LYONS. 
FASHION IH FRUITS. 
Yankees are as unlike as possible to Orientals, 
in their modes of thought and action. While 
the lattor have, for thousands of years, adhered 
to the same fashion of clothing aud style of 
agricultural implements, as well as surroundings 
in general; the former bloom forth with the 
newest aud often the most fantastic fashions, 
only to lay them aside, like faded spring (lowers, 
for something which the fiat of the “ fickle god¬ 
dess” may have more recently designated as 
“ the thing." 
Ir, might fairly be anticipated that, in the pup- 
ply of their pomological wants, our people would 
afford an exception to this rule ; but I regret to 
be compelled to say that, in pomology as iu 
dress, the dictum or the fickle goddess seems to 
rule. I give, as an illustration, the fact that, a 
few years since, the planter of a homo or farm 
orchard, ad a rale, was reasonably and properly 
ambitious to Becore variety aud quality Tor the 
Buppty of the dessert as well as the kitchen, not 
even forgetting a supply also for tho wiuter 
evening fireside ; white to-day the scepter Beems 
to have passed into the hands of commercial 
orchardists, aud iu obedience to their behest, the 
planter even or a village or city garden or of a 
farm orchard, is asked to forget that fruit 
should be planted for any purpose other than 
for hIiow and profit; or that there is any higher 
or worthier standard of value or merit than that 
Bet up by the motley crowd that may patronize 
the fruit-stands of our cities aud towuB. 
So far, indeed, have our planters indulged 
this tendency that there is apparent danger that 
quality, in fruits, may become so far subordi¬ 
nated to mere profit that the very elite of our 
dessert or amateur fruits may become lost and 
forgotten; aud, as a consequence, that the apple 
and tho pear—to say nothing of the othbr fiuits 
—may be remanded, along with tho potato 
and other merely culinary vegetables, to the 
uses of the kitchen and cuisine. Should any 
one doubt the existence of danger in this direc¬ 
tion, l could easily bring to his notice consider¬ 
able districts, densely planted with orchards, in 
which the homo need is so utterly ignored that, 
even iu the bight of the fruit season, it might 
be diffimlt to treat a discriminating lover of 
the apple with a dish of this fruit, tha t his taste 
would not he likely to reject as scarcely fit to be 
oaten. I consider myself warranted in assum¬ 
ing that it is mainly dae to the prevalence of 
the ideas indicated, that there is often a sad 
NEQLFCT OF SOME FINE, EARIV VARIETIES, 
bo that the season which can only be supplied 
with the beautiful and excellent Early Harvest, 
is largely misapplied, even bo far as the homo 
want is concerned, for the reason that, iu many 
localities, this variety is relatively nnproflt&blo; 
while one of its most beautiful and excellent 
successors—Buffiugtou’s Early—has remained, 
for an age, practically unknown, doubtless for a 
similar reason. The same remarks will, with simi¬ 
lar force, apply to Sine-qua-uon, Early Strawber¬ 
ry, Bummer Rose aud others ; while owing to the 
Blender growth of those peerless sorts Early 
Joe, Garden Royal and American Summer Fear- 
main—notwithstanding their prolific habit, they 
are by tho same process remitted to the guardi¬ 
anship of the few who are willing to provide for 
the demands of an elevated and refined taste, 
even at the sacrifice of profit. To the above, as 
the season elapses, we may add the beautiful 
aud exoellent Scarlet l’eariuain, the Mexico, the 
Dyer, tho Hawley, the Jefferis ; and there may 
be danger that the old-time popularity of 
even the Fall Fippin may be compelled to 
yhld to that of a variety of coarser habit, 
less delicacy of texture and greater ability to 
withstand rough treatment. Those remarks 
also apply vi ry forcibly to that more re¬ 
cent candidate for popularity, the Shiawassee 
Beauty—a fruit with the finer qualities of the 
old Famcraso, noma what bightonod ; but like it, 
unable to withstand the vandalism or railroad 
aud market-men. The Melon apple also, which 
from the habit of the tree, as well as the beauty 
and excellence of the fruit, is so desirable fox 
the garden or for limited grounds, seems inca¬ 
pable of making its way among the le«B satisfy¬ 
ing but more showy or hardy sorts of the early 
winter. Passing to 
THE MIDWINTER AND SPRlNO VARIETIES, 
we fiud that the firmness necessary to constitute 
acceptable market fruitB, is also indispensable to 
their keeping qiality. Hence the d'fiiculty 
whioh we have been combating, partially disap¬ 
pears iu their case, only making itself percepti¬ 
ble in the case of such fruits as the Fameuse, 
H.vaar, E *.opus Spitzenbnrg, and some others, 
on account of the scabbiuesa or other imperfec¬ 
tion of the fruit, or the deficiencies of the tree. 
Such partial imperfection, however, in some¬ 
times overridden by other specially valuable 
qualities; 88, in the case of Red Canada, the 
comparatively feeble habit of the tree is over¬ 
looked on aocoaut of its produotiveneBH when 
mature, and also iu consideration of the very 
satisfactory size and oolor of the fruit, together 
with its superior handling and keeping qualities, 
this being the apple eo long and so deservedly 
popular iu the markets of the northwest, under 
the erroneous name of Steele’s Bed Winter. 
There is also a lack of discriminating appre¬ 
ciation in 
PEARS; 
for what we have said respecting the influence 
of the market idea, as applied to tho selection of 
Apples to be planted for home use, will doubt¬ 
less apply with but slightly diminished force, 
in the case of tho Fear. The market grower 
seldom looks beyond the BirUctt, Flemish Beau¬ 
ty and Beurre d’Anjou, as sUndarGH ; ana the 
Louise Bonne de Jersey and Duchesse d’Angou- 
lewe as dwarfs ; and iu imitation ol' these, the 
amateur is but too prone to forget the earlier 
and luscious Doyenne d'Ete, Madeleine, Ott, 
Bloodgood, Tyson and Rjstiezer ; and even the 
Fondante d'Automue, Heckol, aud a numerous 
coterie of others, peculiarly adapted to hia pur¬ 
pose ; while tho small hut excellent Washington 
remains comparatively unknown; and even the 
large and exeeileut Beurre Bose has, ho far, 
atriven almost in vain for a recognition readily 
accorded to the compat atively coarse Onondaga, 
aud not wholly withheld from the almost worth¬ 
less Vicar. The time-honored White Doyenne 
yet stands, at the West, just upon the margin 
of the debatable ground, with the mark of cen¬ 
sure upon it, on account of its occasional ten¬ 
dency to scab aud crack. With numerous 
candidates for acceptance, as 
LATE AUTUMN AND WINTER PEARS, 
yet there are few, if any, which can be eaid 
to have been tried and proved as satisfactory. 
Lawrence yet maintains a doubtful lOdtefi for 
recognition; aud Winter No.is will fill the re¬ 
quirement, as far as fruit is concerned, when it 
can be persuaded not to overbear, and not to 
prematurely yield its delicate richness to the 
Boduotivu inllueuce of a too impressive warmth 
in late autumn, thus failing of the perform¬ 
ances expected of it in the eai Jy winter. Leaving 
these out of the question, we can hardly yet be 
said to have a reliable and satisfactory winter 
Pear ; though time may possibly yet develop it 
from amoug the eomparatively new sorts now 
on trial, with their reputation yet to be estab¬ 
lished. 
Van Buren Co., Mich, 
—--♦♦♦•-- 
A NURSERYMAN’S SELECTION OF APPLES 
FOR AN ORCHARD. 
IRA J. BLACKWELL. 
The Object of Planting an Orchard is 
eitiier to make money or else to please the 
fancy of an amateur. In the la* ter case, the 
highest quality of fruit is the aim, without re¬ 
gard to cost or tho quantity of fruit produced. 
This ol»8H of planters can afford to set out poor 
glowers, poor bearers, bad keepers and small 
but higb-liavored apples. The orohardist who 
plants for profit, must have trees that grow at 
least well; they must also bear well, v bile the 
quality of the fruit must he fair, and its size 
medium to large; the color should he red or 
striped, and, laat, but perhaps not least, it must 
keep sound from October to March, or later. A 
very Bmall supply of apples will overstock the 
market from June until October, while straw¬ 
berries, raspberries, blaokborries, peaches, pears, 
plums and tomatoes are abuudant and cheap. 
Onr Orchard is situated at Washington’s 
Crossing, N. J., the place where Washington’s 
army crossed the Delaware, on the night prev¬ 
ious to the battle of Trenton. Wo are on a 
ridge, whioh at the end slopes toward the river 
or southwest, while one side elopeB to the north¬ 
west and the other to the southeast. The b fil iH 
a Bandy loam on a red shale bottom, affording 
a natural drainage that is sufficient, as little or 
no surface-water stands on tho orchard. We 
have over one hundred aud fifty varieties of 
Apples that are prominently before the public 
or in tho catalogues. Tho question is bow 
many of these Apples meet the requirements of 
the orohardist. Of them the following are 
GOOD VARIETIES FOR FAMILY USE OR MARKET. 
New Jersey Harvest —Fruit, small or me¬ 
dium-sized ; ripens iu July; tho tree is a good 
bearer. 
American Summer Fearmain.— Fruit of me¬ 
dium size, striped; quality beat, and will sell 
when any apple will; tree a fair bearer. 
Summer Hagloe. —Fruit large and very fair, 
tart; one of tho very best; ripens in August. 
Frimate.— Fruit large, yellow, tart, of supe¬ 
rior quality, ripena in August; the tree is a 
crooked grower when young, hut a good bf arer. 
Williams’ Favorite —Fruit large, Btriped, 
tart ; one of the best in quality, ripening in 
September. 
Pouter.— Fruit medium to large, yfllow, tart, 
ripening in September; tree, an early and 
abundant beaier of good fruit. 
Fallawater.— Fruit large, green shaded with 
red, ripens in September and October, sells 
well; the tree bears well. 
Cogswell —Fruit large, red, ripening in Oc¬ 
tober. 
Wine.—F ruit large, striped, fair; ripens in 
October. 
Baldwin.— Fruit large, red, ripens here in 
October; tree a strong grower, and a great 
bearer every other year. 
Smith’s Cideu.— Fruit modinm, when well 
grown, red or striped ; quality fair for cooking 
or the table, ripens from October to March 
This apple needs a loug season, as it docs not 
color much until October. It is the most profit¬ 
able of all the varieties that we have, and south 
of latitude 42°, will probably do well. North of 
k that it will not ripon well, iu which case it will 
be of a green oolor and tasteless. Tho tree bears 
very young and in great profusion, the fruit 
being all on the outside of tho tree. If I were 
now going to set out an orchard, in this section, 
for the purpose of Bolling tho fruits, ninety of 
my trees iu every hundred should be of this 
kind. 
Pomme Guise.— Fruit of a russet color and 
medium size ; does not keep long enough ; qual¬ 
ity superior, ripening from November to Janu¬ 
ary ; the tree bears heavy crops. 
Cooler's Market. —Fruit medium, striped, 
tart, ripeuiug in March. This variety may be 
profitable when tho trees got age. 
Willow Twig.—F ruit large, greenish, keeps 
until May. not first-class ; the tree bears young 
and abundantly. 
Lady's Sweet —Fruit medium to large, ripens 
from January to May, aud keeps the best of any 
variety that we have fruited ; tree a good bearer. 
English Russet— Known hero as Jersey Rus¬ 
set ; fruit medium-sized, green, a good keeper, 
ripening in March ; the tree bears well. 
The above will not supply all the wants of the 
amateur, while the orohardist here might profit¬ 
ably reduce the list. 
THE POPULAR APPLES IN THE NEW YORK MARKET 
are well-nigh all included iu the following list; 
lt d Aslrachan, Primate, Sweet Bough, Nyack 
Pippin, Porter, Twenty Ounce, Rhode Island 
Greening, Baldwiu, Northern Bpy, King of 
Tompkins County, Roxbuvy Russet- Moat of 
the other varieties sell low. The dealers expect 
to get their profit out of the standard kinds aud 
then sell the others at co&t or loan. Sweet apples 
seldom bring much, excepting the Sweet Bough 
and tho Golden Sweet. 
Before planting his orchard, the fruit-grower 
ought to know where tie expects to market his 
product, and if the varieties that soil best there 
will grow well with him, they are tho kiuds to 
plant. The nurseryman throws away money by 
planting this and that, because he has a long 
list aud only Bells his choice kinds. I well re¬ 
member the new varieties that were brought 
I out some twenty years siuce, wlien most of the 
agricultural papers gave a loug List of Apples 
that were promising, and I aho remember se¬ 
lecting a largo number of them, and sending 
North and South for the fine new Apples. It 
has never been onr custom to iuvest very much 
in any one variety, for we desired to try a great 
many Horts, and now we are looking among 
them for an Apple that is superior to the Smith's 
Cider, take it all iu all. We have trees grown 
from suckers ; from the seed, and budded near 
the crown; also some that are grafted; some 
that are grafted or budded four to six feet up 
the stem ; trees root-grafted on pieces of roots, 
and root-grafted on the whole root. I am of the 
opinion that it makes no difference, so that you 
get a well rooted tree. I favor trees -that branch 
out from twelve to eighteen inches from the 
collar or top of ground. Ttry bear younger ; it 
is easier to gather their fruit; winds will not 
blow them over so easily, and it is less trouble 
to get at the caterpillars and other insects on 
them, and the borer that gets into the bodies of 
apple trees, always selects tho place on whioh 
the sun shines. 
Mercer Co., N. J. 
---— 
THE APPLE ORCHARD. 
CLINTON. 
WHY THE APPLE IS THE MOST VALUAOtE FRUIT. 
Of all the different kiuds of fruits adapted to 
our climate, tho apple is undoubtedly tho most 
valuable. While saying this. I have no purpose 
to disparage other fruits, each class of which 
has its merits, and each is desirable iu its place 
and iu its season ; anti vytb judicious selection, 
they will furnish us with their varied luxuries, 
from early summer, even into midwinter. But 
for permanency in use—running through tho 
entire year—for variety in flavor, rangiug 
through all tho gradations and sub-gradations, 
from honey-sweet to sweet, to mild, to sub-acid, 
to acid, and to pungent sour, so that every pal¬ 
ate may find its favorite flavor, aud for the very 
many uses to which it is adapted in the culinary 
art, give me the apple as being the most valua¬ 
ble. Bes dcs, there is no other fruit bo gen¬ 
erally adapted to tho vai ied soils and climates of 
the Eat torn and Middle States. I shall confine 
my remarks more directly to thiB fruit, and shall 
limit myself to the presentation of a few hints in 
regard to its cultivation— hints, which are the 
results of many years of experience as an ama¬ 
teur cultivator of various kinds of fruits, both 
iudigenous aud ex.lie. 
Every man who sets out even a few trees, 
does so in the hope that a fine fruitage will re¬ 
ward his labors, yet he often noglectB tho con¬ 
ditions necessary to tho realization of his hopes. 
It should, therefore, be borne in mind, that to 
insure a fair prospect of success it is essential 
to observe, certain preliminary 
REQUIREMENTS IN PtANTINO AH APPLE 0RCHAR0. 
First, Selection of Soil.— Without going 
Into any learned disquisition on the component 
ingredients of what might be deemed a suitable 
soil—whioh, after all, might be unintelligible to 
the general reader—I will say, briefly: Seleot a 
soil, if possible, tnat is well adapted to the cul¬ 
tivation of Wheat or Indian corn. This rale will 
be easily understood, and is sufficient for gen¬ 
eral purposes. 
Second, Location.— Let this be one which is 
sheltered, as much as may be, from violent 
winds, especially from those of the west and 
northwest. A southern exposure is fur prefer¬ 
able for several reasons; but an exposure to 
auy violent winds will endanger the safety of 
the fruit, especially when nearly arrived at ma¬ 
turity. Wind falls, as they are technically 
called, are comparatively of but little value. 
Thiru, FttKi'AitATioN or the Ground.— Ltd 
tho soil l>e deop, fertile, and thoroughly pulver¬ 
ized. If moist, let it be thoroughly drained. 
Planting in a heavy, wet soil should he carefully 
avoided. It is the bight or folly to plaut the 
apple tree where the water does not pass off 
freely and sp.edily. Hhould it, for any reaeou, 
Heom desirable to plant a tree in moist ground, 
dig no hole for the roots, hut set them directly 
ou the surface of tho gtouud, and form a slight 
mound of mellow earih about the tree, sufficient 
to cover the roots to a suitable depth, and stake 
the tree carefully. As a rule, however, rolling 
laud or even a dry hill-side is preferable to low, 
moist land that cannot bo thoroughly and effect¬ 
ually drained. 
- Fourth, Selection of varieties.— 1 This will 
depend somewhat on the use intended to be 
made of the fruit, whether mainly for marke*, 
or for family use. In either case, do not plant 
very many kiuds. If for market, let them ho 
mostly of winter varieties, and such as arc iu 
greatest demand iu the market, you expect to 
supply. Do not forget, howovor, to consider, 
well before making your selection, what kinds 
can be suocabfully grown iu your own locality. 
Some varieties, for instance, may bo success¬ 
fully grown iu the valley of the Hudson, which 
cannot be made to Hiioceod in less favored lo¬ 
calities. It is a great mistake (o plaut a large 
number of varieties, as there are but few kinds 
that are in general demand, aud which will 
always command a ready sale. Odi nursery 
m n furnish lists of several hundreds, all recom¬ 
mended as valuable, while perhaps not more 
than one iu a score of them is worthy of culti¬ 
vation, either for prolit or use. If you plant 
mainly for domestic use, select such varieties 
as will ripsu iu regular succession, from the 
earliest summer apple, to tho latest keeping 
KusBet; and with o&ro iu the selection, you may 
thus, with a few trees, seouro a supply of this 
valuable frail through the eutire year. 
Fifth, Planting tuk treks, —In this grave 
mistakes may be made, either from Ignorance 
or from want of proper ©are. Remember that 
•• whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing 
well.” 1 f you cannot afford time to plant your 
trees properly, better not plant them at all 
