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Vol XLII. No 1731. 
NEW YORK, MARCH 31, 1883. 
PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
$2.U0 PER YEAR. 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, by the Rural New-Yorker, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
Porno logical. 
SMITH’S CIDER APPLE. 
Opinions of J. J. Thomas, P. Barry, Charles 
Downing 1 , et al., Regarding it. 
Barry: This is an old variety. 
I hud a bearing tree in my 
own grounds SO years or 
more, and Anally grafted it 
over. It is a hardy, productive 
tree; fruit high-colored and 
handsome; quality good or 
nearly so, and it is a fair keeper. 
It is not a valuable fruit for 
Western New York, but I have 
seen it in great perfection in 
the markets of Baltimore and 
Washington. I think that in 
New Jersey, Southern Pennsylvania, Mary¬ 
land and southward it must be a valuable 
variety and well worthy of extensive culture. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
From J. J. Thomas: I find Smith's Cider 
smaller in size and inferior in quality, when 
grown here, to the specimens in Southern 
Pennsylvania and at the West. Its fine ap- 
peai’&nce and uniform fairness in portions of 
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and at 
the West, have made it a valuable market ap¬ 
ple, and its productiveness, in addition, 1 as 
rendered it far more profitable in some parts 
of Southeastern Pennsylvania than any other 
sort. I do not think it would l>e of much value 
in New York, us its fiavor, never more than 
moderate, is here rather poor. 
Union Springs, N. Y. 
From Charles Downing: Smith’s Cider is 
an ordinary apple hero, but in Pennsylvania it 
is one of their best for profit. 
Newburgh, N. Y. 
From Ex-Gov. Furnas: I have not fruited 
Smith’s Cider Applo, nor do I know of anyone 
who has in tins region. I have trees growing 
and promising. The tree is one of the best,so far. 
Biownville, Neb. 
From Geo. W. Campbell: I have had but 
little personal experience with Smith’s Cider 
Apple, and I do not think it is planted largely 
in this vicinity. It. is, however, regarded as a 
profitable market variety, the tree bearing 
early and quite abundantly, but the fruit is not 
above second-rate in quality. The term “eider” 
is a misnomer, as it is not a good cider-apple, 
the juieo being thin ami watery. In many 
places, too, the trees were badly iujurod by the 
severe Winter of 1880-’81. At the last meeting 
of the Ohio State Horticultural Society mein- 
tors from all sections of the State voted upon 
the merits of many of the most popular varie¬ 
ties, regarding UJU as the standard of highest 
value for profit, and the average was the fol¬ 
lowing for the varieties named: Northern Spy, 
II; Smith’s Cider, 70; Baldwin, 73; Beu Davis, 
81; Wine-Sap, 81; Rome Beauty, 90. I think 
those figures represent very fairly the compar¬ 
ative value of the Smith’s Cider and the other 
uarned apples in Ohio. 
Delaware, Ohio. 
Remarks. —The American Bornological 
Society gives it two stars for the following 
Statos: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, 
Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, 
Missouri, Nebraska. Our cuts from nature 
(Figs. 118 and 119) show the characteristic 
shape. Tho skin is shaded ami somewhat stri¬ 
ped with red on yellowish-green, with a few 
yellowish dots. The flash is whitish, crisp, sub- 
aeid, tender. The flavor is moderate. 
NIAGARA GRAPE AND KIEFFER PEAR. 
On January 29, 1883, a number of fruit¬ 
growers met at the house of William Parry, 
Parry P. O., New Jersey, to discuss the merits 
of new hardy fruits, recently introduced and 
good growth and produced fine clusters the 
same season. In Virginia, where ordinary 
varieties rot badly, Niagara was exempt. In 
Iowa and Michigan it does well; the fruit rip¬ 
ens earlier than Concord and is better in qual¬ 
ity, selling in the Chicago market at 20 cents 
Smith’s Cider— Cross-section— Fig. 148. 
now attracting great attention in the United 
States. 
The Niagara, a large, handsome white 
grape, was first introduced. Mr. C. L. Hoag, 
of Lockport, New York, gave an account of 
its history and origin, by which it appeared 
that it is a cross between the Concord and Cas¬ 
sidy, to obtain a hardy white grape of good 
quality. There were many other good seed¬ 
lings of the same parentage—white, red and 
black—some of good quality. None, except 
the Niagara, however, were without defects, 
and all the others were destroyed. The Niag¬ 
ara has proveu to be a strong, vigorous grow¬ 
er, succeeding well wherever tried in most of 
the States and Canada. 
Mr. E. Ashley Smith, of Lockport. N. Y., 
per pound in competition with California 
grapes at eight to ten cents. 
William Parry stated that in October last 
ho received a basket of Niagara Grapes in 
good condition, sent from Lockport, N. Y., 
which were greatly admired by all who saw 
and tasted them; the fruit was fresh and firm, 
adhering well to the stem; the bunches were 
large and handsome, yet could be lifted from 
the basket by taking hold of a single berry. 
The rich perfume rising from the fruit filled 
the room, and was a good introduction to the 
delicious qualities of tho grapes, only being 
fully enjoyed when eaten; tho flesh was ten¬ 
der, sweet and juicy. The fruit has a thin, 
tough skin, not liable to crack; its fine appear¬ 
ance, large size, melting flesh, with a rich. 
Smith’s Cider—Fig. 149. 
secretary of the company, states that at Camp- 
bellsport, 60 miles north of Lake Ontario, they 
succeed well, and are never injured by frost. 
At Aiken, S. C., also, where 1,000 vines were 
sent late In the Spring, arriving after other 
grapes were as large as peas, they made a 
pleasant aroma, must give it a high position 
among tho best hardy fruits. The Niagaras 
were tested in comparison with tho most pop¬ 
ular hardy grapes grown in the United States, 
the Concord and Delaware, both of which are 
recommended in 35 States and Territories, one 
being marked with 54 and the other with 59 
stars, which can be said of no other grape. 
They were repeatedly tested and eaten freely, 
until we were irresistibly brought to the Con¬ 
clusion that the Niagara was the handsomest 
and best hardy grape we ever tasted. 
John R. Parry gave an interesting account 
of the vineyards, he saw near Lockport, New 
York, Oct. 23, ’82, at which time the foliage 
on Niagara vines was green and healthy, while 
that of Concord, Martha, Moore’s Eai'lv, Hart¬ 
ford, Rogers’ Hybrid and others was fading 
and losing vitality. The Niagara vines were 
well filled with large, fine clusters—about 50 t*> 
each vine, that would average one-half pound 
each, or 25 pounds to the vine, and although 
this fruit had been in marketing condition 
since Sept. 12—a period of nearly two months 
—yet it was sound, fresh and perfect in every 
particular. The original vine had been in 
bearing 11 years, and showed no evidence of 
decline, but was as green, vigorous and healthy 
as any of its descendants, and bearing with 
them an enormous crop of large, fine, luscious 
fruit; at one place he saw them packing about 
one ton for market, a noticeable feature being 
that they required no trimming or cutting out 
of defective berries, every bunoh being per¬ 
fect, so that tin only preparation necessary for 
market was to arrange the bunches and adjust 
the weights, while the labor and waste in 
t r i mm ing the other varieties were very great. 
He was informed the fruit sold readily at 20 
cents per pound, while Concords were se lling 
at from four to six cents. Delawares at six to 
seven cents and Marthas at six to eight cents. 
The terms of putting out the vines to growers 
were then considered, which, being somewhat 
novel in their character, show the great confi¬ 
dence the company have in the final success of 
the Niagara Grape, as they only require five 
per cent of the value to be paid in the Spring 
of delivery, aud wait for the balance (95 per 
cent) until earned by one-half the net proceeds 
from the sale of fruit. 
The plan recommended to form the vine¬ 
yards was to set the vines 10 feet apart each 
way, requiring 435 plants per acre; set posts 20 
feet apart, reaching six feet above ground; ex¬ 
tend two wires (No. 9) north and south, the 
lower one feet from the ground, the other 
at the top of post, or six feet above ground; 
train a single shoot upright with two arms (one 
each way) along each wire to be cut off and re¬ 
newed anually. 
An opportunity was then given for those 
present to subscribe for vines, when more than 
6,000 were taken, several ordering enough for 
one acre each, and some more. From the seed 
of such excellent grapes, what may not be ex¬ 
pected to result from the largo quantity now 
being gratuitously distributed by the liberality 
of the Rural New-Yorker, that national 
journal that impartially and freely bestows 
favors of this kind on all its subscribers. 
KIEFFER’S HYBRID PEARS. 
About this time a glass jar of canned Kieffer 
pears was brought in for trial. Their beauti¬ 
ful appearauee, clear and semi-transparent, 
attracted the admiration of all present, and 
when each one was supplied with a saucer of the 
fruit, the exclamations of praise were in the 
superlative. Mr. E. Ashley Smith said he had 
never tasted canned pears of finer quality. Mr, 
C. L. Hoag said they were excellent. John 
S. Collins said he never tasted better canned 
pears. Samuel C. DeCou said he never 
tasted better. George W. J ess ups dee-la red 
them the best he ever ate. William R. Lip- 
pineott, excellent, never tasted better. Wal¬ 
lace Lippineott said they were first-rate. 
Samuel H. Lippineott said he could not get 
canned fruit of any variety of better quality. 
Enoch Evans said that generally he was not 
very partial to canned pears; but these were 
so very good that he could take them every 
time. Albert Hansel! & Bro., proprietors of 
the celebrated Hansel! Early Red Raspberry 
