VOL XL VII. NO. 2025. NEW YORK. NOVEMBER 17, 1888, PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
J ’ « $2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered According to Act of Congress, in the Year 18S8, by the Rural New-Yorker, In the Offlce'of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
BUNDY’S COLERAIN. 
A NEW AND PROMISING WHITE GRAPE. 
A single specimen of this variety was re 
ceived from Mr. David Bundy, of Colerain 
Ohio, in May 1885. It has since proved 
perfectly hardy, vigorous and free from 
mildew. The berries, as shown in our photo¬ 
graphic illustration, are of medium size; the 
bunches are of medium size, sometimes shoul¬ 
dered, sometimes not. The berries have thus 
far been free of rot, free of mildew. They 
hang to the peduncles well, and in quality are 
much the same as those of the Hayes. The 
vine has for two years borne an abundance of 
fruit which ripens only a little after Moore’s 
Early, or,—to be on the conservative side—let 
us say it ripens with the Cottage. Now, in 
so far as our experience teaches us, 
we regard the Colerain, considered with 
reference to early ripening, prolificacy 
and quality, to hardiness and vigor 
of vine, an exceedingly promising variety. 
Its history is as follows: In the spring of 1880 
Mr. Bundy planted a few seeds of the Con 
cord. Twenty or 30 vines were the result. 
The next spring he transplanted them in rows 
10 feet apart. Some of them made a feeble, 
others a strong growth. The Colerain was, of 
course, among the latter. Mr. Bundy has 
fruited 60 varieties of grapes and he pro¬ 
nounces this decidedly the best. The vine has 
been kept tied to a trellis and fully exposed 
during every winter without sustaining the 
slightest injury. It bears an abundant crop 
every year. When or by whom this very 
promising white grape is to be introduced the 
R. N.-Y., unfortunately, cannot say. The 
vine was sent to the Rural Grounds for trial, 
the trial has been made and the above is our 
report. 
PomoLogic.ai. 
VALUABLE NEGLECTED APPLES. 
RICHARD’S GRAFT. 
This is a very valuable early autumn apple 
which is little known to the average fruit¬ 
grower. It is seldom found in the lists of 
nurserymen, and is probaby grown to a very 
limited extent, if at all, in our large orchards. 
It is not a new variety, having originated at 
Greenport, Columbia county, N. Y , over 60 
years ago; but it is so far superior to most of the 
newer apples, both in habit and quality, that 
I make no apology for introducing it, or re¬ 
minding growers and fruit men generally of 
its excellence and value. My own acquaint¬ 
ance with it, extending over a period of 10 
years, came by accident. 1 found the tree in 
a city garden which came into my possession. 
No one knew what it was, and local fruit men 
were as puzzled as I was as to its identity. A 
specimen was sent to Mr. J. J. Thomas. He 
was in doubt; but inclined to think it Olden¬ 
burg; but he found it less acidulous and better. 
He gave up the identification of it from a sin¬ 
gle specimen. The veteran Charles Downing 
located it at once. He was quite sure it was 
Richard’s Graft and asked me to consult E. 
G. Studley, of Claverack, N. Y., who knew it 
well. He finally confirmed Mr. Downing’s 
assertion by a specimen from his trees and 
told me all about it. Since that time—about 
eight years ago— it has borne so well, and the 
fruit has been so good, that I am inclined to 
place it at the head of early Fall apples. I 
had a splendid crop this season and the fruit 
has been especially enjoyed as a family eatiDg 
apple. A few days since I sent an average 
specimen to Mr. Van Deman, the Pomologist 
of the Agricultural Department at Washing¬ 
ton. In his absence Mr. Hopkins, his assist¬ 
ant, tested the fruit, and writes as follows : 
“It was a very nice specimen, and our artist 
has reproduced it in colors. I think it an ex¬ 
ceedingly fine fruit. It is nearly perfect in 
shape, beautiful and delicate in color, and 
possessing a flavor which will make it a favor¬ 
ite anywhere it is known. I have heard of 
this apple as one of the very highly prized 
varieties of years ago, and it is certainly one 
which deserves a better fate than to be lost 
sight of among the numerous newer and less 
valuable varieties.” Mr. Hopkins’s point is 
well taken, and I desire to emphasize it. We 
have far too many new, worthless and inferior 
sorts. Why not spend more time and energy 
re-developing and perpetuating the better 
qualities of old varieties ? I am a firm be¬ 
liever in progress, but the rage for new fruits 
has become a mania of late, and some of the 
older varieties have been buried beneath an 
avalanche of novelties. 
The apple is smooth and beautiful, and 
there is no ill-shapen fruit. The yellow skin is 
nearly covered with stripes and splashes of 
deep red when fully exposed to the sun. The 
flesh is yellowish, very tender and juicy, 
melting and delicious, arising from its rich 
aromatic, sub-acid flavor. I know of noth¬ 
ing finer for early fall eating. Another of its 
valuable features is that the crop ripens in 
succession, never all at once. With me it begins 
the last of August and extends a week or two 
into October. The tree is very productive, 
young shoots dark reddish brown and downy. 
The precise origin of this peculiar name is un¬ 
known to me. Where Uncle Richard got his 
“graft” does not appear. Downing gives 
several synonyms, among which are “Der¬ 
rick’s Graft,” “Dirck’s Graft’ and other 
names. Thus it would seem that it is some¬ 
body’s “graft,” and yet it might be as well to 
abandon that ambiguous portion of the title. 
In the American Pomological Society’s cata¬ 
logue this apple is starred only in New York 
and Michigan. It is probably scarcely known 
outside of these States. I never'saw it outside 
of my garden. 
SUMMER ROSE. 
This is another beautiful and most excellent 
apple which is half forgotten and not as wide¬ 
ly grown as it deserves. Mr. Van Deman, 
the United States Pomologist, pertinently 
says in his report: “ It is really unaccount¬ 
able how varieties of fruit of most excellent 
character are overlooked or neglected by the 
general public ” Then he cites this little 
apple as a notable instance, giving a detailed 
description and a fine colored plate of the 
fruit, and speaking of it in the highest terms 
generally. I quite agree with him as to its 
quality and value. It is indeed a little beau¬ 
ty, and it will please the palate quite as well 
as the eye. Downing knew all this years ago, 
and said so strongly. What is the matter, 
then, with ‘Summer Rose?’ It is always 
good ; nothing better. Its bright carmine 
cheek is the first to greet us in the whole 
apple orchard. Its fine-grained, snow-white 
flesh is filled with crisp and juicy tenderness 
that is pleasing to all tastes. The tree grows 
well and bears abundantly. The fruit is small 
but smooth, round and fair. It does well on 
the Paradise stock, bears early, and makes a 
very pretty ornament to any garden. It is 
an excellent family apple, which begins to 
ripen the middle of July and continues in 
good condition for six weeks. It is better 
than Astrachan, Early Harvest, or Olden¬ 
burg, because much less acid in flavor. It 
was born somewhere in New Jersey, I think, 
but its American nativity need hardly be 
questioned on that ground. Just how old 
Miss Summer Rose may be is a delicate ques¬ 
tion, of course; but why shall we care as long 
as her beauty and value remain unimpaired ? 
THE NEWTOWN. 
This, to my mind, is the king of all apples 
and I never lose an opportunity of boasting 
of its American origin. In flavor and long- 
keeping qualities I believe it yet stands un¬ 
equaled ; and still the variety is half forgotten 
and neglected in over half of our American 
orchards to-day. In some way it has become 
credited with a reputation of variableness 
and uncertainty, undeservedly, I think, to a 
large extent, but so surely as to crowd it from 
the average market orchard, it is a slow 
grower at first and will not bear young. 
Aside from that, I know of no faults or fail¬ 
ings peculiar to the Newtown, which cannot 
be obviated by ordinary care and culture. 
It is a sure bearer and yields a heavy crop of 
fine fruit each alternate year atter the tree is 
once well established. I know of orchards 
along the Hudson where it never fails to pro¬ 
duce splendid biennial crops. In one of these 
now in mind the trees are now laden to the 
ground with large and spotless fruit. They 
receive no special culture and stand in sod, 
but have borne the crop regularly for nearly 
20 years, and they net the owner a much 
larger sum per tree than any other variety he 
has. Where ordinary kinds bring one dollar 
per barrel, as now, he gets three dollars for 
his Newtowns; and this has been his average, 
price for years. I wish I had the precise 
data of his annual sales to give here, just to 
refute popular error regarding this favorite 
apple His orchard is on an eastern clay 
slope near the river. Others like it can be 
named. Were I to plant an orchard to-day 
the Newtown would have a large place in it, 
and not merely as a matter of sentiment 
either, but as a financial investment A few 
days since, passing the store of an Italian 
fruit vender, I saw, among a large collection 
of other apples, a barrel of the largest and 
BUNDY’S COLERAIN. From a Photograph, Fig. 379. 
