THE CULTIVATOR. 
379 
COMSTOCK’S GARDEN APPLE.—Fig. 105. 
It is generally supposed that for culinary purposes, 
fruit of inferior quality will answer; hence we see in 
works on pomology, and in nursery catalogues, the di¬ 
vision into table and kitchen varieties. This distinction 
is founded partly at least, in error. The finest apples 
before cooking, are usually the finest afterwards. Our 
best and richest table apples are incomparably better for 
stewing, than ninety-nine hundredths of the (( natural ” 
fruit with which many orchards abound, which might 
be classed as from fourth to tenth rate, and being unfit 
for eating in hand, is turned off for purposes of cider or 
for cooking. It is true, that with a heavy admixture of 
sugar and spices, the deficiency in flavor is supplied, and 
the intense sourness is disguised; but the amount of these 
ingredients required, thus to make bad apples good is 
usually far more in cost than the price of the best-fla¬ 
vored fruit. We have found it much more economical 
to purchase Fall Pippins for stewing at thirty to forty 
cents per bushel, than inferior varieties at a few cents 
only. An experienced housekeeper estimates the quan¬ 
tity of apples needed to supply a common-sized family 
fora year at thirty bushels; and that eight pounds of 
sugar at least, would be needed to sweeten even toleraby, 
a bushel of common *'■' cooking” apples. This would 
amount to two hundred and forty pounds of sugar for 
the thirty bushels,—which at eight cents per pound, 
a low average, would be twenty-tivo dollars. The fruit, 
at ten cents per bushel, would be three dollars, making 
twenty-five dollars in all. Now we have found from 
ample experience, that the Fall Pippin is quite as good, 
when stewed without sugar, as most of these are well 
sweetened. So that the actual cost of the ten-cent ap¬ 
ples when cooked, is eighty-three cents per bushel; and 
it would conseqently be as cheap to buy Fall Pippins for 
this sum as the others at a very low price. We have 
lately, however, met with a new variety, decidedly su¬ 
perior to the Fall Pippin for this purpose. The two 
sorts were stewed without sugar or spices; and the 
dishes, side by side, examined by several competent 
judges, who were decided and unanimous in giving the 
decided preference to the new apple. 
It appears to have been first cultivated by Nathan Corn- 
stock, in the neighborhood of Palmyra, N. Y., who af¬ 
terwards removed to Lockport, and where only the va¬ 
riety appears now to be known, and where it is called 
the “ Garden Apple.’-' The following is a description, 
which, with the above figure, was taken accurately from 
the average of a number of only moderately sized speci¬ 
mens. 
Fruit medial size, flattish, sometimes inclining to ob¬ 
long; the whole surface covered with narrow streaks of 
light and dark red, nearly a uniform dark red in the sun, 
and marked with numerous conspicuous light colored 
dots. Stem slender, usually about half an inch long, va¬ 
riable; set in an even round cavity. Calyx nearly 
closed, in a moderate slightly furrowed basin. Flesh 
very strongly tinged with red nearly to the core, and 
especially at the blossom end; tender, but never becom¬ 
ing decidedly mellow, and rather dry; hence it is not a 
first rate table fruit, but superlatively fine for stewing, 
no sugar being required, and the delicate aromatic flavor 
being equal to the most skilful spicing. The tree is a 
good bearer, and the fruit always fair. It ripens through 
autumn. 
ROOT PRUNING. 
The practice of pruning the roots of rapidly growing 
fruit trees, to lessen their luxuriance, and as a necessary 
consequence, to increase their fruitfulness, is known to 
some of our readers; but it can hardly be said to have 
been fairly tried as yet in this country. As late autumn or 
early winter is the usual season of the year for doing the 
work, a few suggestions in relation, may not be unac¬ 
ceptable. 
New things should be neither hastily rejected nor in¬ 
cautiously adopted. Root pruning in some instances 
will doubtless be found of great advantage. In ordinary 
cases, and with most varieties of fruit, the tree will come 
into bearing quite as early without pruning, as is con¬ 
sistent with its due growth and ultimate productiveness. 
It has been remarked however, in relation to some of the 
old pears, that 
“ He who plants pears, 
Plants for his heirs; 
out on the other hand, we have known numerous cases 
with many other varieties, where the trees were in free 
bearing when only a few years old. Hence a proper 
discrimination must be used. Trees naturally produc¬ 
tive while young, will not need it; but some other sorts, 
as for instance the Autumn Bergamot, which we have 
known to stand and grow fifteen years without yielding 
a solitary fruit, would doubtless be greatly benefited. 
It should be more cautiously applied to varieties of slow 
growth, than to those of natural luxuriance. 
T. Rivers, an English nurseryman, near London, has 
practiced it extensively for the purpose of bringing new 
or untried varieties early into bearing in order to test 
their quality or genuineness, in the same way that 
dwarfing by grafting on slow-growing stocks is else¬ 
where adopted. It has this advantage however, over 
the method of dwarfing, that while the growth of the 
latter cannot be controlled except by good or bad culture, 
and the trees must ever remain dwarfs,—by applying 
root-pruning merely, with greater or less degrees of se¬ 
verity, or with different degrees of frequency as regards 
time, any extent of dwarfing or fruitfulness may be pro¬ 
duced, or may after a time be wholly relinquished. 
Some varieties of the pear are found to exist but few 
years when dwarfed by grafting on the quince; such 
would be far better if treated by pruning the roots. 
Nurseryman who have had occasion to remove large¬ 
sized trees in the nursery two or three times, have ob¬ 
served the diminished growth resulting from the opera¬ 
tion, and often the early fruitfulness of the trees. By a 
process entirely similar, Rivers succeeded in throwing 
his standard trees into early bearing, with the difference, 
however, of suffering the trees to stand unmoved, and 
cutting off all the roots, if the trees be small, or nearly 
all if they be large, at a proper distance from the centre 
of the tree. This distance was usually at first about 
ten inches; the second time fourteen inches, the third 
eighteen, and each subsequent pruning at about the same; 
thus preserving the dwarf form, so that pears and ap¬ 
ples would not occupy more than six feet square for 
each tree. The work was done by a sharp steel spade, 
digging a trench round the tree eighteen inches deep, 
and cutting off the side and bottom roots. The opera¬ 
tion is usually repeated every second or third year, 
while the tree is young, the frequency to be influenced 
by the growth the trees make, which should be six or 
eight inches long at least, the season preceding the 
pruning. If they should be stunted, a greater interval is 
to be allowed for their recovery. The vigor of the 
trees is kept up by an abundant application of manure in 
the trenches, made for cutting off the roots. 
This practice has been recommended as possessing the 
