is oblong, somewhat pointed at the
blossom end — both ends are deeply in-
dented — the flesh is rich, juicy, tender
and sprightly ; it has uncommonly large
full seeds, which are lodged in a peri-
4
carpium of unusual size, and if shaken
can be distinctly heard ; it ripens late
in October, when its great weight
causes it to fall in windy weather — if
carefully picked before they are too
ripe, tlicy will keep in high perfection
through the winter, till late in the
spring, especially when they are shrivel-
led or wilted — from their beauty and
excellence, they arc the most popular
apple in the Philadelphia market: the
tree grows very large and spreading; it
should be trained high, or the liinbs will
touch the ground when in full bearing; it
succeeds best on light rich soils." — Coxe.
Rhode Island Greening. — Coxe.
(Fig. 12.) A well known variety, ex-
tensively disseminated throughout the
Atlantic States. The size is large;
outline round ; skin of a yellowish
green ; sometimes, though very sel-
dom of a faint blush-like hue towards
the stem. The flesh is crisp, abounding
in juice, finely flavoured; stem short.
Calyx rather small for so large an ap-
ple, and placed in a shallow basin. In
season from October to January, some-
times later.
APP
50
Fig. 10.— (P. 49.)
APP
New England Russet. Boston or
Roxbury Russet or Russeting. (Fig.
13.) This is claimed as a native of
Massachusetts, and is held throughout
New England in high repute. It is
usually considered the best of its class
popularly termed "leather-coats." The
size is full medium ; form irregularly
round, flattened at both stem and blos-
som end. When fully ripe of a russet
hue, occasionally with indications of
blush. It is in season at mid-winter,
but may be kept till May or June; in-
deed they may be seen sometimes in
July. This property of long keeping in
connection with its productive habit,
has secured it great popularity.
Yellow Newtown Pippin. (Fig.
14.) " This is in most of its varieties
the finest apple of our country, and
probably of the world. It varies much
in quality, with soil, aspect, cultivation,
climate and age. The form is rather
flat, the size large, the skin a greenish
yellow, with black clouds, and fre-
quently with red spots or blotches. It
ripens in November, and is often kept
t till May and June. It will produce fine
APP
51
APP
Fig. 11.— (P. 49.)
%^
apples on even a light sandy soil, aided
by the application of river or meadow
mud as a manure, two or three cart
loads to a tree." — Coxe.
WiNF. Apple. (Fig. 1.5.) This is a
well known variety in Philadelphia. It
is unusually large, and attractive from
its beautifully fair and handsome ap-
pearance. The outline is round, rather
flattened at the poles; prevailing colour
rod, shaded and spotted with yellow.
.Stalk quite short, never rising to the
crown of the fruit, which is occasion-
ally of a russet hue, Calyx large and
deeply seated, ripe in October, and in
eating through the antumn and winter.
It is equally adapted to the table,
kitchen and press. The habit of the
tree is open, growth large and hand-
some.
.-Esopus Spitzenburg. Thomp. Lind.
Ken. (Fig. 16.) There are but few,
very few apples to which higher rank is
awarded than to this variety, which has
the rare advantage of beauty and good-
ness combined. It is said to have origi-
nated at j^Lsopus on the Hudson river.
The size full medium, with an oblong out-
line. Skin fair and smooth, of a fine clear
red, in some specimens of a brilliant hue
on the sunny side, the opposite of a yel-
lowish cast. Flesh yellow, and in thelan-
guage ofCoxe, "singularly rich, juicy and
sprightly." Stem of medium length, well
planted. Calyx in a shallow depression.
In season November to February.
IvAicirN's SpiTzrNBURG. Coxe. (Fig.
17.) This variety takes its name from
the original cultivator, the late Joseph
Kaighn, of Kaighn's Point, New Jersey.
APP 52
•
ricr 12— V -10 '
APP
APP
53
APP
14.— (P. 50.)
It somewhat resembles the .^sopus
Spitzenburg. Colour bright red, deli-
cately streaked and marked by white
dots, which strongly characterize it.
Skin smooth ; flesh juicy and well
flavoured ; stem rather long, deeply
seated ; blossom end frequently more
pointed than in the drawing.
Propagation by seed. — When it is in-
tended to raise stocks to be engrafted,
the only matter to be observed in se-
lecting the seed is, that it be from vigo-
rous healthy trees. Keep the seed in
sand, or earth moderately damp, during
autumn and winter, and sow quite early
in the spring, and in drills, so as to ad-
mit of more easy culture. The second
season the young stocks may be trans-
planted, and again the third season,
'each transplantation tending to secure
success on the final transfer to the or-
chard ground.) When three years old,
they will be, if well managed, stout
stocks, ready for grafting.
Where the object is to produce new
varieties, select the^seed from favourite
fruits and sow as above directed.
If it be the purpose to allow the seed-
lings to bear, 'they may be suffered to
remain where they have first grown, or
they may he transplanted to any other
position. But a more speedy method
to reach results is to graft a shoot of
the seedling in a branch of a vigorous
tree. The second season fruit may be
obtained, especially if the shoot is bent
downwards, or inclined, so as to arrest
the free flow of sap, which would rather
tend to preserve wood than fruit. By
this means curiosity can be early satis-
fied, and those which prove worthless,
by far the larger portion, cast out as
cumberers of the ground.
Mr. Knight states that " the width
and thickness of the leaf generally in-
dicates the size of the future apple, but
will by no means convey any correct
idea of the merits of the future fruit.
" When these have the character of
high cultivation, the qualities of the
fruit w-ill be far removed from those of
the native species; but the apple may
be insipid or highly flavoured, green or
deeply coloured, and of course well or
ill-calculated to answer the purposes of
the planter. An early blossom in the
spring, and an early change of colour
in the autumnal leaf, would naturally
be supposed to indicate a fruit of early
maturity, but I have never been able to
discover any criterion of this kind on
which the smallest dependence may be
placed. The leaves of some varieties
will become yellow and fall otf, leaving
APP
64
APP
Fig. 15.— (P. 51.)
i
the fruit green and immature; and the
leaves in other kinds will retain their
verdure long after the fruit has perished.
The plants whose buds in the annual
wood are full and prominent are usually
more productive than thoKe wliose buds
are small and shrunk in the bark ; but
their future produce will depend much
on the power the blossoms possess of
bearing the cold, and this power varies
in the varieties, and can only be known
from experience. Those which pro-
duce their leaves and blossoms rather
early in the spring are generally to be
preferred, for, though they are more
exposed to injury from frost, they less fre-
quently suffer from the attacks of insects
— the more common cause of allure.
The disposition to vegetate early or
late in the spring, is, like almost every
other quality in the apple tree, trans-
ferred in different degrees to its off-
spring ; and the planter must therefore
seek those qualities in the parent tree
which he wishes to find in the future
seedling plants. The^^best method I
have been able to discover of obtaining
such fruits as vegetate very early in the
spring, has been by introducing the
farina of the Siberian Crab into the blos-
som of a rich and early apple, and by
transferring, in the same manner, the
farina of the apple to the blossom of the
Siberian Crab. The leaf and the habit
APP
53
APP
Fig. 16.— (P. 51.)
Ik
of many of the plants that I have thus
obtained, possess much of the character
of the apple, whilst they vegetate as
early in the spring as the crab of Sibe-
ria, and possess at least an equal power
of bearing cold ; and I possess two
plants of the family which are quite as
hardy as the most austere crab of our
woods."
By cuttings. — All the varieties may
be raised in this mode, though some,
as the Burr-knot, Codling, and June-
eating, more readily than others. Trees
80 raised are said to be not so liable as
their parents to canker. In February
take cuttings of young shoots from some
of the horizontal branches, about eight
inches long, cutting off a portion of the
old wood of the branch attached to the
shoot ; remove all the buds except the
upper three. Plant these firmly in
sandy loam, giving water and covering
with a hand-glass until the cuttings have
well vegetated. Shade from the mid-
day sun; remove the hand-glass in Au-
gust; and remove the plants into the
nursery early in November.
Soil. — The most favourable soil is a
strong loam, two feet deep, on a dry
subsoil, thoroughly drained, for stag-
nant root moisture induces canker and
moss.
Planting. — The soil should be trench-
ed, and some cultivators place imme-
diately beneath each tree, according to
the extent of its roots, chalk, stones,
or brick-bats rammed so as to form a
kind of pavement to direct the roots
horizontally. Plant so that the roots
nearest the surface are twelve inches
below it.
Espaliers. — In America the apple is
seldom trained as an Espalier, though
they might thus be cultivated in gar-
dens of limited extent, and in some
cases serve a double purpose, affording
shade and fruit. When first planted
the young plant is cut down to within
about a foot of the ground, and only
three shoots permitted to spring from it,
APP
56
APP
Fig. 17.— (P .51.)
one of which will be the leader, and
the others will form the first or lower
tier of bearing branches, which are to
be secured to small stakes, so as to
keep them in their proper places.
The following season the upright
leader must be shortened to nine inches
or a foot above the two horizontal
branches, and deprived of all its shoots
excepting the three uppermost, which
are to be treated the same as before.
In this way the leading shoot is to be
stopped at the requisite distance above
the horizontal ones, until it has reached
the height of five feet. It is then cut
off, and no more allowed to grow up-
right, the whole strength of the tree
being directed to the fruiting branches.
— Gard. Chron.
Espalier apple trees should be at not
less than twenty feet distance ; butfive-
and-thirty feet is better, especially for
trees grarted on crab or apple stocks,
which are free shooters ; for trees graft-
ed on codlin and paradise stocks eigh-
teen or twenty feet may be a sufficient
distance. They should be planted with
their heads entire, only removing any
very irregular growths that do not range
consistent with the intended form, and
pruning any broken roots. Let all the
branches be trained horizontally to the
right and left, an equal number on each
side, all at full length, five or six inches
asunder, and, according as they shoot
in summer, still continue them along
entire. At the same time train in a
further supply of new shoots, to increase
the number of horizontals or bearers,
and thus continue increasing their num-
bers every year, till the espalier is
regularly filled from the bottom to top,
preserving all the branches at full
length, as far as the allotted space will
admit.
They must have a summer and a
winter pruning annually; in the sum-
mer cut out all the superfluous and ill-
placed shoots of the year, and train
regular ones towards the lower parts in
vacant spaces, at least to remain till
winter, some of which may be then
wanted to fill some unforeseen vacancy,
clearing out all others at this time as
APP
57
APR
close as poi5sibIe. And in winter, if middle of the head, and all dead wood
any worn out or decayed parts appear, ' and suckers from the stem and root.
then is the time to retrench them, re-
taining young brandies in their places, \
and if any vacancy occurs, retain some j
contiguous young shoot to fill it. Cut ;
clean out close to the branches, still i
continuing all the branches, and any
occasional supply of shoots, at full !
length, as far as their limited bounds
will allow; then train the whole regu- |
larly, tying them in as straight and
Some persons, however, prefer more
pruning, and Mr. Clarke, gardener to
the Earl of Lonsdale, says, " My sea-
son for pruning commences as soon as
the fruit is taken ofl' the trees, and con-
tinues to the middle of March ; during
that time cut out all the ill-placed
shoots, such as incline to grow towards
the centre, or into each other, and
leave untouched all those that stand in
close to the railing as possible, about such a way that the tree will form a cup,
six inches asunder. or something like a well blown tulip,
Standards, or Orchard Trees. — The all the branches standing perfectly clear
standards having been trained in the i of each other, so that they will bear
nursery with tolerably good heads, they | fruit on the inside, the sun and air get-
should be planted with those heads en- t ting to all parts of the tree alike. Keep
tire ; if any are intended for the kitchen j fruit trees as low as possible ; this may
garden, plant them at least forty feet be done by removing a limb when it is
distance; and, for a full plantation, to "
form an orchard, allow thirty feet dis- j
tance every way.
Trim any broken roots, but leave all
the others entire.
As soon as planted, let every one be
well staked, to support them firmly up-
likely to get over tall, leaving a younj:
shoot at a proper place to succeed it.
The apple is in America a hardy robust
tree, and succeeds admirably through-
out the middle and western states,
though it were desirable it should re-
ceive more attention than is frequently
right, and prevent their being disturbed I bestowed on it. Its principal enemy is
in rooting by winds.
Smaller growing standards, such as
codlins and dwarfs upon paradise stocks,
may, if required, be planted only at
twenty feet distance, though, if there
is room to allow a greater distance, it
will be the greater advantage.
Let them also, in future, advance with
all their branches at full length, taking
their own natural growth, and they
will soon form numerous natural spurs
in every part for bearing.
With respect to pruning these stand-
ards very little is required, probably
not more than once in several years,
and then only the retrenching any very
irregular cross-placed bough, or reduc-
ing to order any very long rambler; or
when the head is become greatly crowd-
ed and confused, to thin out some of
the most irregular growth, likewise all
strong shoots growing upright in the
the " Borer," {Saperda bivittata), which
deposits Its eggs in the body of the tree
near the ground. The insects perforate
the wood, causing disease, and if un-
disturbed ultimately death. The reme-
dy is the frequent use of pliant wire
thrust into the wound, so as to pierce
the grub ; a mound of ashes around the
trunk is beneficial — alkali being ex-
tremely offensive to insects.
For full directions as to the manage-
ment of apple trees see the " Fruit Cul-
ttirist,'''' by Thomas. " Fruits of Ame-
rica," by Downing. *' Kenrick's Or-
chardist."
Al'PLE-BARK BEETLE. Bostri-
chiis.
APRICOT, (Armeniaca vulgaris.)
Varieties. — The following list is from
the catalogue of D. Landreth and Ful-
ton, Philadelphia: —
APR
58
APR
Color.
>.
y. yellow.
Size.
Season of
Name.
o. orange.
Form.
M. medium.
"3
3
ripening
Remarks.
r. red.
L. large.
at Philad.
1. Roman.
y-
oblong
M.
2
Aug.
Very produc-
Abricot Commun.
tive and ex-
Large French.
cellent.
2. Breda.
0.
round
M.
1
Aug.
Highly flavor-
Holland.
ed, produc-
Brussels.
tive.
3. Large Early,
o.
oblong
L.
1
July.
Excellent.
4. Moor Park.
0. r.
round
L.
1
Aug.
Considered
Abricot Peche.
the finest.
De Nancy.
5. Masculine Red.
o. r.
M.
2
July.
Earliest.
Early Red Masculine.
Brown Masculine.
6. Orange.
0.
round
M.
2
Aug.
Abundant
Royal Persian.
bearer, good
Early Orange.
flavor.
7. Peach.
0. r.
round
L.
1
Aug.
Good and
De Nancy.
productive.
Lalbner's Peach.
8. Turkey.
y-
round
L.
1
Aug.
Large Turkey.
Propagation is best done by budding
on a plum or peach stock in August
or September, as the state of the
wood may make expedient. European
gardeners usually, for dwarfs, bud
at eight inches from the ground ; for
half-standards at three feet ; and for
standards at five feet. But that is un-
important, the subsequent treatment of
the tree may adapt it to the required
purpose. With us it is the general
practice to bud near the ground, and
the usage would imply the practice has
proved correct.
Planting. — The best plants are with
one stem, free from gum, clean barked ;
and the more vigorous the better. They
may be safely transplanted at any time
in autumn after vegetation has ceased,
until the buds are about to expand in
spring.
Aspect. — An eastern or western wall
is best ; for on a south aspect the fruit
becomes mealy even before it is ripe.
A northern exposure sometimes proves
most successful, as the bloom is late,
and escapes frost, which is fatal to those
in more sheltered situations. As a
standard, the apricot is some years be-
fore it bears, but it is then very prolific
and high flavored. i
Soil. — The usual mellow loam of
gardens is well suited to the apricot ; j
but its roots should be kept at less than
eighteen inches from the surface, and
the border be well drained.
Training. — The branches should be
on an average six inches apart, and
kept as horizontal as possible. The
nearer the form can be kept to the fol-
lowing (Fig. IS) the better, unless the
tree be weak, in which case the
Fig. 18.
branches may be trained a little more
vertical.
Pruning must be regulated by the
knowledge that, with the exception of
the Moor Park, each variety bears
chiefly on the shoots of the previous
APR
69
APR
years. The Moor Park mostly on spurs
upon two and three years' old branches.
Siim7ner Pruning. — Take off all fore-
right shoots and others that are irregular
and misplaced ; reserving those that are
vigorous and that will train in well for
next year's bearing. If done early in
May the finger and thumb will super-
sede the knife for this pruning. Con-
tinue to nail the shoots to the wall as
necessary during all the summer. Over-
vigorous shoots may be topped in June,
and be thus induced to put forth more
fertile laterals.
Winter Pruning had best be done as
soon as the leaves have fallen, though
it may be carried on until the buds be-
gin to swell in March. Cut out the
most naked of the two previous years'
shoots, and old branches not well sup-
plied with young wood, to have their
places re-occupied by younger and bet-
ter branches. Keep a leading shoot at
the end of each branch. Vigorous
shoots of the last year shorten about
one-eighth — weaker shoots about one-
half This promotes the production of
laterals for next year's fruiting, and
gives a fuller supply of sap to the blos-
som buds ; but if the shortening is too
great, the latter will be converted to
leaf-buds. Cut off all fore-right spurs ;
but lateral spurs may be retained, as
they sometimes produce blossom buds,
as they always do in the Moor Park.
Espaliers are to be formed as those
on wails, and standards only require
dead, crowded, or chaffing branches to
be removed.
When an apricot gets old and dis-
eased, it is much more j)rofitable to re-
place it by a younger, than to attempt
its renovation.
Gathering should take place before
the fruit is quite ripe, or it will be
mealy.
Thinning, as soon as the fruit is large
enough for tarts, in May or early in
June, should be boldly done, no fruit
being left nearer than six inches to
another.
Insects. — Wasps and flies are best
kept off by a net, not nearer than a foot
to the wall.
Mildew is often the most formidable
assailant of the apricot, as it usually
arises from excess of moisture to the
root ; draining the border, and mixing
lime with the soil, will be in such case
found efficacious as a preventive, and
at the time a syringing with water
containing one-eighth of gas ammonia-
cal liquor.
APRIL. In this fickle month the
sheltering of wall fruit requires particu-
lar attention. F2asterly blighting winds
always prevail towards its close, and
early in May.
The work required to be attended to
in the various departments in the lati-
tude of Philadelphia, is as follows. It
should be performed early or later as
we reside south or north of that lati-
tude : —
KITCHEN GARDEN.
Alexanders, sow. — Angelica, sow. —
Artichokes, plant, b. or dress. — Aspara-
gus, sow, plant, force, and dress beds.
— Balm, plant. — Basil, sow. — Beans,
sow, hoe. — Beets, sow, b. — Borecole,
sow, prick out, leave for seed. — Bro-
coli, sow. — Borage, sow. — Burnets,
sow, and plant. — Cabbages, sow, plant.
— Capsicum, sow. — Cardoons, sow. —
Carraway, sow. — Carrots, sow, weed.
— Cauliflou'crs, late, sow in open
ground, b. — Celery, sow, leave for seed.
— Chamomile, plant. — Chives, plant. —
Chervil, sow, leave for seed. — Cole-
worts, plant. — Clary, sow. — Cress, sow.
— Cucumbers, sow. — Dill, sow. — Earth-
ing-up, attend to. — Fennel, sow or
plant. — Finochio, sow. — Garlic, plant,
b. — Horse-radish, plant, b. — Hotbeds,
make and attend. — Hyssop, sow, plant.
— Jerusalem Artichokes, plant, b. — Kale
(Sea), sow and plant, b. ; dress beds. —
Kidney beans (dwarfs), sow ; (runners),
sow, e. — Lavender, plant. — Leeks, sow,
b. e. ; leave for seed. — Lettuces, sow
weekly; plant from frames. — Marigolds,
sow. — Marjorams, sow and plant. —
Melons, sow. — Mustard, and Cress,
sow; leave for seed. — Mushroom beds,
make ; attend to. — Mint, plant. — Nas-
turtiums, sow. — Onions, sow, b. e. ;
weed ; plant and for seed ; (Potatoe and
Tree), plant, b. — Parsley, sow ; leave
for seed ; (Hamburgh), sow. — Parsnips,
sow, b. ; hand weed. — Peas, sow ; hoe;
stick. — Pen7iy-royal, pla.nt. — Pompions,
sow, b. — Potatoes, plant; attend forc-
ing. — Purslane, sow. — Radishes, sow ;
thin. — Rape, sow. — Rocambole, plant. —
Rue, plant. — Salsafy and Savory, sow,
e. — Scorzonera and Skirrcts, sow, e. —
Shallots anii Sag-c, plant, b.—Sorr<?/«, sow
and plant. — Spinach, sow ; thin; leave
for seed. — Tansy and Tarragon, plant.
— Thyme, sow and plant. — Tomatos,
APR
60
APR
sow. — Turnips, sow, b. e. ; plant and move from borders to some place where
for seed. — T-urnip Cabbage, sow. — they can complete their vegetation;
Wormwoods, sow. ; their decayed leaves are unsightly. —
I Carnations, \n pots, give liquid manure,
0RCii\RD. ! and water often; stir the earth; sow,
e. ; plant into borders, b. — Climbing
JppZes may be planted. — B/ossoms of plants, train and regulate. — Dahlias,
wall fruit, protect. — Budded (Trees), ]ast pjant to remain, b., or in pots to for-
siimmer, remove insects from buds, and ^^rd in a frame until May. — Dress the
shoots from stocks below. — Cherries borders, &c., indefatigably. — Ever-
may be planted. — Disbud wall trees of greens, plant, b. ; it is the best season.
superfluous buds. — Forcing fruits, in, — Frames, raise, by supporters at the
hot-house, attend to. — Grafting (late i bottom, as the plants within grow tall.
Roll ; trim edges ; dress with earth if
poor. — Gravel, turn and lay afresh in
kinds of apples, pears, and plums), may
bedone still, b. — Gro/^s, lately inserted,
see that the clay is lirm, and rub off Jjry weather; roll once a week. — Hya-
shoots below the scion. — Heading down
wall and espalier trees, finish, b, if not
done last month. — Insects, search for