Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-01-24
About Apple.Growlng.

Mr. Editor :-One OF your correspondents wishes
by word to give encouragement to fruit-growing
In Vermont and to be instructed in some things
which he does not understand about kinds of fruit
trees and fruit bearing And first, say, purchasing
farm three years ago found thereon six or eight
trees which, having been few years set out
had commenced to bear. The last year these
have furnished generous supply Of fruit from
early August to the present time, and there re-
mains fully barrel Of them in the cellar for
future use. Our variety thus far being OF the
early sort fully a barrel has been lost by decay
Had there been proportionate part Of these trees
winter fruit they would have given apples to the
family till March from August. Thus II may be
seen what few trees will do towards ones en-
joyment, health and living. Tho spring follow
Ing the time OF purchase we set thirty-three trees
with the same lot, of different varieties. The
Ben Davis seems to come forward rs soon as any
of these. This year past only two years after
setting, they have borne so as to give us knowl-
edge experimentaly, OF what winter fruit Is.
And of these thrtythree trees there has only been
a loss OF six, while the remaining thrive and be-
gin to bear, though as yet not a large proportion
OF them We see the certain promise that our in
vestment will pay n large fold speedily But,
second, | do not understand why one of my trees,
set earlier than my purchase OF the farm, does
not bear as 1t Is a healthy well-formed and prom
Using tree, in appearance, every way. Having,
indeed, been the tree OF my pride as well as con-
slant expectation, 1t has lacked for nothing, and
is in an excellent location in the garden but 1t
gives neither fruit nor blossom. Can anything
be done more for the tree that we may see the
manner Of its fruit Wishing to set an orchard
In the spring OF hundred or more trees what va
rieties will be the most profitable and yield the
profit the quickest? Red Astrachan, Duchess,
Fameuse, Peach, Mcintosh Red Ben Davis, Dux-
bury Russet, Tolman Sweet and General Grant
we have. You mention the Wealthy, perhaps,
which have not. My neighbors have 1t not and
1t Is not in my market. Then where is it planted,
and is its locality for prosperity in the lake re-
gon or will it thrive in the interior of the state
equally as well ? Fruit buyers need as much 10
knOlC tchore a tree UM thrive as 10 knotC that its
fruit is desirable. What ready pen will give us
light and specially merit the gratitude Of the in
quirer giving too, Herewith as large list as
possible Of those fruits which will be at home and
yield the most profit near one of our rivers and
not near the lake which in so marked a manner
tempers the climate and makes 1t more like some
other state which is warmer than our own II.
REPLY BY AGRICULTURAL EpIToR.-
The questions propounded by our Morris
vile correspondent reveal the fact that he
has not long been reader of this depart
ment, which for eight years has treated at
len 9Th, and frequently, of this very subject
of hardy apples for all seasons, suited to the
mountainous and northern parts of Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine. This branch
is the editors speciality, and he has some.
times feared that he took up too much space
with it in these columns.
We would not plant many trees of Ben
Davis, though we think they would thrive
pretty well at Morrisville. The tree is pro.
ductive and the fruit handsome, but not
good enough to use either for dessert OF
for cooking, and hard to sell more than
once to the same man, unless apples are very
scarce. We have about forty trees of this
variety, and would gladly give 5000 to have
in the place of them the same number Of
Wealthy, of equal size.
We have four hundred Wealthy trees in or
chard, and consider them the most profitable
oort that 10 hardy enough for our locality
We say this after thorough trial of every
sort recommended from Maine TO Minnesota
in the last sixteen years, not less than ont
hundred and fifty kinds, most of which W.
can now show in fruit at the proper season
The Wealthy keeps well through March
Nearly all leading nurserymen have the trees
| for sale.
Mcintosh Red will probably succeed wei
at Morrisville. 1t is a magnificent apple
and keeps at least until mid-wnter. The
trees are thrifty and productive, and tn,
fruit Of excellent quality, but it has one Sc
rious fault with us, though not everywhere
1t spots and cracks so badly that fully one
half the fruit is understandable. If i
were fair, like the Wealthy, its value woulc
be much greater to the orchardist. W.
hope this fault will decrease as the trees &C
quire age.
Duxbury Russet is unknown to us. Genera
Grant, if the General Grant Crab is meant
is worthless. Tolman Sweet is a STANDARD
sort of great value, but our climate is too COLI
for it. 1t may, however, succeed at Nor
risville. Red Astrachan also fails with us
The Duchess of Oldenburgh and the Peacl
Apple of Montreal are excellent varieties il
their season. The Peach is better in quality
but the Duchess is the more profitable sor
for market. These are September apples
For August we recommend Tetofsky an,
Yellow Transparent as hardy, productiv
and good. The first named has the fault o
dropping much of its fruit before it is ripe
Our correspondent will find some other sort
mentioned under our Answers 10 Core
spondents." If he will send his name t
the Agricultural Editor address Newport
VermonD, we will furnish him with othe
information. Regarding his thrifty tire
that does not bear, it may be one of the sort
(like Northern Spy that do not bear young
or he may be treating it too well. youn
tree in rich ground growing rapidly wi
hardly bear very young, even if of an earl
bearing sort We have trees of Duches
near the barn ten years old that have born
but little, though twice the size of Other
| haN