The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-11-09

ought first to buy copy of Thomas
american Fruit Culturist, which can be
had of the Rural Publishing Company,
Times Building, New York city. From
this work any one can get all the knowl-
edge needed in starting a small nursery,
except what must be learned from act
ual practice.
THE same inquirer wants TO know
how late keeper is the Tolman Sweet
apple. The keeping of apples depends
greatly upon how they are handled.
For instance, we hear many complain
ing that the Wealthy apple will not
keep. Well, it is possible to handle
the Roxbury Russell so that it will not
keep, and it is easily possible to handle
the Wealthy so that it will spoil before
Christmas. AS to Tolman, it is nat
urally a much better keeper than
Wealthy, but not so good keeper as
Roxbury Russell. The following are
the principal points in handling apples
for long keeping: First, gather them
as soon as the seeds are fully colored.
The apple is the ipe, and will suffer
if left longer exposed to the weather.
1t is best to gather apples in a cloudy
day, or in the morning, before the sun
gets hot. A hot apple, put away in that
condition, is seriously injured for keep
ing. Gather carefully, 80 as not to
bruise the fruit, and reject from the
first quality, designed for long keeping,
every bruised and every wormy apple.
Gather in drop-handle half-bushel bask-
cts made SO that you can put the basket
down into the barrel. If you are pre-
pairing apples for market, or for long
keeping, see that the hoop nails are all
clinched on the inside, so as not to tear
the apples. Shake gently after each
basketful is put in the barrel. As soon
as the barrels are full, put them in a
cool cellar, and keep the cellar windows
open at night, and closed by day, as
long as possible before the weather gets
too cold. Apples will bear a tempera-
ture three or four degrees below freez
ing without being frozen; and even
moderate freezing in the barrels will
not hurt them, if not disturbed until the
frost is out.
THIS correspondent asks the name of
an apple like the Duchess of Oden.
burgh, which he saw in our orchard,
that is keeper. This is Russian ap-
pie called Voronesh Rosy. 1t is of the
size and shape of Duchess, aud at the
time Duchess is ripe it looks almost
exactly like it, But it is not then ripe
and later it becomes of solid red color.
How long keeper it will prove we can
not say now, but it is quite sound and
hard yet, November /. Professor Budd
of Iowa, who imported it, thinks it will
keep well in northern Vermont. We
hope so. 1t is not only large and hand
some, but also much more solid and
better in flavor than Duchess of O,den-
burgh We hope it will prove what we
have long desired-a winter Olden-
burgh. If so, it will be choice market
apple. We have only one tree, and
shall use all the wood it produces; and
it will not be sooner than the fall of
1898 that we can supply even yearling
trees.
The same correspondent asks if the
Sops of Wine apple is a keeper. 1t is
not. Also, which is the best apple,
Wealthy or Scott's Winter, and which
is the longer keeper. la quality the
Wealthy is best; but Scott is much the
best keeper, and is very good for eat
ing from February to July. 1t often
keeps into August in cool, dark
cellar, but loses its flavor. He asks il
it was the Industry gooseberry he saw
at our place. No; the Industry, like
all English gooseberries, mildews and is
of little value. The Red Jacket is {
pure American gooseberry, quite as large
as Industry, and much more valuable
1t has been lately introduced by Geore'
S. Josselyn, Fredonia, N. Y.