Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-12-09
THE NATIVE APPLE.
How Various Growers in this Locality
Realize from Orchards.

Realize from Orchards.
To tell the hard-headed Randolph farm
er where to pick up q dollar seems a tribe
presumptuous and as little necessary as tc
direct a cat to & mouse hole; for natural
instinct is about all the guide either
needs to follow In the successful pursuit
OF business. Still 1t is suspicioned that, in
the culture Of apples, one prolific source
OF dollars is being neglected by the farm
er who fails to devote some time and to
give little intelligent attention to the
care OF his orchard. The quality of New
England apples is now admitted to be SUI
perior and many rocky hillside might
be made into q garden OF Hesperides,
bearing, II not golden apples, at least APP
plies that cap be readily converted into
good hard coin.
Within the next % years, one writer
declares, the apple will be the greatest
source OF horticultural wealth in New
England, for while it thrives admirably
on plain, valley, hill and mountain from
the shores OF Long Island and the Allan
tic to Grand Isle in Lake Champaign, its
choicest specimens in color, favor and
texture can be produced on tens Of thous-
ands OF acres OF rocky hill-lands of little
value for agricultural purposes. In
this immediate section the valleys are not
to be compared TO the hills for the culti-
walton OF fruit and the higher up the
orchards are located the better do they
grow and bear. Late frosts may blast the
blossoms in the lowlands, in which the
Duchess apple is the most apt of any to
thrive.
That there are now q few orchards in
Randolph, Braintree and Brookheld and
that they persist in bearing fruit without
overmuch encouragement Is proven by
the fact that this fall, called an "off sea-
son." Il. M. Gaylord was able to ship to
the market ia Fall River, Mass, 1900 bar
reIs, which he bought at $3.50 a barrel
for the first quality; while E. W. Tewks-
bury & 20. sent away six carloads Of
cider apples--240, 900 pounds-for which
they paid 80 cents a hundred, and which
at that price were we'll worth picking.
These little apples are used by packing
concerns In the canning OF some other
fruits and ia the manufacture Of jelly, but
the juice OF most of them is made into
vinegar.
An idea OF the extent OF apple culture
AZ a local ind ustry Is obtained from Mr..
Gaylord, whose apple-buying excursions
among the farmers have made him ac-
quainted with the principal orchards,
their products and their yield. In the
list given below perfect accuracy is not
possible and is not attempted, and facts
are perhaps less frequently stated than es-
Inmates. In this region It will be noted
more Bethel apples are grown than any
other and they filled 500 OF the 100 bar
rels in Mr.. Gaylord's shipment. The
Bethel is not a particularly good pie APP
pie and never grows mellow, remaining
hard and brittle, but II has nice favor
and is q good selling apple in market be-
cause it is very attractive looking fruit.
Taking up Randolph first, its leading
horticulturists may be named as follows;
RANDOLPH.
Seven years ago A. NJ. Vaughan set out
an orchard which began this year to bear.
Its trees are 400 Northern Spies, so McIn-
tosh Reds, go Baldw ins and 1876 OF other
varieties. They we're planted SO feet
apart and bet ween them were set 200
plum trees, from which Mr. Vaughan
gathered 70 bushels Of pIums this year.
in the seven years the plum trees have
grown to be six or seven inches through
With a spread of 10 or IS feet, and some
OF the apple trees are five inches through.
Appleton Mcintosh, though be lives in
Bethel Gilead, is near enough Randolph
to be counted in and is a grower of very
good apples, Wolf Rivers, Baldwins,
Greetings and, quite appropriately, Nc
Intosh Reds. He had so barrels this year.
J. B. Adams has two-acre orchard OF
Fameuse, or Snow apple as it is known in
market, Russets, Northern Spies, Hamp-
shire Sweets and Bethels. He picked 40
barrels this year, but the usual yield is 75
barrels.
N. L. Boyden has a nice orchard cover
ing an acre and half and bearing Pound
Sweets, Bethels, Rhode Island Greetings,
Hartford Greetings, Mcintosh Reds, Ok
Hearts and Hampshire Sweets. About 10
barrels was the yield this fall.
George Pember harvested 20 barrels or
so OF Fameuse, Bethels. Nodheads, Ramp
shire Sweets and other varieties. On the
Walter Howard farm is a small but good
orchard of Northern Spies and other vari-
cites, filling % barrels this season.
On the II. @. Gilbert farm is another