1. CAROLINA JUNE.—This is identical with the Red June of the principal
nurseries; but many inferior varieties scattered through the country,
called Red June, are to be discriminated from it.
The tree is upright with slender wood, which, when loaded with fruit,
droops like a willow. It is a healthy tree, ripens its wood early in
the fall, and is not subject to frost-blight. It comes early into
bearing, is productive and bears every year. The fruit is of medium
size though specimens grow large; the flavor is sprightly, subacid,
the flesh tender. It has flourished well on sand-loams, common clays,
and on strong limestone clay. Ripens from the first to the twentieth
of July. A valuable market fruit. Four trees, in one county, sent
_eighty dollars_’ worth to market in one season. Not mentioned by
eastern writers, nor found in eastern catalogues, but described at the
West by Hampton and Plummer, and found in Ohio and Indiana nurseries.
2. SWEET JUNE.—Tree upright, wood moderately strong; ripens its wood
early in fall; not subject to frost-blight; flourishes on all soils,
even if quite wet; bears very young, often while in nursery rows;
bears every year and abundantly. The fruit is of medium size; color a
pale yellow; form globular; flavor sweet and pleasant. Ripens at same
time as the Carolina June.
3. KIRKBRIDGE WHITE.—Not found in any catalogues but those of Western
nurseries. Tree upright, wood strong and stubbed; grows slow while
young, but vigorously when fully established; ripens its wood early in
autumn; not subject to frost-blight; bears moderately young, and is
very productive. _Its fruit ripens in succession for six weeks from
first of July to middle of August_, and is peculiarly valuable on that
account; color nearly white; it is largest at base and tapers
regularly to the eye, and is ribbed; flavor, mild, pleasant acid;
flesh melting, and, if fully ripe breaks to pieces in falling to the
ground.
4. PRINCE’S HARVEST.—Manning pronounces this “the earliest apple
worthy of cultivation.” It may be in Massachusetts, but it is preceded
by many at the West. Manning’s description is good.
“The form is flat, of medium size; the skin, when perfectly
ripe, is of a beautifully bright straw color; the flesh
tender and sprightly; if gathered before they are fully
ripe, it has too much acidity. The finest fruits are those
which drop ripe from the tree; the branches make very acute
angles, by which it is readily distinguished from most other
trees in the orchard; it bears young. Ripe early in July.”
Our nurserymen regard it as a shy bearer.
5. SUMMER QUEEN.—Extensively cultivated in the West under the name of
_Orange Apple_. The tree is spreading; a rapid grower; not subject to
frost-blight; wood moderately strong; comes late into bearing;
productive when the tree is fully grown, according to the books, but
in this region with some exceptions has proved to be a poor bearer.
Fruit large, yellow, striped with red; flesh, breaking; flavor strong,
and not delicate.
6. SWEET BOUGH.—Two varieties of this name are cultivated in the
West—Coxe’s and Mount’s. Coxe’s sweet bough, is that of the books and
catalogues. Ripens at the same time; not quite so high in flavor.
Coxe’s trees are large limbed and spreading; bearing on the point of
the limbs, and are shy bearers; Mount’s variety is of upright growth;
bears on spurs along the branches; is a good bearer and ripens from
middle of July to August.
“A variety under the name of Philadelphia Jennetting is
known in Trumbull County, Ohio. It ripens two weeks later
than the common kind, otherwise it is not essentially
different.”—_Dr. J. P. Kirtland._
7. SUMMER PEARMAIN.—There seem to be two varieties of this name
cultivated in Ohio and Indiana.
(1.) That of Coxe, which is the one generally cultivated, and
deservedly popular.
“The fruit-buds seem to be unusually hardy, and often resist the
impression of late spring frosts, while others are killed. In 1834,
when our fruits were universally cut off by that destructive agent, a
tree of the summer pearmain and another of the Vandeveer, matured a
dozen or two apples, while not another tree in an orchard containing
over five hundred, bore a solitary fruit. It is worthy of more
extensive cultivation.”—_Dr. Kirtland._
(2.) A variety evidently allied to Coxe’s, but all things considered a
more desirable variety. The fruit resembles Coxe’s, but is larger; the
flavor is the same, but not quite as high; Coxe’s is oblong; this
variety is Vandeveer pippin shape; color the same, and the period of
ripening, viz., July and August. The trees are very distinct; Coxe’s
is upright, this is spreading; Coxe’s of a slender growth, and stinted
habit, and is hard to bring forward in the nursery; this has a
vigorous growth, and strong wood, and strikingly resembles the
Vandeveer pippin-tree. It bears early and abundantly in all soils.
This second variety was brought, by a man named Harlan, Fayette
County, Indiana, from South Carolina, where it is extensively
cultivated.
8. DANIEL.—The tree is upright, nearly pear-tree shape; wood strong
and healthy; leaves, above all varieties, dark green and glossy; bears
young and abundantly. Fruit medium size; it has a yellow ground
covered with blotches of dull red; flavor rich, sweetish, and high.
Ripens in succession from first to middle of August. A desirable
variety.
9. HOSS, improperly pronounced _Horse_, and so written in Prince’s
catalogue. Originated in North Carolina; largely cultivated in both
Carolinas and southern Virginia; named from the originator. It has
been propagated by suckers, grafts, and _even by seeds_; in this
latter case, the product very nearly resembles the parent. Three
varieties, however, may be discriminated. Tree upright, wood strong
and healthy; bears yearly and abundantly; flesh melting: flavor rather
too acid until thoroughly ripe, and then fine. Ripens in August and
September. Desirable in the most select orchards.
The _time of ripening_ I have set down for the latitude of
Indianapolis. Upon the Ohio River, near Cincinnati, it will be ten
days earlier.