APPLES WORTH GROWING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 8

APPLES WORTH GROWING.

(By G. Picker, in the Journal of Horticul-

We have entered upon, another season's planting by the fruit-grower. Apples for culinary purposes are" more sought after by the general public than any other fruit. The grandest show varieties' are not necessarily the most profitable to plant. Dumelow's seedling is considered one of- the most valuable culinary apples, but as a show apple is not in the running with some others. Peas"good's nonsuch is a magnificent apple, but I cro'ubt if it would pay as well to plant a thousand trees as it would to plant a similai number of Lane's Prince Albert, Stirling Castle, Ecklinville, 1 Warner's King, Cox's Pomona, Bismarck, Gascoyne's scarlet seedling, and a few others. By all means plant for exhibition where time and space can be afforded for producing fine specimens for that purpose, but at the same time do not forget to cater for the general public.

Mammoth apples arc not what the great body of consumers, prefer, but sound, clear, bright specimens from soz to 7oz in weight without any admixture of traeh. There need, be no fear about glutting the markets with first'class sample?. I could sell a hundred times more than I have to dispose of if I had them in projjer ealeable form. When you have intimations from three different persons in one day that they would be glad to purchase all you have to' dispose of if you will state a price it is almost as perplexing as when you cannot find a buyer. Last year (1897) I sold Cox's orange pippin to the shopp at 4s 6d per stone, culinary apples 2s 6d to 2s 9d per stone. My greatest trouble was in not having more to sell. The public would have to pay id to Id per lb more than I received, as retailers mvs 4 " have a profit, which they generally contrive to make on good fruit. I will name a few apples such as they like to buy and I like growing for them.

Cox's Pomona. — If there is one apple more valuable than another with me this is the one. It is good to look upon, good to eat, good to cook, an abundant cropper, but not quite so heavy in the basket as pome varieties — that is, we require a larger bulk for, say, a stone than of euch as Tower Glamis or Mere de Menage. Setting aside weight Cox's Pomona is a splendid apple, but rather^ liable to' canker when grown on the starvation system

Lane's Prince Albert. — I consider this is one of the grandest culinary apples we possess, and will keep . to well on in spring. • It is a good cooker and attractive fruit, with a flushed cheek. The tree is a heavy cropper, and requires generous feeding when there is a crop swelling, and I have not seen Prince Albert without one in any season.

Bismarck. — Another grand variety. The tree is not only a heavy cropper but a healthy grower, and bears large, richly-coloured fruit. I have no doubt that 1000 trees each of Lane's Prince Albert and Bismarck planted on good land and well cared for, giving rich top-dress-ings and mulchings in the summer, would in no long time provide an industrious and intelligent worker with a good living. Gascoyne's Scarlet Seedling. — This ip my next favourite. The trees when the fruits are developing are the admiration of all beholders. This apple possesses size, colour, and flavour, also good keeping qualities. The tree is a beautiful grower and free cropper, but a little diFcretion is required when pruning, or many of the fruit buds are liable to be cut off. because a fine blossom bud is the terminal to a summer shoot in many cases. Ido not, how ever, advise leaving long shoots with terminal fruit bud?, if such shoots are not required for furnishing the tree, because, heavy fruits at the end of long, slender branches swing about in the wind, bruising and spoiling themselves and othero. By the exercise of judgment in pruning damage of that kind may be easily averted. Castle. — I find thif= a capital apple for quick profit. Its one fault is in cropping bo early and heavily, so much co that if the fruits are net freely thinned they are small, and the buds much weakened for the following year. Stirling Castle is a splendid kitchen apple, so symmetrical that little wasce occurs in paring, and is a good cooker. The tree must have several rich top-dressings with liquid manure in the growing season.

"Warner's King. — Very few growers. I think, can dispense with this apple. The tree is a heavy cropper, and bears noble fruit, which cook* well. The trees grow strongly and carry grand foliage, but are rather prone to canker in some districts, perhaps because the strong wood is not always sufficiently matured.

Small's Admirable. — Sc certain and free is this variety that it is not planted half so freely as it deserves to be hi small gardens as weil as larger ones. It is an excellent cooker, heavy cropper, and the tree grows very much like Lane s Prince Albert.

Lord Derby. — This is another variety with money in it if well cultivated and highly fed with phosphatic and less freely with nitrogenous manures, though it does not appear to succeed if left to take its chance in cold, strong soils in some districts.

Northern Dumpling. — A heavy cropping variety, bearing fine large conical fruit, which cooks excellently. The tree is a very healthy and upright- grower, just the tree for a small garrlaii.

New Hawthornden. — Many good points are combined in this apple to recommend it to small, as well as large, growers. The tree bears freely in a young state, while the fruits are large and of good cooking quality. If the trees are lightly cropped and well supplied with stimulants, the fruit can be grown to an enormous size for show purposes, but that is not a paying crop. New HaAvthornden requires great care in pruning in its young stages of growth. The branches grow inwards, therefore care is requisite to prune to an outside bud, and even then the tree is better with some of the branches drawn outwards and tied to gtakes driven, into the ground for that purpose. Ecklinville. — I think no one can err in planting this apple where there is room for a

tree. It is a capital grower, liea-vy cropper, and with care I find the fruit wil keep, through the summer. Assistance at the roota is very desirable when the crop is swelling. Lord Grosyenor. — Certainly this is a firstclass early kitchen apple. The tree is a free grower and heavy cropper, the fruits attaining a marketable size almost sooner than any other, and, well developed, are very firstclass cooking quality. I will mention one more to make a baker's dozen.

Newton Wonder. — A point to be mentioned in this apple is that it is not difficult to keep till the end of spring. The tree is a good grower and free bearer of beautiful looking fruit, which partakes of the flavour of Dumelow's seedling ; but trees of this are unfortunately prone to canker, while those of Newton wonder are free from any sign of the gangrenous infection.

The description I have given of the above 13 varieties is from their behaviour in East Yorkshire. Perhaps in other parts of the country some of the varieties may prove less useful. I have grown many others, but for productiveness, good appearance, and affording a supply of good saleable fruit from midsummer to late spring I do not not know 13 better varieties for this part of the country, •which is not the best in the kingdom for apples. Who can select and give reasons for a better dozen cooking apples, apart from those named?

I have mentioned feeding when the crops arc swelling. Though this is often important, I wish it to be understood that it is not the only time that feeding can be done with great advantage. It has been many times mentioned in the Journal of Horticulture that liquid manure may be given in. the winter, when it can pass freely into the ground with great advantage to enfeebled fruit trees. I have proved by experience that it is tafer to give liquid manure twice as strong in the winter a3 in the summer season. The present is a good time to give £lb of basic slag to the square j^arcl to all fruit trees, dusting the slag 18in further than the branches extend all round the tree, and pointing in two or three inches deep ; then spread one or two inches thick of half-decayed manure on the surface ; the rains and snow will wash the nutriment down *o the roots. If in addition 20gal of gcod liquid manure can be given to each free-bearing tree, so much the better for the fruit and trees in the following season. '

Fruit trees, treated as mentioned, will beai a crop every year. 1 consider, and not without good reason, that trees treated as advised will carry theii flowers more safely through a cold night with sdeg or 6deg of frost than will trees thst are badly managed, or grown on the starvation system, with the temperature at or about freezing point.