Remarks on the Winesap by members of the State Horticultural Society:
C. C. Cook (Wabaunsee county): I strongly favor the Winesap, preferring it to any apple I grow.
J. W. Robison (Butler county): The Winesap is desirable because of its deep, rich color, its attractiveness, and high flavor. Its one princ.i.p.al defect is over bearing. It is a good seller.
E. J. Holman: The excellences of the Winesap consist in its color, its flavor, and its keeping quality. I would not recommend it for a commercial orchard. I recommend it for the family orchard only.
W. G. Gano (Missouri): That is my view. I would not recommend it as a commercial apple. The tree grows straggling, and is subject to insects, and the winds affect them greatly, making them unprofitable in our orchards. As a family apple, when grown to perfection, we can hardly dispense with it.
F. W. Dixon: The Winesap trees on my farm are twenty-five years old, and last year yielded ten bushels of marketable apples [per tree], besides culls. I would not recommend the Winesap as a commercial apple, as it is usually small.
Phillip Lux: I must say a good word for the Winesap. It has many traits against it for profit; yet I would give it a place in the commercial orchard. It falls early, and must be picked early; but if planted in good, rich, black soil it will as a rule do well. It commands a good price, and is a good apple for variety. We cannot make it a leader, but should keep it among our commercial apples.
James Sharp (Morris county): I consider it a good apple for my soil. It is a good apple if planted in a cool and moist red clay. In this they grow to a marketable size.
G. L. Holsinger: I think I would not plant another Winesap, unless for family use. I would place it fifth or sixth on the list. After one or two good crops they generally play out. This year they were about the size of crab-apples.
J. W. Robison: The Winesap in Butler county is p.r.o.ne to spur blight. In summer, when the hot sun comes, they dry up in cl.u.s.ters. As far south as we are they are hardly profitable. Farther north they do better. In Illinois, from one square of 200 trees (Winesaps) I gathered 3000 bushels of apples, in 1871.
G. W. Bailey: I know no better apple for family use. In our country, in the low lands, they are fine, of fair size, producing well. While the tree is young the fruit is fine; after it gets older it overbears, and the fruit becomes small. I would not plant it for market.
William Cutter (Geary county): I consider the Winesap good for family orchards, but when old inclined to overbear, which enfeebles the tree.
While the tree is young it is among the best. It does not pay for market.
B. F. Smith: I would drop it from the commercial list. If I were to plant 1000 trees I would plant only 200 Winesaps. I prefer the Ben Davis, but we should not all grow the same apple. We want variety.
William Cutter: Every one likes Winesaps, but we cannot grow them at ordinary prices.
George P. Whiteker (Shawnee county): I do not know a better apple. As remarked, when the tree gets old the fruit runs down in size. It is very deceiving. When it appears overloaded there are often not many on it.
President Wellhouse: It has disappointed us every year. Some years they are very full, but many go to the cull piles. I vote against the Winesap. We have not planted any for ten years. Mr. Walter Wellhouse is here. He can tell us about the Winesap.
Walter Wellhouse (Shawnee county): My experience is that, like some other apples, they will not grow in poor soils, but if the soil is suitable they are profitable.
Dr. G. Bohrer (Rice county): I have noticed it is not so much in the quality of the soil as the quant.i.ty of moisture in it. Having trees on high ground, I irrigated one of them, and it bore fine apples. In Arkansas, where the land is too poor to raise corn the Winesap does well; but it will not grow on high, dry soil. They must have more than the ordinary amount of moisture.
Secretary Barnes: T. W. Harrison, ex-mayor of Topeka, has Winesap apples growing about seven miles southwest of the city that are phenomenal.
They are the largest I ever saw. They have been exhibited at our past meetings, and people would hardly believe them Winesaps. He cannot account for it; says it must be some kind of freak. I examined the trees myself. They are well grown, on high, rolling prairie. I would recommend those who desire Winesaps to get scions from Mr. Harrison. He has seven or eight trees in his orchard, all in one row, far ahead of any Winesaps I ever saw.
Dr. G. Bohrer: Do you know whether there is a source of drainage to that point?
Secretary Barnes: I do not. The trees are probably eighteen years old, and on rolling land.
J. B. McAfee (Shawnee county): I have 145 Winesap trees in my orchard on high ground. They do reasonably well, but are not as large as Mr.
Harrison"s.
Phillip Lux: Mr. Harrison"s orchard lies on a southern slope. It is good orchard land. The soil is very loose. His Missouri Pippins are as good in proportion as his Winesaps. His apples are all good.
J. F. Maxey: We have 300 or 400 acres in Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Janet. I would not discard the Winesap.
JONATHAN.
_Synonyms_: King Philip and Philip Rick.
The Jonathan is a very beautiful dessert apple, and its great beauty, good flavor and productiveness in all soils unite to recommend it to orchard planters. The original tree of this variety is growing on the farm of Mr. Philip Rick, of Kingston, N. Y. It was first described by the late Judge Buel, and named by him in compliment to Jonathan Hasbrouck, Esq., of the same place, who made known the fruit to him. It succeeds wherever grown, and proves one of the best in quality, and most profitable either for table or market. The tree is hardy, moderately vigorous, forming an upright, spreading, round head. Young shoots rather slender, slightly pendulous, grayish brown. Fruit of medium size, regularly formed, roundish conical, or tapering to the eye. Skin thin and smooth, the ground clear light yellow, nearly covered by lively red stripes, and deepening into brilliant or dark red in the sun. Stalk three-fourths of an inch long, rather slender, inserted in a deep, regular cavity. Calyx set in a deep, rather broad basin. Flesh white, rarely a little pinkish, very tender and juicy, with a mild, sprightly, vinous flavor. This fruit evidently belongs to the Spitzenburg cla.s.s.
Best. November to March.
Remarks on the Jonathan by members of the State Horticultural Society:
Dr. G. Bohrer: Jonathan is probably the best apple I grow. They sell for the highest price in the general market. They produce fewer culls than other varieties. It is not a profuse bearer as far south as I am [Rice county]. It ripens too early, and is affected by strong winds.
E. J. Holman: The Jonathan is one of the most desirable all-around apples, excellent as a dessert fruit, of a beautiful deep, bright color, of good quality and strong const.i.tution. It is often called a fall apple, yet, if put in cold storage, it may be brought out even in June in good condition. I place it third as a commercial fruit.
W. G. Gano: The Jonathan should be picked early and put in cold storage.
I would place it second as a commercial apple.
W. J. Griffing (Riley county): We consider it about fourth on the list as a commercial apple.
J. B. McAfee: It is large, and about the second for profits in my orchard, which has been planted twenty-seven years.
F. W. Dixon: I would place the Jonathan about third as a commercial apple. In our county it is longer lived than any other apple tree and freer from insects.
James Sharp: Its only objection is its inclination to fall. I suppose, if picked early and put in cold storage, they may be as good, but do not look as well.
Walter Wellhouse: I think the demand for Jonathan is declining some among large dealers. A few years ago they sold for an advance of from fifty cents to one dollar per barrel. In Minneapolis and Chicago the market still seems good for them; but if I were to plant now I would not plant as many Jonathans as five or ten years ago.
G. P. Whiteker: The Jonathan sells better in our market [Topeka] than any other apple. They have a good reputation; none better. They must be picked early.
Phillip Lux: I would place it fifth commercially, it drops so early, before coloring up; it stands more abuse than any other apple we have, and, if gathered early, will keep even without cold storage until the market improves.
Dr. Q. Bohrer: I agree with Mr. Sharp. I think the farther west we go the poorer the fruit gets. You have more rainfall in the eastern part of the state. It is hardy, possibly hardier than Ben Davis, but it falls early. It is much like Winesap, requiring more moisture than other varieties. When not much exposed to winds it does well. Of late our rainfall is not sufficient, and they are not doing so well, but since trying irrigation they do better.
William Cutter: I live too far west for the Jonathan. It will not stand drought or wind. It ripens too early. It is a cold-storage apple. The worst spur blight I ever saw was on them.
B. F. Smith: It is a good wet-weather apple. If there is plenty of moisture, they do fine. I gather them about the 10th of September, and they keep until the next spring. I tried to see how long I could keep them. They should be about third on the commercial list.
MISSOURI PIPPIN.
_Synonym_: Missouri Keeper.
It is said to have originated in the orchard of Brink Hornsby, Johnson county, Missouri. Tree hardy, a strong, upright, rather spreading grower, an early and abundant annual bearer. Fruit medium to large, roundish oblate, slightly oblique, somewhat flattened at the ends; skin pale, whitish yellow, shaded, striped and splashed with light and dark red, often quite dark in the sun, having many large and small light and gray dots; stalk short, small; cavity large, deep; calyx closed, or half open; basin rather abrupt, deep, slightly corrugated; flesh whitish, a little coa.r.s.e, crisp or breaking, moderately juicy, subacid; good; core small. January to April.
Remarks on the Missouri Pippin by members of the State Horticultural Society:
C. C. Cook: I am a warm friend of the Missouri Pippin, and vote it second. It is a short-lived tree, but brings paying returns for expense and trouble. It has a fairly good flavor.
J. W. Robison: The Missouri Pippin is a young and profuse bearer, and quite hardy with me. I should place it second on the list.