Thousands of apple varieties have been introduced into the United States and, in addition, there are hundreds of unnamed seedling trees considered fine fruit producers by their owners. For me to advise just what varieties to plant would be illogical. The taste, color, texture, size and other qualities of the fruit are a matter of your choice. and the varieties best suited for one state are quite often not suited to many others. A good approach to deciding apple varieties for your garden is to discuss the matter with commercial growers located in your district or with your state agricultural college.

Apples rarely set a good crop of fruit when pollen of the same variety is the only source. A few varieties produce pollen that is worthless for any apple flower, and there are also a few varieties incompatible with each other. Pollination requirements for the varieties you choose to plant should be included in the advice from your local experts.

If you want to plant only one tree, many nurseries offer trees having scaffold limbs of three or more varieties grafted on one trunk. Or, you may enjoy grafting them yourself. Pollination requirements can also be met by placing flowering branches of other varieties in containers of water beneath the tree.

The choice of a rootstock for garden apple trees is just as important as the choice of scion variety. Many nurseries now offer a selection of rootstocks which cause the tree to be dwarfed or semi-dwarfed. In general, apples grafted on East Mailing No. I rootstock will attain a height of about 15 feet in 10 years, on No. VII they will be nearer 10 to 12 feet. and on No. IX only 6 or 7 feet in the same number of years.

Apples often set fruit too thickly for their own good. In many seasons they should be thinned so that individual apples are spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. This operation should be done soon after the last natural fruit drop in June, when the apples will have attained a diameter of about an inch.

Thinning of the fruits helps those which remain to develop into larger specimens. The spacing also permits good coverage with protective sprays and in the red varieties generally results in highly colored fruit. Regular thinning encourages consistent yields each year because the plants do not exhaust themselves, so to speak, in any one season.

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