This section is from "The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
"First rate, and don't blight when top-budded." In my grounds this kind, root-grafted, is the worst top blighter I have.
In the hard winters previously alluded to (1855, '6, and 1856, 7), Mr. Overton's trees of Rambo, root-grafted (about one hundred), were all killed to the ground, while in Mr. John Gamble's orchard, about one-quarter of a mile distant, there were two trees of this kind, top-grafted, planted out in 1851, twenty-two years ago, which were uninjured, are now perfectly sound and bear plentifully.
I will state here, that in Mr. Gamble's orchard are four trees of what he calls "Early Sheep's Nose," which is a very fine apple and great bearer, ripening in August; perfectly hardy top-worked, but tender and worthless root-grafted. This kind came from a nursery in Henry county, Iowa, twenty-two years ago. I cannot make it out to be identical with any other known variety, though it probably is. Can some one give information about it? Being a constant bearer, it is a very profitable summer fruit.
To close this communication, already too long, I will say that I have in my grounds at Knoxville, several trees of Williams' Favorite, four of which are top-grafted four feet or upwards from the ground; have been in bearing about ten years, and have never failed to produce a good crop annually, ripening gradually from fifteenth of August to about the last of September. They are among the best, and by far the most profitable summer apple I have; while I have three others, root-grafted, and five of such will not, in proportion to age and size, produce as much as one of the top-grafted trees. I will add further, that from an experience with this kind of ten years' fruiting, it is, for all qualities, without a rival as a summer fruit.
Knoxville, Iowa.
 
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