In writing about the culture of this excellent fruit, our pomologists say much of its requiring careful pruning and rich cultivation, but without telling the public why or how it requires such pruning and cultivation; thus confusing those who do not understand its habits, and creating doubts as to the expediency of growing it ail. If those who set about informing the world would go into particulars, it would be better.

The fact is, the Northern Spy is a vigorous and upright grower, inclined to throw its wood closely together, like a currant bush. Indeed, the head of a Northern Spy tree, left to itself, looks more like an enormous currant bush than like an ordinary apple tree. But the branches are rather slender, and when in bearing incline to bend over outward with the weight of their fruit. The head must be thinned - and that severely. I have several hundred of them planted in my orchard. Their heads grew compactly together, contrary to my expectations, from what I had heard of them, and last year, for the first time - years after some of my other varieties of apple planted at the same time with them, for the Spy is tardy in arriving at a bearing state - they bore well. I saw the difficulty in the compact growth of the head, and the past spring I went through my trees, and with the saw and knife, gave them a thorough charting out of the central leading branches, giving an etc., which, if they would do, would confer a much greater benefit to their readers, than the loose and general remarks which are usually made in their descriptions.