VALLEY HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY 281 



tions are necessary, in fact indispensable, to rapid progress in fruit 

 culture. 



I find, by consulting horticulturists of other states and from 

 reading the reports of the different state societies, that many of our 

 sister states are getting the start of Illinois, and are far in advance 

 in this matter. Iowa, in addition to her home station at Ames, has 

 near, or quite, a score of sub-statious, selected and controlled by the 

 State Horticultural Society, and Prof. Budd has several hundred 

 additional stations that he furnishes with trees and plants for trial 

 purposes. And Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and other states 

 are working with good results in this direction, and if we are going 

 to plant our apple orchards again, and with varieties suited to the 

 prairie portion of our State, we must move with energy and deter- 

 mination in the matter, and either grow seedlings to the manor born, 

 or avail ourselves of the work done in other states, and procure the 

 valuable sorts they have originated, or have procured from other 

 lands. In either case, we want stations to test these fruits before 

 recommending them for general planting. And, in order to ac- 

 complish this necessary object, we must begin at the bottom and 

 work up. These things do not usually come down from above, but 

 must originate amongst the people who need them. 



1 think, from the slight attention I have been able to give to 

 the study of the topography of Illinois and neighboring states, that 

 the ^Northern and Central sections of Illinois will require a less 

 number of varieties to accomodate each and every locality, than will 

 be required by any other area of equal extent, from the fact that 

 this portion of our State presents such a uniformity of surface 

 and soil. 



Let us take Wisconsin as an illustration. Along the lake shore, 

 from five to fifteen miles back from the water, they successfully grow 

 all the old eastern apples that are grown on the opposite side of the 

 lake in the State of Michigan ; but outside of this narrow belt they 

 can grow only a few of our most hardy varieties, including some of 

 their own seedlings and Russians. But these will not succeed in all 

 situations; only on the most elevated lands, or a northern slope, and 

 clay soil do they give satisfaction ; on a warm, sandy soil they will 

 not succeed. 



The Russians seem as hard to please as others, blighting badly 

 when not suitably located. My remarks refer to the southern half 

 of the State only, — the northern part is, as yet, practically without 

 home-grown apples. 



What T have said of Wisconsin will apply equally to Minnesota 

 and portions of Northern Iowa. The Wealthy, Roman Stem and 

 many others that succeed fairly well here, will not do in Northern 

 Iowa, except in the most favorable situations ; and in Minnesota 

 there are still greater obstacles to surmount, — in some soils and 



