158 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



times out of ten, only waits a time of patience, to meet another 

 •disappointment. 



Many would say that experimental stations will cure all this, 

 but that is another mistake. While we are free to confess that 

 the experimental stations have been the source of bringing to 

 light many valuable theories to enhance the interest of both 

 agriculture and horticulture, and should have our hearty support 

 for its further extension, when we consider the arena of Illinois 

 — the difference in climate, and the many different soils contained 

 therein — could we recommend a variety of apples grown at 

 Galena, and valued highly for hardiness of tree, but with little 

 regard to quality and size of fruit, to a fruitgrower in the vicinity 

 of Cairo, where any variety of apple stands the winter, and the 

 points sought for are size of fruit, color, and freedom from 

 speck or rot? Or, could we recommend for Northern Illinois a 

 variety of apples grown very successfully in Southern Illinois, 

 but with a very open, porous growth of wood, and tendency to 

 hold its leaves and continue to grow until late in the season, with 

 any good result therefrom? 



While it is apparent to all fruit growers that many of our old 

 standard varieties are deteriorating, and it is now very certain 

 that some means will have to be adopted to revise our old 

 varieties, or seek some new ones to take their places — in my 

 opinion, the latter is the only certain way out —we must not be 

 too hasty in grabbing up everything offered, or take all the fellow 

 has, in order to get a corner on our neighbor. There are some 

 varieties of fruits and berries that are adapted to extreme cli- 

 mates and many different soils, but such is not a general rule. 



I would recommend that before investing very heavy in any 

 new fruit, to first learn whether or not it has been tested in like 

 soil and climate as that to which you are planting on. Too much 

 care cannot be exercised in this matter, for if there is anything 

 on this green earth that would make one of our large-hearted, 

 whole-souled, good-natured horticulturists lose his good temper, 

 it is to nurse, with the greatest care, some new and highly rec- 

 ommended strawberry, to be attacked by rust, or the berries 

 turn to buttons, just at the time he expected to gather a crop of 

 fine fruit; to have his pear trees blight about the first time they 

 are well set with fruit; apples to speck and fall about the time 

 the fruit is half matured; or peaches to become covered with 

 rotten specks a day or two before the time he has arranged to 

 -commence shipping. 



I beg leave to report the following list of those we think worthy 

 of farther trial: 



APPLES. 



r Mother — Tree, hardy, good grower; fruit, size medium, color, 

 bright red, striped on yellow ground; free from rot, quality ex- 

 cellent. 



