SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 331 



date I had top-worked quite a number of seedlings, most of 

 which froze in the trunks, and the whole tree would die out- 

 right. 



Previous to that time the idea was that seedlings would stand 

 any amount of freezing, but the winters of '82 and '83. pretty 

 thoroughly settled the point in my mind that we must have 

 something we could rely on, something that had stood the test. 

 On examination we found that the Duchess and Whitney had 

 passed through those two trying winters and had come out as 

 bright in the spring as they had gone into winter the previous 

 fall. Had I taken Mr. Whitney's advice and set all No. 20, I 

 would be much farther ahead with my orchard to-day, as my in- 

 tention was to re-graft with such kinds as I wished. 



I have never lost any of the Whitney or Duchess, neither have 

 I ever lost any kind that I set on those two stocks, but I have 

 lost quite a number of trees where I used the Walbridge for 

 stocks, as they would freeze so badly in the trunks that the 

 whole tree would die. I have left only three Salome out of seven- 

 teen worked on the Walbridge, and only one of those is sound 

 in the trunk. Out of forty Wythe I have only about a dozen 

 left that were on Walbridge stock. I have since used the Whit- 

 ney and Duchess to work less hardy kinds on and find no trouble 

 about the trees being killed by freezing. 



I have some Salome worked on the Whitney and they are as 

 fine young trees as can be found. I do not fear of their freezing 

 to death. I have some Salome apples here on exhibition that 

 are as fine apples as can be found, and I care not whether you go 

 to Michigan or to the state of New York to get the specimens. 

 If I had ten thousand barrels of such apples as the Salome they 

 would be ready sale. I claim the Salome is the best* new apple 

 we have at the present time, as it will keep a whole year; it is 

 ready for use in November, after being gathered, and is a keeper 

 of the first quality. The Wythe comes next as a first-class 

 apple. 



Mr. Hathaway, the originator of the Salome, says he has kept 

 it over the second winter in a common cellar in good condition. 

 Work the Salome on the W T hitney and you will have no trouble 

 in growing as fine apples as anyone wants. 



I have set in orchard thirty-one varieties : "First Early," a 

 new seedling, the earliest aj3ple there is in Northern Illinois. It 

 is ahead of anything. Astrachan, Excelsior, or Yellow Transpar- 

 ent, are two weeks behind it in ripening. In size it is about as 

 large as Rambo or nearly as large as Excelsior, of better quality 

 than any of our present early apples and a much better keeper; 

 I have kept them one month in fine condition after being 

 gathered. It is a very mild sub-acid. 



Of the thirty-one kinds I have set I would not recommend 

 over six for early : Red Astrachan, Excelsior, Yellow Transparent, 



