STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 9 



air of Central Russia/' This information led to further importations 

 of scions, without much definite information as to place of nativity, 

 size, quality or season of fruit, etc."' These importations the Pro- 

 fessor characterizes as "'faulty.'' and concludes that a personal sfiali/ 

 should have preceded tJie importation of a single scion for trial. 



It is to be ho])ed that the importations made by the Iowa State 

 <\»llege since Prof. Rudd's visit to Russia, in 1SS2. may prove more 

 acceptable and result in much good; but a number of years must 

 still elapse before the " wheat can be separated from the chaff." The 

 plan adopted for introduction of these North of Europe fruits by 

 said college is simpl}' experimental. The young trees, as pro])agated 

 at the college, are sent out and i)laced in the hands of private ex- 

 l)erimentors, tor trial only; and as a case in point, how this jilan is 

 working in jn'actice, T would call your attention to a nursery adver- 

 tisement that ap})eared in a leading agricultural pajier of a recent 

 date, to-wit: '' Hardy fruits for the Northwest. We have a fine 

 stock of Russian apples, comprising seventy-five varieties, obtained 

 through Prof. J. L. Budd. Our list includes the best-known and 

 tested varieties of the Russians imported and propagated by Prof, 

 l^udd and others.'" Here the Professor is made to " father " seventy- 

 five kinds as best-known and tested, and to furnish the "passport" 

 for their sale, although only three short seasons have elapsed since 

 th(^ first importation of scions arrived after his sojourn in Euroi)e, 

 not a tree of which left the college nursery before '84 and '85. 

 They must be remarkably early bearers, unless — can it be — they be- 

 long to that class described as "faulty and relatively worthless." 

 We could excuse such enterprise in a " tree peddler." 



But what is the matter with these Russians? Simply this and 

 nothing more: While there are among them a number of handsome 

 summer and fall apples that are of fair quality, no acceptable and 

 .satisfactory winter apple or late-keeper has as yet been brought out 

 from among those " best-known and tested." 



What then shall we do for winter ap})les? T would say: plant 

 such native sorts as have given the best results in your locality in 

 former years, but be sure and have them tojj-r/ rafted from three and 

 a half to four feet above the ground — not higher — iqjon hardij, 

 confjenial f^tnnft. likp r)uchess or Whitney. Strong growers, such as 

 Pewaukee, White Pippin, Salome or \\ al!)ridge had better be put on 

 Duchess: moderate growers are all right on Whitney. And while 

 you cajinot, by this method, obtain trees that will live forever, you 

 can have them to stand by you to a good old age. Trees that will 

 bear better crops of finer fruit, and that will remain many years 

 longer in a vigorous, bearing condition, than your tender, root-grafted 

 trees of the same varieties possibly can; and it is the best you can do 

 to secure to any variety^ — not an iron-clad — its greatest attainable 

 hardiness. liut you may ask: what should cause this difference? I 

 will try to tell you. The influence of early maturity that is possessed 



