STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 11 



their value to the northwestern phmter? On this point T am Hrnily 

 of the opinion that so long as northwestern })hinters follow the ad- 

 vice of southern and eastern growers ( who naturally reason from 

 their own standpoint) rather than i>rofit hy the experience of those 

 " on tlie spot," who may have wrestled witli this trou])lesonie (juestion 

 for ten, twenty or thirty years or more — and so long as they permit 

 themselves to he imposed u])on hy irresponsihle tree dealers- — who. 

 under the pretense of furnishing northern-grown " iron-clads," till 

 tlieir orders with any and every variety of southern and eastern trees,, 

 fraudently laheled — so long, I say, hut little progress is possihle. 



A pertinent question arises on this point: Why should dealers 

 — as a rule — prefer to procure their stock from southern and east- 

 ern growers? Because they can huy them tliere for less money. The 

 cost of production is much less in the south and east then in the 

 north, by reason of a more favorable climate — not because those 

 growers understand their business any better, nor can furnish any 

 better trees. 



I happen to have a little experience with a few of Mr. Moody's 

 trees on whole roots, and I know, several gentlemen whose experi- 

 ence coincides with mine. On account of the claim made by him, 

 "that the Mann apple is as hardy as the Duchess in any part of the 

 United States," — a claim that is being kept u]) to this day — 1 bought, 

 in the spring of 1882, fifty trees of that variety. Their roots were 

 about twenty to twenty-four inches long, with scarcely any brace- 

 roots near the crown or any where else, part of them were forked to- 

 ward the lower end, forming several tap-roots and part had nothing 

 but single tap-roots; they were the worst looking roots I ever saw. 

 I planted them in the orchard and gave them fair cultivation. l)ut 

 had to straighten them up a number of times during the season, as 

 they were swayed about l)adly by the wind. They grew fairly well, 

 however, and I flattered myself that — in time — they might out- 

 grow their intirmities. In the s])ring of 1888 a])out one-half of them 

 were dead; iii the spring of 1884 another lot had perished, and the 

 spring of 1885 revealed the fact that the remainder had "given up 

 the ghost." So ended my investment in the Mann apple, crown- 

 grafted upon whole roots, that was to be as hardy as Duchess in any 

 part of tlu' I nitcd States. I would state that top-worked trees of 

 the Mann, scions of which were cut from the trees received from Mr. 

 Moody have endured these cold winters well. I have not lost a tree 

 of these. 



Mr. S. G. Minkler sent in a paper on the same subject, which 

 was read by Miss Bessie Kash, Assistant Secretary. 



