306 TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANKAKEE 



is a teii(-leiK-_v to change wliicli man lias taken advantage of to produce 

 fruits of finest ({uality, and flowers of rich and most gorgeous 

 beauty. But as Meehan again sa3^s: "If we will have these quali- 

 ties, nature says it .^JkiU he at the expense of something else." So 

 we wall have to submit to this inexorable law of Mother Nature, 

 and renew our orchards every twenty years, or content ourselves 

 with poorer fruit. If we could improve our native crab-apple we 

 might succeed better, but unfortunately it belongs to that class of 

 plants that show little or no disposition to improve in any way. 

 And it is said by those best qualified to know, that there is no well 

 authenticated case of its pollen fertilizing our common or cultivated 

 apple, or rice versa. And still we are not sure that improvement of 

 the fruit of our native crab-apple (were it possible), would not 

 lower its vital forces, and cause it to succumb to our trying seasons, 

 for according to this well-established physiological law controlling- 

 plant life, to improve or strengthen it in one direction must neces- 

 sarily weaken it someAvhere else, and as hardiness seems to be 

 deficient in so many of our improved fruits, an improved native 

 cral)-tree would in all probability be open to the same objection. 

 But some may ask why varieties that are hardy further north and in 

 colder climates than this will do little or no good here. I will say 

 because we lack the protection and drainage, and will add, we have 

 commenced fruit-growing on the western prairies under the worst 

 combination of circumstances that Avill, or ever can exist, while they 

 at the east or in timbered regions commenced under the most favor- 

 able circumstances that will ever be vouchsafed to the planters. 



Our prairies are getting better year by year for fruit growing as 

 we drain and plant timber, while the once timbered localities are 

 lessening their fruit-growing capacities year by year by the destruc- 

 tion of their forests. Viewing the matter in this light, is it any 

 wonder that a tree that has been cultivated and pampered until its 

 fruit has attained to such excellent quality, is unable to withstand 

 the trying ordeal of our undrained, treeless prairies? Why, go a 

 little further west on to the plains and our hardy forest trees cannot 

 be grown without the aid and protection of nurse-trees, as they are 

 called, and they use cottonwood and other native trees that are to 

 the manor l)orn for the purpose. Then let us learn wisdom by o))- 

 servation, that we may plant wisely and well, both for fruit, shelter, 

 and timber, in nowise' forgetting that to grow apple trees that will 

 meet our Avishes in the measure of longevity and hardiness, we must 

 grow them for ourselves, must go back to first principles and grow 

 from seed, and must content ourselves with fruit of lower grade, as 

 to quality, than that grown on the banks of the Hudson, or along 

 the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. 



Discussion on this paper was deferred until next meeting. 



