Adappations in Horticultuke. 73 



generous and even rampant growths in trees, shrubs and vines. 

 The one thing which we lack, is a cell structure in them, which 

 can endure vicissitudes. Tbis is abundantly confessed by the in- 

 terest with which we are looking to Russia for help. The varieties 

 which we have received from that country so far, are either the 

 crabs on the one hand, or apples of second rate quality on the 

 other. We have become to some extent indifferent to quality, if 

 we can only raise the bulk of our needed fruit, but a people like 

 ours, who can buy the old rich apples of our boyhood at moderate 

 prices, bananas, oranges and other tropical fruits at all seasons 

 of the year, will not settle down contentedly with inferior fruit. 

 When our country was first settled, we gathered all of the wild 

 crabs we could find, and made use of them experimenting, in the 

 interest of finding what varieties and what methods are the best 

 adapted to our own circumstances. A portion we would bury in 

 the ground till spring, when a good resolute boy would eat them 

 with many grimaces and call them good. In the presence of the 

 Siberian crabs they are no longer wanted, nor are the Siberians 

 wanted when we can get the Russian apples, nor are these wanted 

 when we can get the Baldwins or Greenings. It is a law in 

 nature that we go north for s Durness and crabbedness in fruit, and 

 south for luciousness and abundance. It seems to be leading a 

 forlorn hope to go to that northern land of soow and Nihilism, 

 where the teeth of the people are always on edge, and when a 

 deep seated desire to push their borders southward to a land of 

 generous fruits and beautiful flowers is the standing menace of 

 Europe, for anything to ameliorate and improve our list of fruits. 

 I do not believe that those northern hordes eat good apples. Still 

 we cannot but watch with kindly interest the efforts which are 

 now being so vigorously made in this direction. 



We will do well to remember at the same time that our exceed- 

 ingly strong desire to secure the fruits we need exposes us in a 

 weak place to the designs of swindlers. We may now look for 

 the tree peddler with his hardy Russian fruits of delightful 

 quality and unpronounceable names, and we will be made of more 

 than ordinary stuff if we do not purchase a bill. I am anxious 

 to speak a word of warning here, for we can already see premoni- 



