Sixteen Years' Experience in Fruit Culture. 35 



bj retarding the growth the disease would be checked. This re- 

 sult did indeed follow, but it was at the expense of their fruitful- 

 ness. So we have this choice of evils, cultivate the trees and thus 

 subject them to blight, or seed the orchards to timothy, and 

 gather but little fruit. Unfortunately the Transcendent, which is 

 the best and most reliable in other respects of all the Siberians, 

 and the sort most largely planted in St. Croix, is more subject to 

 the attacks of this disease than any other variety. 



But we persevered in the face of all these discouragements, and 

 with some small measure of success, until, in 1879, there were a 

 good many trees of Duchess, Wealthy, Tetofsky, and some other 

 varieties, in bearing, and many promised success in the future. 

 But the last two winters have effectually dispelled this delusion, 

 and I do not believe there are to-day one hundred healthy trees 

 of any standard variety in all that region. St. Croix county is in 

 some respects more unfavorably located as regards tree culture 

 than any other county in the state. Except a few sections along 

 the northern and eastern borders, it lies just south and west of 

 the timber, and thus loses all the benefits which its protection 

 affords to more favored localities. It has no large bodies of water 

 to ameliorate the atmospheric conditions, and is entirely exposed 

 on the west and southwest to those rigorous blasts which sweep 

 the plains of Minnesota and carry destruction in their breath to 

 every living thing less hardy than an oak. No apple tree yet 

 introduced has been able to withstand the effect of those terrific 

 blizzards, with the mercury at from 80° to 40° below zero. Even 

 the Transcendent, our standard for hardiness, is often severely 

 injured and sometimes killed outright, as the two past winters 

 can bear witness. And now what are we going to do about it? 

 It would seem to be useless to continue the fight any longer with 

 the old varieties, which have been tried again and again, and as 

 often found wanting. For myself, I have discarded all of them 

 except the Duchess and Wealthy, and shall plant but sparingly 

 of these. My only hope of success lies in the direction of the 

 experiments now being made at the Minnesota experimental fruit 

 farm, under the direction of Mr. Gideon. It seems to me probable 

 some time, perhaps in the near future, a seedling may be found 



