IIS TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



American writers on Pomology- But from the peculiar foliage of the Red Astrachan 

 apple and the great resemblance to it of the other so called Russian varieties, it is pos- 

 sible that they all have a distinct origin in this sub-species, a fact which may account 

 for the superior hardiness of these now popular sorts. The results deduced from the 

 botanical principles involved in the above facts, should not be lost sight of by those 

 who expect to realize the coming hardy apple for the North, by planting promiscuously 

 the seeds of the common apple. Let them by all means choose the seeds of such 

 apples as the Astrachan, Oldenburg, and other northern varieties, for the attempt to 

 acclimate the orienial common apple in the region of Lake Superior, is about as futile 

 as would be the attempt to acclimate the fig in Illinois. 



I have spoken of the superior hardiness of the so called Russian apples. They are 

 only partially hardy, not entirely so. But few of them if any, yet fully tested are 

 found equal to the climate of St. Paul. And there is another drawback on these varie- 

 ties not yet overcome. None of them, I believe keep through the winter. 



The Siberian sorts however, genuine descendents of the Pyrus Malas prunifolia or 

 baccata as some authorities assert, which still rest under the cognomen of "crabs," 

 have shown characteristics of improvement in the fruit, combined with perfect hardi- 

 ness in the tree, which promise to fill the now vacant place of good fruits for the 

 northern regions, both of fall and winter varieties ; fruits too, of a quality that will 

 render them sought after in other sections as well as in the extreme north. Dr. J. A. 

 Warder informs me that he saw the Siberian crab bearing abundantly on the Peninsula 

 of Kewanah, Lake Superior, the most extreme northern point of the state of Michigan. 

 I believe also that they have been planted and survived at Pembina and Selkirks Settle- 

 ment in the British Possessions. So rapid has been the progress of this species, that 

 sorts originating from seeds sown by accident, or casually mixed with other apple seeds 

 have sprung up in various sections, especially in the Northwest. Several of these are 

 already acknowledged as leading articles of the nurseryman's trade, and others are 

 now knocking at the doors for admission to public favor. The Hyslop and Transcend- 

 ent Crabs are now found in the Catalogues of nearly every nurseryman in the United 

 States, and no nurserymen in the Northern States would think of dispensing with 

 them. The call for cions and young trees of these kinds, is so great, that now after 

 eight or ten years of popularity, they have not been produced in sufficient quantities 

 to bring down the price to less than double the cost of the common, established sorts. 

 At the State and County Fairs in the Northern States, new varieties of the Siberian 

 crab have lately been exhibited — at some of them, in profusion. Over a dozen new 

 sorts of fall and winter crabs were shown at the State and County Fairs in Wisconsin, 

 during the past season, and at the Minnesota State Fair, more than fifty varieties of 

 merit were on exhibition. At some of the winter meetings of the local Horticultural 

 Societies of Illinois, good and promising Winter varieties have been shown, and what is 

 better, from all these States, varieties of this species have been submitted to the test 

 of good authorities, by cooking, eating, and manufacturing into cider ; and have been 

 found to give the highest satisfaction in all these forms, and in some respects they have 

 even excelled any variety of the common apple. For cooking plain, for conserves, and 

 for cider, no sorts are equal to some of the Siberian apples that have been brought into 

 notice. 



The peculiarly hardy and healthy habit of the Siberian apple trees, a quality which 

 belongs to them by virtue of their origin and specific constitution, renders them 



