518 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fruits as afford promise of adaptation to the trying climate of northern Iowa. 

 In the severe prairie climate of this portion of the State, even the hardiest 

 of the American apples prove tender, while, so far, the Russian varieties have 

 failed to vvin a clear record for hardiness. So extreme is the difficulty here 

 that Mr. Patten has, for sometime, been engaged in the cross fertilization of 

 several varieties of known hardiness with the hope to be able to originate 

 varieties adequate to their local needs. 



A half day's journey westward to Mason City, and an equal distance 

 southward, thence to Ames, through a rich, fertile and well improved farm- 

 ing region shows an almost total absence of orchards ; the general conclu^sion 

 being that even the apple cannot be successfully grown. 



On arriviog at Ames we entered the only carriage at the station and asked 

 to be driven to a hotel, but was informed that it ran direct to the Agricult- 

 ural College instead, to which place we concluded to go at once. In passing 

 through the town, Prof. A. S. Welch, formerly principal of the Michigan 

 State Normal School, at Ypsilanti, became a passenger. After a needful 

 preliminary recognition, followed a pleasant though brief revival of acquaint- 

 ance; and. under his direction, we were driven direct to the residence of 

 Prof. J. L. Budd, so extensively known as the agent of this institution in the 

 importation of trees and plants from eastern Europe, as a means of supply- 

 ing hardy varieties adapted to the severe climates of the prairie States. 



Two or three days were spent here in carefully looking over the orchards 

 and nurseries maintained here for the purpose of testing, propagating and 

 distributing these introductions, which prove to be far more varied and 

 extensive than we had been led to suppose; including, as they do, an exten- 

 sive collection of ornamentals as well as of timber trees. 



More recently doubts have arisen as to the hardiness of these introduced 

 fruits in the climate of the prairie States, and also as to the probable influence 

 of 80 extensive a transfer southward in hastening their season of maturity, 

 rendering them summer and autumn fruits here rather than long keepers. 

 It is, however, a noticeable circumstance that this latter objection comes 

 mainly from the southern portion of the interested territory, where such re- 

 sult would necessarily be the most noticeable. 



On the other hand, Prof. Butld claims that the tested varieties liable to 

 such objection are, so far, mainly of the early importations, which came from 

 the cooler and moister climate of the coast regions, while h'S later importations, 

 which are yet paniully or wholly untested, are natives of the drier and more 

 extreme climate of the Russian steppes, which is, apparently, very similar to 

 that of our prairie regions. He argues that, in the case of fruits, the season 

 of maturity will be found to vary, not by parallels of latitude, but rather by 

 lines of equal summer temperature, in which particular southeastern Russia, 

 whence these varieties mainly come, is nearly identical with northern Iowa 

 and southern Minnesota; as confirmation of the correctness of which claim, 

 he states that so far as these later importations having yet fruited at the col- 

 lege, their season there has been very nearly identical with that in their 

 original locality ; also that among these recently imported varieties of apples 

 there will prove to be an adequate supply of long keepers, for the region from 

 central Iowa northward, while in southern Iowa the older native sorts are at 

 least partially successful. 



We had not, previously, been aware that the copious pomological memo- 

 randa of the lamented Charles Downing, which had been continued do^n to 



