222 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Enormous Apple. 



This apple (No. 398 of the government list of 1870) is a strong rival of the 

 Alexander in size, and is probably the largest known apple of its early season — 

 August in Northern Vermont, and probably July in Southern New England 

 and westward to the lakes. It is of the Alexander type, oval in form, striped 

 and almost covered with red. It is a good sub- acid apple of fair quality, 

 excellent for cooking. Specimens 14 inches in circumference have been 

 exhibited. The tree is a very strong and rapid grower, forming an open head 

 and needing very little pruning. It is also productive. It is much hardier 

 than the Alexander being apparently quite iron-clad. The Alexander (or as it 

 is called in Eussia the Apost family) contains apples of all seasons, and the 

 long keepers. (Winter Apost, etc.,) are said to be the best in quality, yet all are 

 good. 



The following letter addressed to the secretary, by J. S. Stickney, vice- 

 president of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, was next presented: 



RUSSIAN APPLES. 



Secretary Garfield: — Extra hardy apples are less important to your peo- 

 ple than to us of Wisconsin, yet I think almost any one who produces or uses 

 apples would have enjoyed a recent day with me in the trial Russian orchard of 

 Mr. A. G. Tuttle, Baraboo, Wisconsin. 



If the visitor should bring the very common impression that the Russians 

 are all coarse grained and sour, and only give us summer and autumn kinds, 

 he will very soon be driven to a change of mind, if not of " heart." If he is 

 so far interested as to understand and appreciate the needs of the northwest, I 

 think his heart will so far soften as to make him an earnest friend and advo- 

 cate of the better Russians. He will see through them a more direct road to 

 abundant and good fruitage, to take the place of our dead favorites, than by the 

 production and long trial of new seedlings, though in no way checking the 

 interest in and efforts for new varieties from seed. 



Some of the Russians can discount all that was ever claimed for them in 

 way of ugliness, and would do you good service in the road-side rows of orch- 

 ards as fruit thief reformers. The pity is, that these worthless kinds have 

 been sent out from so many points before their quality was known, instead of 

 first testing thoroughly, as Mr. T. is doing. The further pity is that the enter- 

 prising "tree missionary" is so actively selling " Russians," and delivering 

 any worthless kind that he can buy cheapest. But over against this evil stands 

 the good of twenty-five to forty varieties, comparing well with any equal num- 

 ber that Michigan or Wisconsin has ever produced, in season, quality, and 

 quantity. For a brief list, White Transparent, Repka, Beautiful Arcade, Long 

 Arcade, Hybernal, Longfield, Golden White, Arabaskce will give a succession 

 round the year, as good as anybody has, and handsome enough to be proud of. 



I have called this a trial orchard, and so it is in the most severe and impar- 

 tial sense. In 1877-8, two trees each of some eighty kinds were planted on 

 soil of average fertility, which had borne one or two crops of nursery trees 

 — part were planted in among nursery trees — no manure or fertilizers have 

 been used, and only ordinary cultivation given. With this treatment, growth 

 has been very moderate. A few kinds show slight twig blight; aside from this 

 all carry broad, heavy, dark green foliage, the most conclusive evidence of vig- 



