Secretary's Budget. 277 



things considered, such as hardiness, fruitfulness, quality, etc ? '" 

 His prompt answer was: "For winter apples, Ben Davis, but 

 always to he tvp-grafted on a more hardy stock; and the Willow 

 Twig. Of fall apples we make no account, For summer, Eed 

 Astrachan, Sops of Wine and Keswick Codling." For further 

 south, that is, below Effingham, .Mr. Dunlap names for winter 

 apples, Ben Davis, Rome Beauty and Wine Sap ; and for summer. 

 Red Astrachan and Duchess of Oldenberg. — Prairie Farmer. 



THE WEALTHY APPLE IK THE NOETHWBST. 



Editors Country Gentlemais". — I find so many good things 

 in your paper benefiting me practically and mentally, that I feel 

 myself indebted to it. Allow me to comment on some things in 

 the Country Gentleman of July 31st. Peter M. Gideon says that 

 the Wealthy apple is estimated to be worth to Minnesota a million 

 of dollars. My ten years' experience with this tree aud its fruit, 

 induces me to say that I believe it to be worth as much to Dakota, 

 Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and it will probably prove to 

 be one of the best orchard trees in all the Northern States, 



Since the Wealthy is getting into the nurseries and orchards so 

 generally, allow me to give a short history of it : About 1865 or 

 1866 Mr. Gideon, of Excelsior, Minnesota, sent to Mr. Emerson, 

 of Bangor, Maine, for some crab apple seed, for he had tried the 

 common apples and they winter-killed. He received nearly two 

 quarts of seed. He planted the seed, and in five years this one 

 bore a few specimens of apples. At seven years Mr. Gideon was so 

 well pleased with the tree and its fruit, its quantity and its quality, 

 that he took off 400 scions and brought to me, asking me to graft 

 them on the halves, and to send him one-half the trees at one or 

 two years old. I confess that I very reluctantly consented to pay a 

 high price for an unknown seeding. But it was Mr. Gideon's 

 knowledge and faith in the great value of the Wealthy, and his 

 flattering me by saying that he heard that I was an honest man, 

 that induced me to accept his terms. I sent him 1,000 one year 

 trees the next fall, which was, I think, 1875. A few scions had 

 been sent out by Mr. Gideon the winter before (1874). Such is the 

 origin of the Wealthy, which is no doubt a hybrid of crabs and 

 common apples. Mr. Gideon is quite sure of this, for from the 

 seed of the Wealthy he has obtained crab apples. I have a seed- 

 ling of the Wealthy bearing this year, which resembles a very large 

 crab apple. 



SUEL FOSTER, 



Muscatine, Iowa. 



