MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 409' 



My impression is now that his orchard, like nine-tenths on this side of 

 the State line, sufl'ered ten times as much from grass-sod and other 

 abuses and neglect as from the test winters. It is, however, rather 

 fortunate that when such heroic measures shall be resorted to here, 

 some other cause than arctic winters will be trumped up, for it is hardly 

 to be expected that the true one will be admitted. In a long strip on 

 the southern border of Iowa, following very nearly the state line, apples 

 were almost a total failure the past year, caused mostly by a storm in 

 the summer, which may never occur again, and if it should, would be 

 as likely to strike this side of the line next time. But it will neverthe- 

 less help strengthen the conviction that Missouri is peculiarly favorable 

 for growing api)les, which we should be ready to admit and protit by. 



But when it comes to the northern part of Iowa, and all Minnesota,. 

 all accounts agree in positive assurance that all varieties are actually 

 dead, except Oldenburg, Tatofski, Whitney and some other crabs, and 

 I could not see a single instance from the car window to refute the 

 assertion. One man, not a member, whom I conversed with at the 

 hotel, had lost five or six thousand trees of bearing age, totally aband- 

 oned and grubbed them up, and gone into other business, a share in a 

 cranberry swamp in Minnesota for one thing. Considering this, and 

 that a full quota of delegates were from that part of the state, they are 

 the most hopeful, determined, confident and cheerful people imaginable.. 

 They cannot tolerate any doubt of finding or producing a full assort- 

 ment of iron clads, fully equal to any we now have. I ventured to ask 

 a friend privately if he considered it prudent for me to plant 80 acres- 

 in orchard, with a view to marketing the produce in that region, until 

 they could produce their own supply, and after some hesitation he ad- 

 mitted it might be. For my own part, I feel no hesitancy, except as to 

 facilities. And I could not but imbibe some of their hopefulness. 

 They have sevei'al hundreds of varieties from Eussia and elsewhere on 

 trial, most of which may either prove only summer and fall varieties, 

 or much inferior to our standard, but I firmly believe some will prove 

 both hardy and desirable. 



There is one thing, however, thftt we must take into serious con- 

 sideration. Our fruit is not esteemed to compare well with Michigan 

 apples, which are about their only supply. This may be caused by 

 inconsiderately poor sorting, which we are probably all guilty of, never 

 having been educated to a proper merchantable standard. For another 

 thing, our apples have been uncommonly full of codling moths for 

 several years, which might not occur always, or we must learn to fight 

 them. But the most generally discouraging cause, in my view, is the 



