THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART XI. 665 



kota sent down four years ago? For an answer go to our old orchards 

 and see, as I have done during the past summer, trees apparently sound, 

 topple over at the first strong wind, with trunk and branches solid and 

 sometimes even having leaves and half matured fruit — but without roots. 

 Such is the doom of the trees from the east and even those gotten here 

 without consideration for the roots. 



Although I have a great respect for the eastern people, nevertheless 

 some of the worst frauds ever perpetrated on our Iowa people were done 

 by Ohio men. To charge one dollar each for grape vines, the fruit of 

 which was claimed to be seedless, or ten dollars a dozen for vines which 

 were to grow grapes containing in each berry only one seed — such are a 

 few examples of their work. Take a step nearer home, If you please, to 

 Illinois. There find a man who is advertising and has even copyrighted 

 the very name (to forbid wholesale propagation) of a pear which he claims 

 to be entirely "blight proof" and which he sells at two dollars a tree, the 

 fruit of which, according to the investigations of some of our most ex- 

 perienced western pear growers is nothing but that "old timer" the 

 Birkert. 



For my taste a tree five feet high, healthy and thrifty, with a good set 

 of roots, is more to my satisfaction than larger in height. But varieties 

 differ in growth. You mustn't expect as large a Willow Twig or a Duchess 

 of Oldenburg tree as of most varieties. In this case you have to contend 

 with a smaller or an older tree. This is one of the reasons why the Willow 

 Twig can so seldom be had true to name in the nurseries. On my grounds 

 in the nursery row, at one year old ,it is a measly, scrubby and I almost 

 dare say lousy product of Dame Nature. So don't wonder if your Willow 

 Twig trees will bear Wealthy apples or Whitney crabs if you persist in a 

 large tree. For the home orchard three-year-old trees are best, although 

 commercial orchardists usually buy heavy two-year-olds. One-year-old 

 grape vines and asparagus plants give best satisfaction. They make better 

 vineyards and asparagus beds in time than older plants and the one year 

 seemingly lost is quite made up for by the perfection of the work. 



Quite often the people are taken in by the following Some Dick, 

 Tom or Harry comes along, from where, God alone knows, with his fancy 

 picture book of varieties of fruits of all descriptions, sizes and colors, 

 suitable to all climates, soils and sites. Varieties that surely were orig- 

 inated in cold Russia; trees having fruit buds almost before planting, so 

 are sure to bear early; the fruit is to keep as our best keepers, with qual 

 ity and beauty for which Webster's book has no word of definition. Usually 

 these varieties have a name which mortals never heard nor will they ever 

 bear them again after the agent has gone. At times the arrangement is 

 like this: Dicky raises the trees, Tommy sells them and promises to plant, 

 c are for and replace free of charge all that die, and lastly if the poor sucker 

 won't bite otherwise, he guarantees them to bear in from three to five 

 years. When planting time comes, the trees come, but not Tommy; in- 

 stead comes Harry who knows nothing of the arrangement made by the 

 agent. As to the planting, replacing and guaranteeing it most likely dis- 

 appeared with the agent. In connection, did you ever think seriously as 

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