WINTER MEETING. 165 



none, of which I have any personal knowledge, fills the bill so well as 

 ^'Little Red Romanite." Not the best eating apple in the world, to be 

 sure, and a poorer cooking apple, but it is the most reliable long keep- 

 ing apple I have ever tried. I have bad Arkansas Black and Salome 

 trees growing for six years, but have never had any fruit from either. 

 Both are highly recommended for good quality and long-keeping. 



Now, my friends, as my list contains so many old-time varieties, 

 some of you may be inclined to dub me "Old Fogy." But allow me to 

 suggest that if you will get a few trees of each of the above-named 

 varieties, and prepare your ground thoroughly, by very deep plowing, 

 and pulverizing, set them carefully, and give them perfect shallow cul- 

 tivation, not very much pruning, and, my word for it, in ten years or 

 less, you will feel amply repaid for all your trouble by the large returns 

 of luscious fruit which they will yield, and continue to give you as long 

 as you continue your kind treatment to them. Just try them, my 

 friends. 



But, lest some of you doubt them, 



I'll whisper the secret, now, seeing It Is you— 



I've tried them and know all about them. 



PEARS. 



I have tried several varieties of pears, and most of them have 

 done reasonably well. Have had but little blight in several years. I 

 have one variety, name not known, which gave fully matured and ripe 

 fruit by the 25th of Jaoe la^t. It was fine in quality and showed no 

 sign of rotting at the core. It was almost maroon in color and larger 

 thaa Seckle, Bictiett, Ho^^ell aad White Doyenn. Each did well for 

 me this year. So also did Duchess. The above, with Lawrence 

 Keiflfer and Gorber, will furnish any family with delicious pears from 

 July to January, or later. 



PLUMS. 



I have tried ten or more varieties, and find Wild Goose, Miner 

 and Golden Beauty the best for the family orchard. They ripen in the 

 order named, and will furnish plums from about the 1st of July until 

 November. Golden Beauty has a tendency to overbear and must be 

 thinned in order to get the largest fruit, which, when picked and 

 ripened off the tree, is very good. 



Pottawatomie and Marianna are so very poor in quality that I re- 

 gard them as being entirely worthless. And I wonder why such emi- 

 nent horticulturists as our own N. F. Murray, of Missouri, and J. L. 

 Budd, of Iowa, recommend them so highly — especially the Pottawato- 

 mie. Surely, they have not tested its fruit, and are relying on other 

 persons, whose judgment and tastes are very much at fault, and whose 



