STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 176 



Mr. Peffer's drawings and descriptions of this apple, made in 

 1880, were then exhibited and compared with the fruit on the table 

 and found to identify it perfectly. 



Secretary Gibbs. Here are five plates of seedlings from an 

 orchard consisting entirely of seedling trees growing on the farm 

 of Joiin Wagner, in the town of Belvidere, Wabasha county. The 

 seed was planted by a man at Hastings in 1855, so I was informed 

 by Mr. Wagner, and in the following, or the next year after, they 

 were transferred to their present location. They never had a fence 

 around tiiem, or at least there is no appearance of there ever having 

 been one, but stand out on the open prairie without any shelter or 

 protection. There are about thirty trees in all — all looking well, 

 and mostly bearing good annual crops. This plate of fair sized, 

 red, subacid apples makes the best showing of anyone. It has a 

 bright dark red color, with faint, fine stripes of white; quality just 

 fair; but it is a true keeper, and worthy of trial. I have known it 

 three years and have a number of grafts of two years' growth on 

 Transcendent, growing finely and likely to fruit next season. I 

 will name it the Belvidere. The tree is hardy and a good grower. 

 The others have some merits as cooking apples — one is large and 

 yellow, but very acid; the smaller ones are better quality; all five 

 are good keepers. This orchard has value for its seeds to plant for 

 hardy stocks for top-working, as it must be that in their twenty- 

 eight years successful buffeting of the extremes of our climate, 

 heat, cold and drought, and their endurance hardily to this time, 

 their seeds have acquired some stamina for the benefit of their 

 progeny; and they may have a further value for cross-breeding of 

 new sorts on the plan of Mr. Peffer or Mr. Gideon. 



President Sias. Mr. Phillips had his seedlings at the State Fair, 

 and we thought them poor in quality ; but later on they got bet- 

 ter. 



Mr. Phillips. I have another seedling tree that we think a great 

 deal of at home. It came from seeds brought from Vermont and 

 planted in 1861 or 1862. Here it is. You see it is large size, long- 

 ish in shape, not a handsome apple in color, being kind of an un- 

 certain mottled green; nobody takes any notice of it at exhibitions; 

 it never takes Ay premiums; yet it is of good quality and a late 

 keeper, and a constant, free annual bearer. We can always de- 

 pend on it for some good apples in the cellar all winter. It bore 

 fruit in 1870. The old tree shows no decay, and I have twenty- 

 five young trees from it just coming into bearing. Atwood seed- 



