8TATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 287 



here strengthens the opinion that the prairie States have lost 

 hugely in failing to look up the trees, shrubs, cereals, grasses, etc., 

 of the inter-continental sections of Europe at an earlier date. 



As it now is, it will take a long time to make the desired change. 

 Nurserymen and planters will adhere to the old varieties and spe- 

 cies until the ongoing years have demonstrated by actual trial the 

 merits of the new on varied soils and exposures. But the time will 

 surely come when the northern forms of fruits, etc., will supersede 

 nearly all those now recommended by our horticultural societies. 

 The careful and systematic observations we are making of climate, 

 soil, and varieties, will, I hope, hasten the time for making some 

 desirable changes. 



The imperial gardens are now used for a fashionable park. At 

 sundown it is swarming with well dressed and cultivated people. 

 In its variety of expression and perfect keeping, it is not excelled 

 by any public grounds we have seen in Europe. 



The Imperial School of Horticulture deserves special mention. 

 It has only about sixty students, but a strong teaching force, good 

 buildings, cabinets, etc. Its gardens and experimental grounds are 

 of great extent and better kept and managed than most of those 

 we visited in Grermany. We had here a grand opportnity to study 

 the cherries best adapted to northern culture. We specially found 

 one variety from the north which my friend Gibb called "a glorified 

 Ostheim." In habit of growth it is like the Ostheim and the Vla- 

 dimir of the north, but the fruit is from large to very large, and 

 decidedly good. I predict that it will become a very popular 

 variety when known in northern Iowa. 



The Ostheim we have found all over central Europe, and it ex- 

 tends as far north as Moscow, in Russia. It is nearly sweet, and 

 as grown in the grounds of the peasants of Poland, it is a mere 

 shrub. It will prove very valuable on our northern prairies where 

 the early Richmond fails. The Vladimir is of the same dwarf habit, 

 and grows fully as far north. It is also subacid and superior for 

 eating to our Richmond. 



We had also at the institute a fine opportunity of seeing a num- 

 ber of varieties of Russian apples and pears in bearing. A num- 

 ber of the Russian apples are extensively grown here for profit. 

 They are all of large size and some of them are as fine in texture 

 and flavor as the best German varieties. To a considerable extent 

 some of the strong growing Russian apples are used as stocks on 

 which to top-graft the popular German sorts which are not quite 

 hardy. 



