288 ANNUAL BEPOET 



The Russian peajrs are mostly large in size, but not of number 

 one quality for eating. They are, however, profitable, as they are 

 best for cooking. Three (»r four of them are, however, excellent 

 for eating. Among these is the Sapieganka, which is now (August 

 3) in fine condition for eating. Some of the largest and best bear- 

 ing trees we have seen in Wilna and other points in Russia were 

 of this variety. At Wilna we saw trees nearly two feet in diame- 

 ter, loaded with fruit, while varieties like Flemish beauty utterly 

 fail. 



I should say a word about the fiue botanical garden at Warsaw. 

 Every town in Europe of any pretension has its well managed bo- 

 tanical garden, but Warsaw has one of the very best. Amid the 

 wars and turmoils of poor Poland this garden has seemed to have 

 no backset. The inter-continental sections are here repre- 

 sented more fully than we have seen in any garden this sids 

 of Kew. These botanical gardens of Europe have done a work 

 which America should try to copy in the near future. We see here 

 everywhere better specimens of our own trees than we can show. 

 How is it on our soil with the fruits, trees, shrubs, grains and 

 grasses of intercontinental Europe ? Have we a first-class bo- 

 tanical garden in America ? 



But our time is up for Riga, Russia, to which place we go to 

 study one of the largest nurseries, found as far north on the con- 

 tinent as parallel 55 of north latitude." 



NOTES FROM RIGA. 



" As Riga is near salt water and on the lower arm of the gulf of 

 Riga, its climate might be supposed to be too moist and cool to 

 interest the Iowa horticulturist. But in winter and summer the 

 east and northeast winds are common, and in all cases are dry. lu 

 winter these dry winds often come at a temperature of 35 and 40 

 degrees. Hence only the trees aud shrubs can be grown which 

 will endure extreme changes of heat and cold, and aridity and 

 moisture of air. 



" In the fine parks on the avenues, and in the nurseries and 

 fruit gardens of C. H. Wagner, we find no tree or plant that will 

 not endure the roughest usage. Even the American Black Locust, 

 which is the most common deciduous tree of central Europe, is here 

 lost sight of, while the northern Elms, Lindens, Birches, Alders, 

 Caraganas, Poplars, Maples, Hornbeam, Crataegus, etc., assume 

 new forms." *****.* 



