STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. 280 



FRUITS OF THE GULF OF RIGA. 



" Of course we have given a special attention to the fruits grown 

 here. The pears grown most successfully near the city and in the 

 interior of Livonia are all of the thick leaved type grown at Mos- 

 cow. A cooking pear seems as hardy as the Siberian Poplar. Its 

 Russian name we are told means Pound fear. When kept in the 

 house properly it is said to be a fair eating pear, but rather coarse 

 in texture. The Sapiegauka pear attains great size, and is the 

 most popular summer variety for eating. Twenty-eight other 

 varieties are grown extensively in the nurseries here for shipment 

 to various points in the interior, all of which, Mr. Wagner says, 

 are hardy enough for the 55th parallel in the interior. Of these we 

 will get a more decided opinion as we study them in central Rus- 

 sia, where the summers are very dry and hot. Prominent horti- 

 culturists and agriculturists are now at Moscow. At Warsaw and 

 here letters are continually received from Moscow, saying it is 

 intensely hot there, while here it is dry, clear and deliciously cool 

 for a morning or evening drive. 



" The varieties of the apples most extensively grown in the large 

 nursery here for the far interior are true Russians. Only seventy 

 varieties are grown, and the list has been very carefully selected. 

 Mr. Wagner assures us that all of them, except Livland and Red 

 Stettiner are hardy in the interior, and in my opinion the two trees 

 named are hardier trees than any winter varieties we have. But I 

 will be more positive on this and many other points if we have 

 good luck in a month, or more, hence. The great cherry in the 

 market here is the Ostheim. Hundreds of bushels are sold here. 

 It is the peasant cherry of Livonia. It is really a rich, satisfying 

 variety. A number of larger Morellos are grown, but none of them 

 equal the Ostheim in quality except the Brusseler Braune, which I 

 spoke of at Warsaw and Wilna as the Glorified Ostheim. 



"Some northern forms of the filbert have attracted our attention, 

 which are likely to do well with us. We also find here a northern 

 form of the Bird cherry, which is used for a stock for the hardy 

 cultivated varieties. If the stocks can be secured it is just what we 

 need, as it does not sprout as do our Morello stocks. 



" The pear stocks used here are grown from the wild pears of the 

 country, and seedlings can be obtained at the large nurseries. This 

 we hope will obviate the difficulty we have experienced in using 

 French stocks." 

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