STATE HOKTICULTURAI SOCIETY. 309 



trees have the special advantage of being worked on the sturd}' 

 wild pears of the steppes, the roots of which are as hardy as those 

 of the northern poplars, 



I hope to be able to get a few pounds of seed of these primitive 

 pears to start the race in Iowa for use as stocks. 



MORE NEW DISCOVERIES — TULA AND ITS FRUITS. 



This is one of the extreme northern points where truit is grown 

 in considerable quantity. But the soil is not very favorable and it 

 seems to be a point where the thermometer runs lower than in the 

 same latitude further east; or at least the winters are more variable 

 in temperature. As an instance, in the winter of 1867-8, a thaw 

 and rain the last of January, taking off the snow, Avas followed by 

 what we called a '^ downpour," sinking the mercury to — ^6 Fah. 

 But few varieties of the apple or pear could stand this usage, yet 

 many varieties will endure this temperature where not preceded by 

 a general thaw and rain. By general consent the varieties at Tula, 

 Moscow, and other northern interior points, that stand as land- 

 marks amid the quite general wreck, are very popular and form a 

 main part of the many young orchards. 



The Antonooka and Red Anis have stood this and every other 

 test, and more trees can be found of these than any other six win- 

 ter sorts in the trying portions of the north. 



While it would be interesting to some to give a full list of the 

 good fruits grown far to the north, it will be best to wait until we are 

 more certain than now of the proper names. To give an instance 

 of what I mean, the Antonooka was a native of Tula or some 

 nearly adjoining province, and has been grown here for at least 

 200 vears. During this long time it has run into several sub- 

 varieties, much alike in fruit and tree, yet bearing local names. 

 So the Anis is an ancient variety of the Volga and has run into 

 varied forms, all valuable, but some better than others. This can 

 be said of a dozen other families of apples. Our object is to sort 

 out thirty or forty varieties suited specially in tree and fruit to our 

 prairie wants in sections where fruit growing is now at a low ebb. 



We have engaged seeds of the best northern trees for trial in 

 Iowa. From this point we work again on a line more like central 

 and northern Iowa than the extreme northern provinces where we 



