STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 95 



ground! There wa? almost no organized preparation to save the crop, almost no buyers, barrels, cider 

 mills or fruit houses, and farm help very scarce. Yet in the glut, there came to this station a carload 

 or two of Eastern apples which sold at paying prices. Why? They were the best and best known 

 winter apples, Baldwin, Greening, Red Canads, Tompkins County King, E?opus Spitzenburg, Peck's 

 Pleasant, Northern Spy, of which none but the Northern Spy could be had here of home growth— and 

 it was claimed that Eastern growth Northern Spy kept better. Some Wisconsin growers collared 

 large lots of their best winter apples which kept splendidly overwinter. But in market they conld 

 not compete with the ruling Eastern sorts and had to be mostly given away or fed to stock. No won- 

 der many farmers "never would set out another apple tree" and even threatened to cut down their 

 bearing orchards. The situation here in 1880 was similar to that of Western New York fifty years ago. 

 Choice winter apples were then delivered to buyers at twenty-five cents per bushel, or ghidly sold on 

 the trees at twelve and a half cents per bushel. How is it there now? (1.) Their soil and climate for 

 fruit thoroughly mastered. (2.) \ complete assortment of the finest apples in the world in possession. 

 (3.) All details worked out, markets, orchards, fruit buyers, hand pickets, fruit packages, fr'iit dry- 

 ers jelly, preserved and canned fruit factories, cider mills, vinegar factories, shipping arrangements, fa- 

 vorable railroad and water routes and rates, markets and commission houses, all in organized working 

 order. In the best fruit districts the apple grower has only to grow his apples, sell them at so much 

 per bushel or barrel, or in the lump on the trees, and take his money. This is profitable, systemized 

 organization, while here at the West, is almost as complete disorganization. 



Why? (1.) Western climate not yet mastered. (2.) Eastern varieties, especially of winter apples 

 falling here, we have neglected to grow Western sorts to compete with them . (3.) Having no founda- 

 tion, no first-class winter varieties adapted to our climate, we have no superstructure, no first-class 

 market fruit, fruit utilizing factories or market arrangements, very few nurseries, but missionary tree 

 peddlers in plenty. For forty years have Western tree and fruit growers vainly tried to acclimate 

 Eastern, Southern and European winter apple trees and fruits in our midst. Among the vast multi- 

 tude of grafted winter varieties, I believe three thousand or more, there is, so far as I know, but one 

 well at home among us. In tree or fruit, or both, they all fall short of Eastern varieties, crops and 

 i'vofits. The Eastern staple market winter sorts, Baldwin, Greenings, etc., were grown from seed, say 

 'lie hundred years ago. 

 What progress has America made in the past century? Why then in cultivated apples is the whole 

 country tied down to ancient Baldwin, Greening «& Co.? Perhaps for the same reason we are in bonds 

 to the Declaration of Independence. But I believe there is a better reason, the practice of grafting. 

 . Grafting is a good thing but too much grafting is bad. Since grafting, especially root grafting, came 

 into use, a process which u.ses only the roots, throwing away the tops of seedlings, comparatively few 

 seedlings have been fruited— and those that have borne have been almost everywhere overlooked, cried 

 down, condemned because they were "nothing but seedlings," proved first-class in both tree and fruit, 

 and quite at home in the West. In tree or fruit, or both, they all lall short of the accepted Eastern 

 standard varieties, raised mostly, say a hundred years ago, from seed. 



In my forty years of horticultural experience I cannot remember of even so much as one respectable 

 premium ofl'ered for a worthy new variety of apples. Our grandparents said: 'Seek no further," and 

 too obedient, we have sought no further. Everybody could have the best grafted sorts, while nobody 

 dared hope to raise better or even as good from seed. Grafted nurseries, grafted orchards, grafted ap- 

 ples were everything— seedlings East or West were nothing. And in our blind Western attachment to 

 Eastern grafts we have ta.\ed ourselves out of .probably f 2,000,000 a year, which, had we a set of 

 worthy 



WESTERN IRONCLAD WINTER APPLES 



for every Western fruit-growing section, we could have kept in our own pockets. It is high time that 

 we of the West declare our horticultural independence and try ts set up fruit-growing for ourselves. 

 We begin as our forefathers began their revolutionary struggle for freedom, poor e.iough. We have the 

 world, the flesh and the missionary tree peddlers to fight, but we realize that independence is best for 

 all parties and for everybody. We want as soon as possible our own set of choice ironclad apple, pear, 

 plum, cherry, etc., for all sections, uses and purposes. We want them wherever they are to be found, 

 in foreign lands, in obscurity in our own grafted or seedling orchards, or in yet unborn generations of 

 seed to be saved, sowed, the seedlings therefrom grow up fruited and the best sifted out, until we get 

 varieties worthy of the glorious West. We are very grateful for, very hopeful of the splendid contribu- 

 tions to our list of hardy varieties from foreign lands, notably from Russia and China. We will fruit 

 them, adopt the best, cross and hybridize them with our own, as I believe, in fine flavor, unequalled 



