STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 97 



S££D8 AND SEEDLINGS 



which would only make a bad matter worse. P. M. Gideon, of Excelsior, Minn., who raised the iron- 

 clad Wealthy apple, first sowed a half bushel of common apple seed from Bangor, Me. All he found in 

 it worth saving was the Wealthy. But this one variety he told me he had been repeatedly assured was 

 worth to the State of Winnesota alone a niillion of dollars. Comparisons are odious, but, all things 

 considered, for Northwestern planting in that extreme climate, which were better, a hundred fresh- 

 average apple seeds, costing in and with say ten apples, ten cents ; or a hundred average tender, first, 

 class, grafted apple trees, costing delivered $15 or $20? I should choose the seeds. The seeds, if I 

 could do no better, I would plant, and from them might possibly get one hardy bearing tree. The ten- 

 der trees I would not have on the farm even all planted out as a free gift, because I know that the first 

 test winter would kill every one. In going back to the seed let us not repeat the folly of meddling with 

 tender stock. Let us take no avoidable risks in that direction but secure ironclad winter apple seed or 

 the very heardiest in reach. 



"But what can we already overworked farmers of the West do with apple seeds and the nursery busi- 

 ness?" Do what thousand of Eastern, yea. Western farmers' Jhave done before you, raised glorious 

 seedling orchards, got them into full bearing, had plenty of apples for their families and live stock and 

 some for their unbelieving neighbors, kept the best trees for fruit and grafted over the poorest with the 

 best grafted fruit. IfTyou can see money in apple seeds as well as in timber seeds, sorghum, garden 

 and flower seeds, I have no fears but that the apple seeds will take their proper place in your aftections 

 and the farm course. In the growing season, if you have a little "nursery, you can go that way to and 

 from the barn and lot. Advising careful experiments, I would reject impossibilities, as for instance the 

 eflfort in a Northwestern climate to grow fruit or tender trees. I ask only your^candid consideration of 

 the whole subject. It will do your children, at least, as much good to grow up with young trees, fruits 

 and flowers as with young live stotfk. It will make them better citizens, physically healthier, mentally 

 stronger. They will love the country jand stay on the farm all the better for it. Your live stock wil, 

 doubtless be healthier, more profitable with daily fruit rations. For both people and live stock, taking 

 the whole country together, T doubt if there is half a proper supply of fruit grown. When those de- 

 vouring evils, strong drink and tobacco are abolished, then, and not till then, will fruit and fruit-grow- 

 ing take its rightful place in the world. T advise orchard growing from ironclads, and, because in that 

 way only can Northwestern farmers get the best orchards possible in their locations, in the shortest 

 time and for the least money. Top-grafting the trees that bear the harvest apples, it is true, will cost 

 money or time, perhaps considerably more than the first cost of grafted nursery trees for the orchard, 

 on the other hand remember first, that hardy seedling orchard trees make the best stocks to graft on ; 

 second, that ironclad winter apple nursery trees are not now to be had ; third, that by tha time your 

 ronclad seedlings get to bearing choice ironclads, grafted sorts will probably be known and by top- 

 grafting them yon can soon have the very best. 



"Bnt from the seed it takes so long!" Have we not been planting alien grafts forty years? Would 

 you spend more time and money thereon? Ten years' growing ironclad seedlings will help more than 

 forty years more on the old track. Average seedlings may be one or two years tardier in bearing than 

 the average rootgraftad trees. The ironclad grafts we now have, Tetofsky, Duchess of Oldenburg and 

 m"st Siberians, are very early bearers. Ironclad seedlings, at least a part will probably bear early, on 

 account of a more dwarf northern habit. From the seed very early bearers would come, say in five 

 years, tardy bearers in eight or ten years. Our early enjoyment of fruits is not the highest considera- 

 tion. Shall the West have choice ironclad winter apples an<l shall we grow seedlings as the best way 

 to get such? 



On the question of time and Western nurseries, how many smart Western towns would like a live 

 nursery started in their suburbs the coming spring? Do you really want to secure a nursery as soon as 

 possible? Help us remove the great stumbling blocks in the pathway of Western horticulture; (1.) 

 Popular ignorance and IndliTercnce; (2.) These unnaturalized, unnaturalizable varieties of fruit. Help 

 us get honest, hardy western ironclads and every one of you can have a first-class local nursery — if you 

 support it as you ought to. Big nurseries and tree peddlers kill or prevent good local nurseries. Why 

 not take pains to patronize a worthy young local nursery just as much as any other needed, local 

 convenience? Every year every western State or county agricultural fair offfers premiums on fruit dis- 

 plays. If they would help western horticulture, why not oft'er every one a liberal premium on a choiCg 

 ironclad winter seedling apple grown in the State or county? These premiums should require (1.) 

 sufficient time and exposure to full crops and severe test winters to establish their ironclad hardihood 

 and productiveness; (2.) high quality of good keeping winter fruit ; (3.) good size and color to com- 



7 



