114 ANNUAL REPORT 



In this severe climate where the temperature, once in five or six winters, goes 

 down to 40 or 45 degrees below zero, next in importance to the selection of varie- 

 ties, is the selection of a suitable location. ~ 



All else being equal, a location surrounded on the north and west by water is the 

 best. Yet, I find in our state, where the blight is so prevalent, that the chances 

 are that you may not gain much, as the annual loss is very great, where the atmos- 

 phere is heavily charged with moisture. 



So a timber protection would be desirable were it not that without free circula- 

 tion of air your trees suffer much from blight. We find that high or elevated land 

 sloping to the north or east with south protection, is best. Mr. Gideon once said to 

 me, " that one acre of north slope was worth ten acres of south slope for an orch- 

 ard," and I believe he was not far from right. 



As I have already suggested, the most important thing when you have selected 

 a desirable location, and thoroughly subsoiled the same and prepared it for plant- 

 ing, is the selection of the varieties. After fourteen years of experience and 

 orcharding in Minnesota, and the planting of over 200 varieties of the standard 

 apples, and now having over 100 acres in orchard, my selection of varieties for a 

 commercial or a domestic orchard would be very small. You can count them on 

 less than the fingers of one hand. The varieties that I shall recommend as hav- 

 ing been of profit to me are, Tetofsky, Duchess of Oldenburg, and Wealthy. 



I have given them in their order of ripening, (the apples,) but in points of value 

 the first should be last. Yet my Tetofsky apples the past summer brought me $2 

 a bushel, while two weeks later the Duchess were selling in the same market at 

 fifty cents a bushel, and my Wealthy sold at from $1 to $1.25 a bushel. Yet the 

 profit on Duchess at fifty cents was greater than on Tetofsky at $2. I am looking 

 for better returns from my Tetofsky trees, they having well withstood the severity 

 of the last two winters. Minnesota's favorite variety of apple, the Wealthy, ha» 

 gone clear to the front in Vermont horticulture. Dr. Hoskins, of Newport, in the 

 northern part of the state, pronounces it "the king of all hardy apples," keeping 

 until March and outselling the Baldwin or any other variety brought into that 

 market. In the shipping of fruit I have had but little experience, as our city, 

 Rochester, has furnished market for all my apples except the last season. 1 did 

 not expect at so early a day to be obliged to ship fruit, but our market was so flood- 

 ed with early apples that I had to look to other markets for the consumption of 

 my Duchess apples. Not having made preparation, I had to ship most of my 

 apples to be sold on commission In most cases they netted $1 per bushel. The 

 points shipped to were St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Peter, Sleepy Eye, Tracy, 

 Marshall, Redwood Falls, St. James, Windom, Worthington, Wells, Jackson, and 

 in Dakota, Watertown, Aurora, Brookings and Huron 



Of the three varieties named I have in my orchard : Tetofsky, about 2,000 ; Duch- 

 ess of Oldenburg, 3,000 ; Wealthy, 7,000 to 8,000, and I am now preparing to plant 

 1,000 more tliis spring. 



Of grapes I had a beautiful crop of Concords. My Eumelian not being covered 

 early, all killed to the ground. Janesville were planted on low ground and mil- 

 dewed badly. 



Of plums I had a fine crop but none of much value for market except the Miner, 

 They sold readily at $1.60 per bushel. 



