APPLES FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. 151 



and it is an apple well worth planting to some extent. On its own 

 roots it is a very slow bearer, it comes into bearing very slowly, but 

 top-worked on to other varieties it has proved a very early and quite 

 prolific bearer, and I should recommend for the commercial orchard 

 setting out some Malinda, especially if top-worked. I would rec- 

 ommend each one to top-work that has the tree. I use the Hibernal 

 for top-working ; I think it is a great tree for that purpose. Al- 

 though it is not worthy of propagation in the southern part of Min- 

 nesota for the purpose of fruit, it is thoroughly worth propagating 

 for top-working, and I hope to see hundreds of thousands used for 

 that purpose. I have one tree of the Perry growing, but I cannot 

 speak personally of it. I think it is coming into our section of the 

 country and is being recognized as a pretty good apple, but whether 

 I would want to set it for commercial purposes in large quantities is 

 still undecided. 



VARIETIES OF APPLES FOR CENTRAL MINNESOTA. 



D. F. AKIN, FARMINGTON. 



In giving you my views of the varieties of apples best suited 

 for general planting in central Minnesota, I would refer you to the 

 premium list of the State Agricultural Society and to the reports 

 of our horticultural society. As far back as 1866, the first stated 

 meeting of this society, many varieties were recommended that still 

 retain a place in many orchards and must, after the trial of thirty- 

 four years, be admitted to be worthy of general cultivation. I will 

 name a few of the varieties which were recommended by some of 

 the first meetings of this society and give you my experience wath 

 them, if the varieties I bought were true to name. Red Astrachan 

 sun scalds easily and blights ; not a success on my grounds. Haas : 

 this I consider a good annual bearer, a good market variety worthy 

 of trial ; does best top-worked on other stock. Limber Twig : none 

 ever produced fruit for me. Walbridge : every one killed. Fa- 

 meuse : not a success. Tallman Sweet : bore a little top- 

 worked on wild or native crab. Duchess : hardy and good bearer, 

 but the fruit drops easily. W^ealthy : a splendid apple ; does best 

 top-worked. Tetofsky : hardy, a slow grower and biennial bearer. 

 Saxton : still is in bearing. And many other varieties only a few of 

 them now being grown in central ^Minnesota. I have set about 

 eighty of the old named varieties, and out of the lot there are only a 

 few left worthy of being called a tree. Alany never lived to blossom, 

 although my grounds and location are considered as good as can be 

 found in this part of the state — a very heavy clay soil and subsoil 

 twenty feet deep, underlaid by limestone rock ; a southeast exposure, 

 on an elevation eighty feet above the valley on three sides, northeast, 



