106 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not what they should be. It was brought to my attention 

 this morning by Prof. Hansen speaking of the Alderman farm 

 in South Dakota. When Mr. Alderman set out that farm I met 

 him several times; I know he went out on the barren prairie — 

 there was not a bush within five miles of him — and I judge to- 

 day it is the most successful orchard in South Dakota. While 

 that may not be the best thing to do, there might be a choice 

 of selections. I merely bring this point out that people need 

 not feel discouraged even if they do not have all the conditions 

 that members of this association deem essential to successful 

 orcharding. 



MY EXPERIENCE WITH RUSSIAN VARIETIES OF 



APPLES. 



WM. SOMERVILLE, VIOLA. 



Having- been requested to prepare a short statement, giving- my 

 experience with Russian apples, I am glad to comply, although it 

 has been too limited to form a correct opinion as to the merits of a 

 number of varieties which I now have in orchard. Only a small 

 number of the trees in the orchard were set prior to the test winter 

 of 1883-4, while many of those set since that time have borne only a 

 few apples. Some of the fruit is of very fine quality, good size and 

 showy of appearance; while other kinds are inferior in quality, size, 

 flavor and color. It is hardly possible to form a correct estimate of 

 the relative worth of a variety from its first crop of fruit, since a tree 

 frequently improves with age in bearing qualities. For this reason 

 also, I cannot give a positive opinion in many cases -writh regard to 

 hardiness of tree and the quality of fruit, not yet having had suffi- 

 cient time to make the requisite test. We have not had a test winter 

 for a dozen years or more. 



I have been setting trees in orchard, in Minnesota, since 1860, most 

 of the old trees, however, dying out from year to year, with the ex- 

 ception of Duchess. Losses were so serious as to be quite discour- 

 aging. In the year 1876 there was a great call for seedling trees- 

 Mr. A. W. Sias, V * Rochester, had canvassed the country thoroughly 

 for seedlings anu had obtained a good supply of cions and secured 

 also from the Agricultural Department a quantity of Russian cions- 

 Being a partner with him at the time in the tree business, we grafted 

 quite largely, and in the year 1878 I set in orchard some 250 trees, 

 mostly seedlings, and including also a few of the new Russians 

 Among the latter were such well known varieties as Red and Striped 

 Anis, Red Black, Titus, Pigeon, Sheep Nose, Russian Green, and 

 some five other kinds, of which I have been unable as yet to learn 

 the correct names. These trees all grew very thrifty till the hard 

 winter of 1883-4, when most of the seedling trees were destroyed 

 except a few protected on the north and west by a willow hedge. 

 The Russian varieties were not at all injured and soon came into 

 bearing.and mostof these trees have continued to bearannually since 



