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THE SEEDLINGS OF 1897. 261 
THE SEEDLINGS OF 1897. 
J. S. HARRIS, LA CRESCENT. 
Eighteen hundred and ninety-seven is conceded to have been the 
poorest apple year we have known since the year of the Columbian 
Exposition. Except in a very few instances, the crop of the older 
grafted varieties was light, and the quality very poor, and in almost 
all instances the Russian varietes were equally unsatisfactory—and 
many of them have so far proved shy or moderate producers even 
in the most favored seasons. On the other hand many of our newer 
seedlings of northwestern origin and some of the older ones, like 
Patten’s' Greening, have produced very beautiful crops. The 
Wealthy and McMahon are no longer rated as seedlings, but the 
latter originated from seed produced in Wisconsin, and the former 
from Maine, but grown in our state, and both of them have done 
better with me than any variety of Russians, not excepting even the 
Duchess. Ido not wish to be understood as going back on the 
Russians, for a great many of them are hardy, produce excellent 
fruit, bear reasonably well and will help us out until we secure 
something better; and they are bound to prove important factors in 
originating the apple we so earnestly desire, the tree of which shall 
be hardy, vigorous and productive and the fruit large, beautiful, of 
highest quality, and varieties fitting the season from July until 
July again, providing us with good apples the year round. 
At the present stage of seedling production it is difficult to 
determine the future value of any particular variety, as varying 
seasons and different soils and location will give widely differing 
results. But it is easy to determine that through careless selection 
and breeding the great majority of them will prove worthless; some 
tender in tree, some lacking vigor, some bad blighters, and others 
bearing worthless fruit. All such should be destroyed at once and 
their fruit never again seen upon our exhibition tables, while all 
that are reasonably promising should be tested as soon as possible 
in different localities, so that their worth may quickly be known. 
Those who attended the last state fair will agree with me that seed- 
ling production is growing in interest and importance, and that the 
outlook for the future is assuming hopeful proportions. In Horti- 
cultural Hall, there was one long table upon which was shown over © 
three hundred varieties, and a considerable number of them com- 
pared favorably with older varieties in quality and appearance. 
Leading exhibitors of large collections of seedling apples and 
hybrids were, D. F. Akin, of Farmington; H. M. Lyman, of Ex- 
celsior; J. R. Cummins, of Eden Prairie; T. Lightly, of Austin; H. C. 
Decker, of Dresbach; The Jewell Nursery Co., of Lake City; J. A. 
Howard, of Hammond; M. Pearce, of Chowen; Ditus Day, of Farm- 
ington, and others; while a number of other parties showed single 
plates. Mr. Akin’s collection was very extensive and contained 
many varieties of fine quality. All of the collections had varieties 
that showed up well with the old grafted sorts. 
The exhibit by Mr. Lightly was of fruit grown on seedlings pro- 
cured from Peter M. Gideon. They were all of most beautiful ap- 
pearance, and about twenty varieties would average from a little 
