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THE BEST VARIETIES FOR TOP-WORKING. 423 
believed that I saw a brighter side to the question. I believe that 
apple culture in Minnesota is destined to havea great future, that 
the time is coming and is even now near at hand when we shall 
have a pomology unrivalled in the world, varieties of the finest 
quality, covering the whole year, so hardy that they will endure our 
climate and produce an abundance of fruit for all purposes. 
We have three distinct types of the apple in cultivation. The one 
that has been the longest in cultivation, is most largely planted 
throughout all the United States and produces the greater portion 
of the fruit of commerce, is descended from the common apple of 
western Europe. It possesses the finest flavored varieties and the 
longest keepers, but the trees of the most of the list of varieties have 
faults that render them unadapted or uncertain for growing in any 
part of this state. Their tendency is to prolong growth too late in 
the season to permit of a thorough ripening of the wood of the sea- 
son’s growth before the advent of cold weather, and thus renders 
them liable to rupture of bark and sap cells by the action of frost. 
It is this that causes what is popularly known as “black heart,” a 
disease from which no tree can fully recover. 
Another type is the Siberian species, generally known as crabs. 
The Siberian crab is hardy, matures its growth early and does not 
winter-kill, but many of the sorts are liable to attacks of fire blight 
in summer to a greater extent than the common American apple, 
and, besides, the fruit is smaller, more perishable and ofa quality 
that can never hold it in square competition with the common 
apple. This species has snown itself susceptible of wonderful im- 
provement through being crossed, or amalgamated, with the com- 
mon apple, and at the present time there are hundreds of varieties 
that are supposed to be hybrids, and many of them are most won- 
derfully improved in size and quality; also their season is consider- 
ably lengthened; while a number of them appear to retain the 
hardiness of the crab with its propensity to blight. 
The third type is comprised of the recent introductions from 
Russia,of more than 400 varieties, within the last twenty-five or thirty 
years. These sorts are proving variable in hardiness. Some are as 
hardy as crabs. The great majority of them ripen their growths 
early and will endure greater extremes of cold than our American 
sorts. But many of them are predisposed to blight, others have so 
far proved shy bearers, and again the fruit of some of the hardiest 
is not up to American ideas in quality, and a considerable propor- 
tion of them are summer and autumn varieties. 
Now, I believe that the coming apple for this state is to be a cross 
breed, or an amalgamation, of these types before mentioned, to be 
brought about by systematic cross-breeding or by hybridizing. 
Nature has been carrying on the work for some time and has re- 
ceived some aid from the venerable Peter M. Gideon and others, 
with very encouraging results, as is evidenced by the beautiful 
collection of seedlings grown by Mr. Lightly, of this county (Mower), 
last season. More scientific methods are now being employed at 
many of our experiment stations than in the past, and good results 
are already being realized. butit may require considerable time for 
