456 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
any other time, forest or orchard tree, in its natural situation, enjoy- 
ing its own way of growth, having any trouble to stand erect, and I 
did remember that the winds blew as stiff on the Vermont hills as 
over the Dakota prairies. I kept my jacknife in my pocket, and my 
trees came up spreading, stocky, sturdy, shading their roots and 
trunks, wide at the base, conifer-shaped and erect. Onceina while 
I would findacrotch forming with the threat of breakage, and this I 
would prune, but this was all. 
My Russian trees from Prof. Budd were mostly of his own impor- 
tation and of varieties whose fruit I had not seen anywhere in 
orchard or at fruit exhibitions. I had made a plat and a list for 
further identification, both of which were destroyed by fire in 1893, 
Up to that time only the Cross Apple No. 413 and the Titovka (Titus 
apple), of this Russian list, had come into bearing; the other fruit of 
‘91 and 92 had been Duchess and Wealthy. The Cross proves to be 
a true all winter keeper, of good grain and good quality, mild sub- 
acid, and of extra nice external finish and color, and it is a heavy 
cropper, but I am not quite sure of its adaptation to our climate in 
hardiness and would like to see it top-worked on some congenial 
stock known to be of the first degree of hardiness, perhaps on the 
Hibernal. By no means would I discardit. Titovka (which must 
not be confounded with the old Russian Tetovski, with which it has 
no similarity in the tree or fruit) took my fancy at the start. It is 
very large, slightly oblong, briJiantly striped, waxy in finish, of 
good, sprightly, sub-acid flavor, alittle coarse in grain, but tender, a 
better street apple every way than the best Ben Davis, an annual 
abundant bearer, and the trees, according to their shuwing in my 
orchard, perfectly hardy; season of its fruit two weeks later than the 
Duchess; a good variety to come between the Duchess and the 
Wealthy. It is one of the Russian “smelling apples,” so fragrant, 
that, as Uncle Remus says of the musk melon, it “hollers at you 
when you go down de road by de gardin.” 
Of the succeeding Russians I have been able as yet to identify 
only the Yellow Transparent and the Antonovka. The Yellow 
Transparent is ready for use in July and has no fauit in tree and 
fruit, is every way desirable for home use and fits our market for a 
profitable early apple exactly. Size medium to large, form slightly 
conical, color a rich light yellow, almost white until ripe, sub-acid 
tender, juicy, good skin and finish to bear handling ; a good cropper. 
There are complaints of thie variety blighting elsewhere in Iowa 
and Minnesota. AllI can say of this is what the Frenchman said 
of his gun: “It no kick me, may be it kick stranger.” If I found it 
blighting elsewhere, I should want to observe its neighbors and 
surroundings before condemning it. The Antonovka sustains all 
the recommendations of Prof. Budd, only in the soil and location I 
have given it it ripens too early and seems to bea misfit as com. 
pared to others we have of same season. Possibly on heavier soils 
and higher elevations it may mature slower and later and be a late 
fall or early winter apple. In that case Ishould mark it high in the 
list. 
