82 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



tendency to blight and sunscald. Of his planting- previous to 1875, 

 there is nothing now remaining but the Russian varieties, Hibernal, 

 Charlanioff and Christinas, all of which are large fine trees in excel- 

 lent health and prolific bearing. The other varieties noted below 

 are of later planting. The Hibernal family, as he has it, under the 

 three names of Hibernal, Lieby and Ostrekoff Glass, is looking ex- 

 tremely well all over the orchard and is spoken of bj'' Mr. Peterson 

 as his most profitable variety. His four oldest trees fruited before 

 and after the hard winter of 1884:-5 and have never been seriously 

 injured by the severe blight which has been so prevalent in this 

 orchard. Their trunk circumference is something over two feet 

 eight inches and their spread of top thirty feet. The Charlanioff, of 

 which he has two trees, is looking equally well and is a regular 

 and good bearer of what Mr. Peterson calls his choicest fruit. The 

 Christmas is a tardy but good bearer of medium sized, red apples of 

 good quality and a mid-winter keeper. The single tree which he has 

 of this variety leans to the north and has been injured by sunscald, 

 but in every other respect is healthy and has never been subject to 

 blight. This variety seems to deserve more attention than it has 

 received. 



Of the younger trees, Bode (385) was bearing very early and heavily; 

 fruit medium size, yellow, brisk acid, somewhat similar to Antonovka 

 in flavor but smaller and nearly ripe at the time of our visit;tree hardy 

 and particularly free from blight. Blushed Calville is more subject 

 to blight than some varieties, but the trees are still in good condi. 

 tion and bearing such extra choice early apples that Mr. Peterson 

 regards it very highly. The one tree of Patten's Greening was a 

 very fine healthy specimen, an early and heavy bearer and esteemed 

 by Mr. Peterson as among his best. Cross (413) is proving a good 

 tree and a heavy bearer; fruit keeps better than Wealthy; trees were 

 well loaded at the time of our visit and presented a fine appearance. 

 Ostrekoff (4 m) and Lead (3 m) were blighting very badly and appear 

 unworthy of cultivation. Rambour, Queen, Grandmother and Rosy 

 Repka are proving very tardy bearers. Komsk Reinette is bearing 

 early and well, but the apple as we tasted it later at the fair was soft 

 and insipid. Borovinka (215) is very similar to Duchess but a much 

 better keeper. Anisim is an extremely heavy bearer and a choice 

 though somewhat undersized apple; trees very free from blight and 

 generally healthy, but two trees standing in a particularlj' dry soddy 

 spot show signs of failing, probabl}' on account of lack of moisture 

 in the soil to supply the drain of such extreme fruitfulness. An 

 old tree of the Minnesota crab is looking very healthy and is a profit- 

 able bearer. Several trees of the Peerless were looking rather the 

 worse from their habit of making a late fall growth, but were free 

 from blight and showing a tendency to early bearing. On the whole, 

 while the soil, general location and the good care this orchard re- 

 ceives are in its favor, yet as it has long been known as a place where 

 blight and sunscald were very prevalent and where all the old trees 

 of Duchess had failed, we think the good behavior and present 

 profitable condition of such a number of Russian varieties is greatly 

 to the credit of that race of apples. These kinds that have stood 

 well here are likely to at least resist blight elsewhere, and, as this 



