STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 331 



swer, we must look to the seedlings of the Duchess of Oldenburg. 

 Why ? Because its trial of thirty years in the unfavorable localities 

 of this State prove it to be more nearly perfect in its adaptation to the 

 requirements of our rigorous climate than any and all other varieties 



Among the very first large orchards planted in the State was that of 

 the late George Dorrance, of Rice county. This orchard consisted of 

 several hundred trees set about 1857, as I am informed by the oldest 

 settlers The varieties seemed to include almost the whole list of pop- 

 ular Eastern sorts — among them the Pippins, Seeknofurther, Wine 

 Sap, Fameuse, Swaar, Talman Sweet, Grolden Russet, and, fortunately 

 for us and the future citizens of the Northwest, there were of those 

 that lived to bear six Duchess. The site of this orchard is in the town 

 of Walcot, Rice county, in the extreme eastern edge of the Big Woods. 

 It consists of a bench and hillside on the east, the top of the bench 

 being about forty or fifty feet higher than the meadow or slough land 

 east of it. In an early day there was timber about sixty rods west of 

 the orchard. The soil is a marl or clay — a soil on which the Duchess 

 does not live as long as on a rich alluvial soil on clay subsoil. In 1867 

 sixty-four trees bore thirty bushels of fruit. In 1867 the Duchess bore 

 very heavy crops, and a large number of the other varieties were in 

 bearing that year. From this crop of Duchess apples G. J. Miller, a 

 neighbor and relative of Mr. Dorrance, living on the prairie two and 

 half miles distant, sowed and planted a large lot of seeds and raised 

 more than two hundred trees. I saw the trees in 1875, several of them 

 bearing well; six of them are still alive and bid fair to live for years. 

 Many of those that died in 1884-5 bore a great many large crops of 

 fruit, and proved to be profitable. Of those still alive, one of them 

 named " Itasca " has always, from 1875 to 1886 inclusive, borne enor- 

 mous crops of apples. In size and color about like Rawles Jannet. 

 In flavor rather poor, but somewhat better than the hardiest of the 

 new Russians. Its season is October and November. In productive- 

 ness the Itasca is the equal of any tree of its size I have seen in the 

 State. 



Another tree is almost a reproduction of the Duchess, and about ten 

 days later. Two others are worthy of mention, but I omit them. The 

 best of the lot is the Peerless, which by a vote of this Society last win- 

 ter was pronounced the best seedling apple known. I bring the Peer- 

 less up, and ofi'er its achievements in evidence, to prove my claim that 

 as the parent of a class of apple trees perfect in their adaptation to 

 the wants and requirements of our climate the Duchess has no equal. 



It must be remembered that these seedlings are in an unfavorable 



