HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 351 



was to go down deep it would not be easy to change that habit. 



Mr. Pearse. A tree will not grow if not hardy, whether it 

 has a tap root or not, but seedling trees are the longest lived. 

 My experience ig, the only varieties we can depend upon are 

 those that are hardy. 



Mr. Frankland. I would like to ask Mr. Underwood how 

 many of the Thompson seedlings are as hardy and of as good 

 quality as the Duchess? 



Mr. Underwood. There are very few trees standing in the 

 orchard that are not of good quality, and there are over three 

 hundred planted. There are perhaps sixty or seventy that have 

 indications of hardiness and good quality sufficient to recom- 

 mend them for propagation. 



President Elliot. How many of them do you consider worthy 

 of propagation"? 



Mr. Underwood. Well, we are just investigating the thing 

 thoroughly, and may have a higher appreciation of them now 

 than we will after awhile; but we are grafting some seventy-five 

 varieties now. I wouldn' t want to warrant them all to be super- 

 ior to Duchess, or anything of that kind. I simply bring this 

 matter before you, gentlemen, calling your attention in this di- 

 rection, asking you to watch them carefully and to see if any- 

 thing comes out of them. The point made by Mr. Brand that 

 the trees are living where the roots have moisture could hardly 

 be a good one, because on that same ground the Duchess, Wealthy 

 and Whitney ought to live that have been planted in the same 

 orchard. 



Mr. Brand. I meant that was one reason for their hardiness. 



Mr. Frankland. What do you know of the hardiness of these 

 trees ? 



Mr. Underwood. All the trees these apples came from on ex- 

 hibition, are hardy and vigorous — all of them. Some varieties 

 are long keepers; some sweet and some sour. 



Mr. Frankland. Have any particular efforts been made to 

 keep them? 



Mr. Underwood. Mr. Thompson has no way of keeping ap- 

 ples better than a small dugout cellar; he hasn't even a good cel- 

 lar to his house. Most of these apples came from his place since 

 we have been in session here. A few of them I had at my place 

 that were simply wrapped in paper and kept in the cellar, 



Mr. Philips. In Wisconsin I will say they are about in the 

 same relative condition regarding the discovery of new hardy 



