

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 99 



EEPOET OF COMMITTEE ON RUSSIAN APPLES. 



The report of Committee on Prussian Apples not being prepared 

 the separate members of that committee were called upon for a 

 verbal report and the following discussion took place: 



Mr. Dartt. While I might say a few words in regard to Russian 

 apples I will confine my remarks mostly to my own experience, 

 what I know and what I have heard about Russian apples. 



I commenced the cultivation of Russian apples nearly forty 

 years ago. I got the Tetofsky from Mr. Gould, a gentleman who 

 lives in Wisconsin, under the name of Russian Crab, and it was at 

 that time a wonderful thing. I set them out, and in two or three 

 years, from a tree that was cut off by rabbits, that was not over 18 

 inches high, I got nine nice apples. At that time it was consid- 

 ered very early bearing in Minnesota. I brought a large stock of 

 them to Minnesota and put them in a nursery and started them, 

 and I have seen in Minnesota five apples growing on a nursery 

 tree. Well, where such things are facts it very quickly creates a 

 boom. I planted them largely. I think they were planted all 

 over the country. I afterwards regarded them about as hardy as 

 the Duchess until four or five years ago. I had them in an orchard 

 just far enough from a southern, protection to be most benefited 

 by it, or about three rods. The trees did remarkably well and 

 bore several years and paid; they were remunerative. But of late 

 years, the young trees have not borne as they used to, and the 

 older trees have kept dying out gradually. Although I think the 

 Tetofsky may not be as hardy as some other Russian apples, yet I 

 think it is about as hardy, because most of our hardy trees are 

 those that bear early; but, in my opinion, it is not hardy enough 

 for Minnesota, and unless we have good Russian apples that are 

 hardier, I don't think we ought to expect much profit from plant- 

 ing them in Minnesota. 



I have had experience with Russian apples since 1874. I then 

 planted quite a list of them received from the agricultural depart- 

 ment at Washington; cultivated them well, got them up four or five 

 years old, and then cut scions from the best ones and grafted some 

 twenty-five varieties. Five or six kinds, of all those trees, have been 

 gradually dwindling out, although some of them bore in orchard a 

 crop or two, and then died out; the whole of them are nearly gone; 

 there are a few left. Therefore, I conclude my experience is not 

 favorable to the Russians. 



It has been said that the first importations were not so hardy as 

 more recent ones, but I know in that first importation I got, the 



