HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 



results obtained outside of the state. Our trees have made a very 

 satisfactory growth the past season, and are in better condition 

 now than ever before. As they have now been planted here five 

 seasons, it seems to me that, shortly, we must have some fruit from 

 them. A few varieties blossomed last year, but the flowers were 

 nipped by the late frost. Our most promising trees in point of 

 hardiness are, Antonovka, Dobruii, Krestiana, 4 M — , Simbirsk, 

 Yellow Transparent, and Green Streaked. Among the native ap- 

 ples added to our list are, Northwestern Greening, from the orig- 

 inator, E. W. Daniels; Baldwin Seedling and Mills Seedling, from 

 G. W. Fuller. From Peter Gideon I have a collection of trees and 

 scions of all of his most promising kinds, from Wyman Elliot 

 scions of Pride of Minneapolis crab and various other seedlings. 



I now want to correct the impression which has gone abroad, 

 that our Russian trees were only root grafts when planted here. 

 They were two year old trees when received by Prof. Porter from 

 Ames, Iowa, and are now seven years from the graft. I have added 

 twelve varieties of Russian apples to our collection the past sea- 

 son, which were considered worthy by Prof. Budd. 



RUSSIAN PEARS. 



The varieties Bessemianka and Waxen are quietly disproving 

 the statement that pears cannot be grown in this state. We have 

 ten trees, and they are as thrifty and vigorous as one could wish to 

 see. They are eight feet high, and well branched. They have not 

 yet fruited, but I can see no reason why they should not do so. On 

 the 27th of last August, Prof. Budd wrote me that he had that day 

 eaten fruit of Bessemianka, and he pronounced it a good pear. I have 

 this season, added six varieties to the list of pears already on hand. 

 These pears graft easily. Out of a lot of nearly four hundred root 

 grafts made last March, not over ten per cent failed to grow. 



RUSSIAN CHERRIES. 



I have added to our list of this fruit until we have now sixteen va- 

 rieties. I think this a very promising line for experiment and it shall 

 be thoroughly worked. At Ames, Iowa, last summer, I saw many 

 of these varieties in fruit, aad they appeared to me extremely prom- 

 ising. I think we shall yet grow cherries of a fine quality in a bush 

 form. These cherries are of good size and of most excellent flavor, 

 and vary very much in season of ripening and appearance of growth. 



RUSSIAN PLUMS. 



I feel quite certain that we shall not obtain from Russia any better 

 plums than from our native species, yet I propose to give them all 

 a fair trial and with this purpose in view, I have secured a collec- 

 tion of all the Russian plums sent out by Prof. Budd. 



NATIVE PLUMS. 



Our collection of these is fast increasing by the addition of new 

 and valuable varieties, and I want to prophecy that in the near 

 future we shall see many improvements. This is a most import- 

 ant fruit and cannot be worked up with too much care. I shall 

 plant largely of selected seeds next spring. 



