344 ANNUAL REPORT 



He had some very promising seedlings, produced by hand fertili- 

 zation. This he thinks the true method to improve our apples. 



Mr. Herschinger, of Baraboo, exhibited 59 plates of grafted 

 varieties, including Rambo, and a large list of equally tender sorts. 

 My conclusion was that the man and location had very much to do 

 with the results. The apples from the western part of the state 

 were from the tops of high ridges. There are some earnest, life- 

 long students and workers in the Wisconsin society. Mr. J. S. 

 Harris and myself were made honorary members of their Society. 



During a discussion on old apple trees, and how to improve the 

 apple, Mr. Geo. J. Kellogg, of Janesville, said he had a large 

 number of the Talman Sweet in bearing for 45 years. Had never 

 lost but one tree. He thought it the best tree we have to start 

 a hardy race by crossing with Duchess or something as hardy. 



Mr. J. M. Edwards, of Ft. Atkinson, said he set thirty-six Talman 

 Sweet thirty-five years ago, has thirty-five of them now in good 

 condition, also has old Duchess trees; thinks them the two hard- 

 iest varieties of the old sorts. 



Mr. Clark Hewett, of Waupun, travels extensively from his 

 place north and finds more Talman Sweet alive than of any other 

 of the old varieties, 30 to 45 years old. 



Mr. J. S. Harris, of LaCrescent, Minn., said he had grown from 

 400 to 500 bushels of Talman Sweet in a year and thought it the 

 most profitable apple he ever raised. It was a good bearer, did 

 not blow off or drop from the trees, and would cross well with even 

 a crab. He had made such a cross. 



Mr. Peffer had made one cross with Talman Sweet that produced 

 a sour apple looking exactly like Talman Sweet. He crossed it on 

 a sour bouglt. 



The general opinion among those who were the most competent 

 to judge seemed to be that Talman Sweet possessed more inherent 

 constitutional hardiness than any of the old sorts, except Duchess. 

 On my way home I paid a visit to an old seedling apple tree in 

 Houston county, Minn. It has been spoken of several times in 

 our reports and the fruit has been given premiums at our fairs. 

 The tree is thirty-five years old and now in perfect condition. The 

 fruit is of good quality, season late fall. This tree has probably 

 produced over 300 bushels of apples since 1870, bearing in a single 

 year over 25 bushels. It has been in bearing twenty-eight years. 

 I engaged two barrels of its fruit for next fall, and if I get them 

 I shall use all the seeds for experimental purposes. See report on 

 this tree on pages 137 and 138 Report of 1887. 



