APPLES. 



209 



THE PEERLESS. 

 By O. F. Brand, Faribault. 



Originated in Richland, Rice county, Minnesota. The seed from which 

 it grew was planted in the fall of 1867 or spring of 1868, by Mr. J. G-. Mil- 

 ler. The seed was from Duchess apples grown by Mr. George Dorrance, 

 who planted 900 apple trees in 1857. There were only six Duchess of Old- 

 denburg among the 900 trees. Mr. Dorrance and Mr. Miller had both 

 noticed that the Duchess bore the most and seemed to be the hardiest. 

 Near to them were some Tolman Sweet, which were in bearing in 1867. 

 The Peerless is undoubtedly a cross between Duchess and Tolman Sweet. 

 The Peerless began to bear in 1875, and has produced more bushels of fruit 

 than any other apple or crab tree in that part of the state. It bore three 

 bushels in 1878, and kept increasing its crop till it amounted to nine bushels 

 in 1884, and eleven bushels in 1886. Mr. Harris, the special agent for the. 

 government, who visited the old tree in September, 1890, reported it as in 

 fine condition, bearing about eight bushels of very fine fruit after having 

 been cut severely for scions the four preceding years. Of the quality of the 

 fruit he said of it, in January, 1891, "It is really a better apple than the 

 Wealthy." 



The season of 1890 being a very bad one for blight, the Peerless escaped 

 without being touched by it. Mr. Peterson, of Waconia, had about 400 

 trees of the Peerless growing on his grounds. He reported it the most 

 free from blight of anything he had ever had out of more than 200 vari- 

 eties which he had tried in the past thirty-five years. 



The old tree is on black sandy loam on clay subsoil. The first scions 

 were cut from it in 1886, by Mr. O. F. Brand, of Faribault. 



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