266 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RUSSIAN APPLES. 
J. H. HARRIS, LA CRESCENT. 
Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society: 
As far as my experience, observation and inquiry have extended, no in- 
jury whatever occurred last winter toany of the Russian varieties of apple 
trees that are being grown in this and the adjoining states of Wisconsin 
and Iowa. The same is true also of all American varieties that are 
considered reasonably hardy, and the trees of both have generally made 
a vigorous and healthy growth this last season, and entered the winter 
apparently in good condition. The only advantage that I can discover, 
favoring the Russian over the native, is that the warm weather of the 
autumn did not cause the buds to start very materially, while on some na- 
tive varieties they enlarged considerably. Upon my place they have been 
fully as free from blight as any others. In the partS where the older 
orchards are located the crop of fruit was generally light, often nearly a 
total failure, so the opportunity for making observations on the 
quality and value of the fruit has been limited. A considerable number 
of varieties were shown at the last Minnesota state fair, by Andrew 
Peterson, Wm. Somerville, R. C. Keel, and others, that were as fine in, 
appearance and good in quality, on an average, as an equal number of the 
American varieties that can be grown here. The short time that these 
varieties have been under careful systematic experiment, in a few places, 
makes our knowledge of them so limited, together with their mixed-up 
and uncertain nomenclature, that we will not be justified, as a society, in 
recommending more than a few varieties for general trial, and those only 
in limited quantities. But we should not discourage the people who 
have the time and facilities for doing so, from aiding our experiment sta- 
tions in prosecuting the tests with the greatest possible dispatch, so that 
their merits or demerits may be most quickly learned. 
With our present knowledge of them we have no right to set up any 
particular variety and say that it is hardy under all conditions and adap- 
ted to growing in all parts of our state. The country where they origin- 
ated has at least as great a diversity of soil and climatic conditions as 
will be found between a line running east and west through southern 
Iowa, and another through Manitoba. Many of the varieties are en- 
tirely local, being confined in Russia to very narrow limits, so that we 
can hardly expect that all or any considerable number of them will thrive 
in every section of the country. There will doubtless be found some ex- 
ceptions that will come as near doing so as has the Oldenburg. In 
the list proposed for general trial I would suggest the Hibernal, Lieby, 
Ostrekoff Glass, Cross, Charlamoff, Christmas, Borovinka and perhaps the 
Antonovka, Zoletoreff and the Arabian of Mr. Tuttle’s collection. The Hi- 
bernal and Lieby are probably the hardiest in tree. and the fruit is of 
great value for the kitchen. If carefuly handled they will generally keep 
until midwinter. The Borovinka, in size, form and general appearance 
resembles the Oldenburg, but is less acid and will keep a month later. 
The tree can scarcely be distinguished from the Oldenburg, but is a 
