198 ANNUAL REPORT. 



THE HICKMAN ORCHARD. 



This is in Fremont. It is thirty-five years old, and the trees 

 perfectly hardy. From one of the trees Mrs. Hickman tells me 

 they picked five barrels of apples this fall, and then shook off more 

 than another barrel. Two of the barrels were kerosene and the 

 others salt barrels. It bore a fair crop the year before. Although 

 it lacks color, it is a very good tree to have this year when apples 

 are such a general failure. This orchard stands in low, level ground. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



I have never seen so many good seedling apple trees in any other 

 quarter as these and several other orchards 1 might mention in 

 Waupaca county. Our location is pretty far north, above 44'^; far 

 enough in the interior to be beyond the ameliorating influence of 

 any large body of water; some of the orchards are on high lands 

 with full exposures, and some on lowlands; and if cold weather is 

 any test, we got 42*^ below zero last winter. Then why is it that 

 these seedling orchards are living and thriving when so many of 

 our stiindards have failed? The old Wolf River tree is alone, 

 where three hundred other trees have died, and it is the only good 

 tree left in the orchard where it is standing. In every instance the 

 seeds from ivhich these trees ivere groivn, ivere taken from fruits 

 groivnfar to the norths from. Maine^ Northern New York and Can- 

 ada east, or from trees groivn here. I think the source to look for 

 hardy apple trees is the planting of seeds from selected northern 

 fruits; and such seeds for root grafting are better than inferior 

 sorts from the cider mills or any seeds from the south. 



In our experiments in Waupaca county we have had many seed- 

 lings that showed tenderness and have died from time to time. By 

 a process of selection, and propagating by root grafting, and then 

 setting out, we have preserved the best, and obtained good 

 orchards. 



When I first came to this county, thirty-four years ago, I brought 

 trees with me. I set the first apple tree, and raised the first apples 

 in the county. Many of these trees are alive and healthy, and 

 bore well this year. 



DISCUSSION. 



The Secretary. This paper shows the value of intelligent effort 

 to grow seedling apples, that is by selection of seeds of the best 



