200 ANNUAL REPORT. 



pose cions of any of the seedlings reported on by him. 

 him. My own opinion is that just as fast as we find adaptation to 

 our climate in any of the new seedlings, the next thing we dis- 

 cover will be that they are of Russian blood, just as surely as we 

 have come to know th it a negro or a mulatto is an African where- 

 ever he was born; but they may have improved quality from 

 crosses they have got, and perhaps a little improved adaptation 

 from being seedlings; and this propagation and trial should be en- 

 couraged hand in hand with direct importations for adaptability. 



Before closing this topic, here is a letter from Mr. Springer, which 

 I will read : 



LETTER FROM MR. SPRINGER. 



Fremont, Wisconsin, January 4, 1884. 

 Mr. Gihhs: 



There is one thing I would like to add, there cannot be too much 

 care in selecting seed. Some say it makes no difference, but I am 

 certain it does. Mr. A. V. Balch soon after he came to this coun- 

 try, (I think 33 years ago) got a barrel of apples from the old home 

 in Northern New York. He saved and planted all the seed; they 

 were seedlings, a large green apple. Now all his apples that he has 

 are light colored except one, which is very dark red. He has more 

 than one hundred bushels at this date, most of them excellent 

 winter apples. 



Now another instance: Mr. Gary Date settled here in 1851; 

 whenever he got a high colored, hardy kind of app'e he w^ould 

 save the seed, and he always had a few rows ot seedlings from which 

 he would select the most promising young trees and set in orchard. 

 In this w^ay he had a model orchard. He has the greatest per cent, 

 of dark red, large winter apples, I ever saw in one orchard. His 

 orchard is on land rather low, and friend Plumb's rule will not ap- 

 ply to this orchard at all, any more than it will to the Mc Whinney 

 orchard, which is on level ground. Mr. McWhinney's orchard 

 was planted from one kind of seed by John Baxter. The apples 

 of this orchard are mostly large, well colored apples. This orchard 

 is not as old as the others, and was selected from seed that grew 

 here. I believe in selecting seed for planting orchards as much 

 care should be take as in selecting seed corn or seed wheat — get the 

 best. 



Weather cold to-day; 28 below zero this morning. I wish I could 

 attend your meeting; will try to another year with our apples. 

 Yours respectfully, 



WM. A. SPRINGER. 



