276 AN^NUAL REPORT. 



quisites of those for the north, except the mere ability to endure 

 a very low temperature. 



Southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, may safely experiment 

 with the apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, nuts, ornamen- 

 tal trees and shrubs, of the plains of northeastern Austria, for the 

 western portion, and of Transylvania for the eastern portion. Here 

 are found late keeping varieties of the apple, comparing favorably 

 in size, beauty, and quality with the best known, growing on trees 

 with foliage as perfectly adapted to a varjang air as our Duchess. 

 Here also are found many varieties of the pear with the perfect 

 foliage of the Chinese sand pear, yet producing fruit nearly equal 

 to the best sorts of France and Belgium. We have less reason to 

 believe they will be subject to blight to a serious extent, as for ages 

 they have been subject to inter-continental extremes like those of 

 our valley. 



In this region will, in like manner, be found the coming cher- 

 ries for the dry belt where the extreme winter temperature does not 

 reach lower than from fifteen to twenty degrees below zero. 



The plains of Galicia are checkered with lines of cherry trees 

 along the sides of all highways, and marking the division lines of 

 estates to an extent not found in many parts of Europe. The 

 varieties, too, are all new to an American. A careful study of 

 their leaf structure, fruit, habits of growth, etc., will convince the 

 most skeptical that we have gone sadly astray in selecting fruits 

 for an interior prairie climate. The Griottes, with small pendulous 

 branches, and fruit with colored juice, are generally used for road- 

 side planting, as the trees do little shading on account of their 

 small size, and the fruit can be used for dessert, culinary use, and 

 for the favorite drink of high and low known as "Kirschwasser." 

 In every respect the fruit is far superior to our Kentish cherry, or 

 any one of the morello type we know. In the fruit orchards, and 

 on the grounds of land proprietors, we find many varieties of a race 

 of sweet cherries not known to us. With the round spreading top 

 of the Morellos, they have the excellent fruit of the tall growing 

 heart varieties, aud a leaf that can defy our summer changes. 

 Some of the Amarels of this region seem a cross of this sweet cher- 

 ry with the form of the Morello of which our Lieb is a type. 



The apricots of Galacia and Transylvania, and their form 

 of English Walnut (juglans regia) are equally worthy of trial in 

 the Missouri belt, together with their filbert, currants, gooseber- 

 ries and even grapes. 



