102 ANNUAL REPORT. 



do for our State and society, during my short stay among the 

 horticulturists of Wisconsin, better than to make a special study 

 of winter apples, and present to you in my report a list of at 

 least half a dozen each of the most promising native and foreign 

 sorts, and in order to make this list as complete and accurate as 

 jDOssible, considering the short time we have any of us had to 

 test some of these new varieties. I have since my return from 

 Madison, corresponded on the subject with such well known 

 practical fruit-growers as Chas. Gibb, of Abbottsford, Pro. Que. ; 

 Dr. Haskins and A. Webster of Vermont, F. K. Phcenixand Tuttle 

 of Wisconsin, and Peter M. Gideon of our State. In presenting 

 my list of native sorts, I shall confine myself to what are be- 

 lieved to be Wisconsin seedlings, namely: Wolf Eiver, McMahan 

 White, Giant Swaar, I^. W. Greening, and a sweet and sour 

 seedling by A. J. Philips and exhibited before this convention 

 by him two years ago at Minneapolis. These are all large 

 and of good quality, and winter varieties at least north of lati- 

 tude 44°. 



Of the foreign varieties, will say that out of six that we ap- 

 plied to for a list of half a dozen winter sorts, (and they are 

 among the most extensive growers of foreign fruits in this coun- 

 try,) only one ventured a full list; the others run from three down 

 to z3ro. I will give this full list just as received. It is from A. 

 Webster, of Vermont, and I have no doubt of its correctness for 

 his location, but I venture the prediction that not over one-half 

 the list will prove to be winter here. It is evident from the 

 writings of Dr. Haskins and others that fruit keeps longer in 

 Northern Vermont than with us. Here is Mr. Webster's list of 

 the six best Russians, viz. : Little Seedling, Borsdorf, Longfield, 

 German Calville, Blackwood and Russian Gravenstien. One 

 of my most trusty correspondents on this interesting subject 

 writes: ''Your question as to what are the best six Russian 

 apples for Minnesota, I am not able to say. It is 'the difficult 

 question' and I am afraid to venture. It, however, will not be 

 long before we know something about it." 



My answers were all highly satisfactory, and show conclusively 

 that we have able, honest workers on this foreign fruit list, and 

 when they do give us a winter list for Minnesota it will be neither 

 summer nor fall, nor loo tender. I'm told that during the night 

 of January 1st, of the present month, spirit thermometers in 

 the lower part of our city indicated 52° below zero. My thoughts 

 at once recurred to my Iron Clad Russians, and my sleep has been 



