STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. SOS 



FEOM A. W. SIAS. 



EocHESTER, Minn., April 13, 1885. 

 In reply to j^our circular letter, calling for a report on the 

 condition of our trees, after the past severe winter, will say: 

 This action of our society in sending these circulars all over the 

 State, asking if there is a shiffle variety that has passed through 

 the past unprecedented cold winter without injury, is very com- 

 mendable. It shows an honest purpose on the part of the 

 society to guard the people against the fraudulent transactions 

 of certain tree brokers, tree dealers and tree peddlers who are 

 trying to flood the State with such semi-hardy worthless varie- 

 ties as the Mann apple, Alexander, Northern Spy and many 

 others. It shows that the society, like Patrick Henry, is "will- 

 ing to know the whole truth, to know the worst and to provide 

 for it." Believing this to be the spirit and honest intent of the 

 circular, I take my spade, pruning shears, microscope, etc., and 

 go out to-day with the determination to probe to the root and 

 heart of the whole subject. First I examine the foundation of my 

 trees, because without live roots no plant can thrive; but thanks 

 to an abundance of the beautiful snow our roots are all right. 

 K'ext I take my pruning shears, and finding a branch that crosses 

 and interferes with its neighbors I clip it out close down to the 

 trunk of the tree, in order to get one, two and three year old 

 wood. I cut up the different year's growths and put them under 

 the microscope, also the fruit buds. This I do in all parts of 

 the orchard, with the hardiest and tenderest sorts, and now I 

 am prepared to answer questions. 



1. *^How has the past winter affected standard varieties 

 of apples?" Answer — Like man, none are found absolutely 

 perfect. 



2. "What varieties, if any, have received no injury?" 

 Answer — Every variety of the common apple and of crab apple 

 are more or less discolored. 



No. 3. "What varieties have sustained least injury?" 

 Answer — Our friend E. L. Cotterell examined the Brett seedlings 

 for us and sent us wood of the past year's growth of each, and 

 judging from this would suppose they were all among the very 

 best, but cannot speak positively in regard to them, as we have 

 not seen the older wood. The next varieties which received but 

 slight discoloration were the Eussian Green, Lieby, Enormous, 

 Tetofsky Type, McMahan White, Sweet Jennette, Giant Swaar,, 



