STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 33 



to Minnesota. I wrote him in regard to it, and the only excuse he 

 made was that he did not expect the letter to he puhlished. 1 have no 

 desire for any controversy with Prof. Budd, for I believe we agree on 

 thi-!, that there is ab3f)lute certainty that the R'lssian fruits will prove 

 perfectly adapted to the great prairie regions of the northwest. This 

 is what we aim to prove and what the people would be glad to know. 

 If I ever had any doubts of their perfect adaptation the results of the 

 extreme, long continued cold of last winter and its effect upon our or- 

 chards, destroying nearly everything of American origin while at the 

 same time ail the new Russian api)les and pears are in splendid condi- 

 tion — is proof positive to me that they are just what we need and that 

 they have just come in time. 



I am confident that there are none among them but what are as 

 hardy as the Wealthy, even those the most tender, and very many of 

 them are much hardier than the Duchess; among them is the Hibernal, 

 its large, dark, glossy foliage and enormous crop of fruit tells its story 

 of extreme hardship, after passing through such a trying winter. 

 Longfield, after maturing a crop of fruit the largest ever borne by 

 any ten on my place comes out this spring perfectly healthy though 

 showing but little fruit. The Antonooka never looked better; we 

 had a single apple of that variety last season, which I have yet in 

 good condition. There never has been such a universal wreck. Trees 

 that have stood in my orchard for over thirty years coming out of all 

 the severe winters, during that time uninjured are now dead by the 

 hundred. I have one orchard of 300 trees each alternate row Duchess 

 and Utters. There are not tive trees of the Utters that will ever re- 

 cover, and some of the Duchess are badly injured but only a few; which 

 seems very strange, as in my Russian orchard of over eighty varieties 

 not a tree is injured. The bright and healthy foliage of this orchard 

 in contrast with my orchard of common varieties will satisfy any one 

 of the value to us of Russian apples. 



I should be glad to give you more information about our Russian 

 fruits but my time is so fully occupied I must close this hastily written 

 letter. 



Yours &c. 



A. G. TUTTLE. 



The following report of the secretary of the Missouri Horticultural 

 Society was read : 



"The fruit prospect June 1st, is somewhat better than was expected 

 3 



