148 ANNUAL REPORT. 



every tree that had been grafted or borne apples of a Russian variety, 

 and quite a number of those trees were in bearing, and some of them 

 had been broken down or limbs broken off, I think on the Transpar- 

 ents mostly. Some of the limbs were quite large when they were 

 grafted, and they broke off easily. We found quite a number of them 

 in bearing but the most of them were poor in quality. We found one 

 or more that were nice, smooth apples, of fine flavor, and one tree that 

 the man pointed out that had been bearing, he couldn't remember the 

 name, but those he said the boys had destroyed. I think there was 

 only one branch left, and we could see where the others were broken 

 down. 



Mr. Stubbs. I am quite interested in this subject of Russian fruits. 

 I would like to know if there is a history of the pomology of Russia, 

 that is of how they started their fruits in that cold country. Did they 

 have to battle with the elements, or import their stock from Asia? 

 I claim, if they could fight the elements of nature for a hundred years 

 and produce such wonderful fruit, as has been admitted they do, where 

 it is certainly colder than it is here, I see no reason why we should be 

 discouraged because we have not achieved full success in thirty or forty 

 years. Perhaps they worked for one hundred years. I believe, gen- 

 tlemen, that our fruits which we will get here in the future will come 

 from our seedlings, and I still sincerely hope that these seedlings will 

 abundantly repay those gentleman who have worked so assidiously 

 and untiringly in the propagation of American seedlings. T would like 

 to know the history of fruits in Russia, how they brought them up 

 to the standard of their present excellence. 



Mr. Soraerville. Mr. President, I have been trying to raise a few 

 Russian apples for a number of years. I got trees of Mr. Sias of 

 Rochester. I set them out, and I will say that I have had more fruit 

 from those trees than I have ever had from all the seedlings from that 

 time to the present, and I have tried almost everything that I supposed 

 was hardy. I think it would be useless for us to wait at this time to 

 raise seedlings when we have got Russian varieties that are adapted to 

 our soil and climate. I set out an orchard some fourteen years ago of 

 about eight hundred trees. I selected the best seedlings to be found in 

 the country, the best that I could hear of, the Wealthy along with the 

 rest. I also now have about forty-seven Russian varieties. I am not 

 a nurseryman, and will not undertake to tell the names of those Rus- 

 sian varieties. Last winter killed pretty near the last of the trees in 

 my orchard, except my Russians. Of them I think I haven't one that 



