STATE HOKTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 149 



was injured. I think I have something over twenty varieties in bear- 

 ing, and there are some there that are excellent fruit, and there are 

 others of them again that are far from being valuable. The majority 

 of them I consider good keeping and good cooking apples. I think 

 the only way we can succeed at fruit raising is to get these Ru&sian 

 varieties and make selections, and thus take advantage of their five- 

 hundred years' experience, and by doing that we will get our fruit 

 right away, at the start. That is my opinion. Now, of my Wealthy, 

 which we consider stands at the head of our seedlings, everything was 

 killed or injured. And so I think we can get the fruit quicker through 

 the Russian varieties than we can in our own seedling system. 



Mr. Sias. I am aware, as Mr. PefFer says, that the Russians have 

 the reputation of being poor in quality, and it just occurred to me 

 what the reason might be. There is always a reason of course, for 

 everything. Among the earlier varieties sent me out of the Moulton 

 orchard was a Russian. Those apples commenced bearing very 

 early, and there has probably been more of those raised in this State 

 than in all the rest together, perhaps. They are of a very poor quality 

 of fruit, they are coarse grained, bitter fruit, and I can't think of any 

 better reason than that for the reputation that Russian apples have 

 got for quality. 



Mr. Harris. When our pioneers came to Minnesota, they first had 

 to content themselves with a hole in a clay bank or a log cabin, but 

 afterwards they came to live in palaces, and we now experience none 

 of the hardships of the early settlers. And so, it would be unwise in 

 us to neglect such a great boon that is coming to us in the Russian 

 fruits. We are told that they were more than five hundred years in 

 getting the apple up from China before they would produce fruit in 

 Russia. I believe that our seedlings can be brought up I believe 

 that replanting and continued replanting will produce that hardiness 

 which the Russian apples have attained at home, and bring them up 

 to the standard which we desire to reach; if we understood the physi- 

 ology of vegetables and fruits, perfectly, that we could raise our own 

 seedlings to the standard that the Russians have in theirs. I don't 

 expect that these Russians that are being brought here, or any large 

 portion of them, will prove what the American taste will demand. 

 I have no doubt that the majority of them will prove hardy and thrifty, 

 when they are planted in the right place. There are some varieties 

 that may stand upon the most arid and cold points; there are probably 

 other varieties that would not stand that rigorous treatment, but 



