STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 167 



If we crosa the Duchess or any other hardy apple with any of the common apples 

 we lower the standard of hardiness in the seedling produced. If we cross with the 

 crab we generally reduce the size of the seedling and lower the quality. 



I have more than a hundred seedlings of Tetofsky, most of which have fruited. 

 They all in tree and fruit show more of the crab than the apple; some are very large 

 and fine for crabs but the growing of crabs and Hybrids is nearly overdone, there 

 being no market for them, or a chance even to give them away. I have several 

 seedlings of Fameuse; some of them have borne a few apples of excellent quality. 

 They came through last winter in good condition, but a few years of trial of trees 

 that have borne a few apples is no test of these hardships and we have no reason to 

 suppose they will prove any hardier than Fameuse. 



Some are recommending the general planting of seedlings of only a few years 

 growth because they were not killed by the cold of last winter. Young trees of 

 the Ben Davis came through the winter uninjured. It is no test ol" the hardiness of 

 a tree though it may have passed unscathed through such a winter as the last, not 

 having borne previously a heavy and exhausting crop of fruit. Two seedling trees 

 have been growing on my grounds for twenty-live years, they had passed all the 

 hard winters during that time and were in perfect condition; they came out last 

 spring with line, healthy foliage and blos.somed heavily. I thought there was a 

 seedling that would do to propagate from and recommend for hardiness; both trees 

 are now dead and with them the last hope of ever producing a .seedling from the 

 common apple sufficiently hardy for our climate. 



There is a field open for experiment to which I would direct the attention of the 

 careful pomologist. Let crosses be made with pure Russian fruits, the Zolotoreff, a 

 very large fall apple, high colored and very showy crossed with the Repka of medi- 

 um high color, a very late keeper; or the Green Streaked with the Antonouka, the 

 former high colored and very large, a fall apple, the latter a yellowish apple of good 

 quality and a very late keeper, these crosses would be likely to produce a seedling 

 valuable as a market apple with Keeping qualities to carry it into spring. In these 

 crosses Russian with Russian the standard of hardiness would not be lowered, and I 

 have no doubt an apple of great value might be produced. 



I - .1 more than ever satisfied that we are to look to Russian fruits and seedlings 

 from them for the future orchards of the northwest. 



It is certainly our only short road to successful fruit growing. Tliese Russians have 

 withstood for ages a climate of greater extremes than our own. We may be able 

 ages hence to show as good a collection of hardy fruits produced from seedlings 

 originated on our own soil as are now found in interior Russia. I think it far bet- 

 ter however to accept the results of these labors and improve them if we can by 

 judicious cross fertilization. 



When we can show as extensive paying orchanls as are found on the great plains 

 of interior Russia, we may well lay claim to being a fruit state. It is absolutely 

 certain that these fruits will flourish as well here as there. 



I have fruited about sixty varieties of new Russian apples and have about fifty- 

 three more varieties to fruit. Should we find nothing of more value among them, 

 we have enough already fruited to fill the places of all the old kinds that liave failed; 

 trees that are as hardy as the Duchess and many of them hardier and fruit of bettor 

 quality. 



