October 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



51 



sibly a few days later. The flavor, how- 

 ever, is more distinctive and it is by far 

 the best variety for eating that has been 

 grown here yet. 



The Compass cherry has also l)ornp well 

 Avith us for several seasons. 



It Avould appear from our experience tliat 

 there is no difficulty whatever in growing 

 these hardy plums under our prairie con- 

 ditions. Certainly sufficient quantities of 

 these fruits could be grown on almost any 

 farm to supply the home requirements. No 

 doubt for best results a good shelter belt 

 to protect the trees from wind and storm 

 is advisable, but it is not at all a difficult 

 matter to establish a good shelter in a very 

 few seasons. 



The writer was very anxious to see what 

 could be done with standai'd apples and 

 was encouraged by what had l)een accom- 

 plished by Mr. A. P. Stevenson of Mor- 

 den, Manitoba. Crabs of various kinds 

 had proved fairly successful on the Expe- 

 rimental Farm at Indian Head, and in 

 1906 Mr. Angus McKay furnished a few 

 seedlings of Dr. Saunders' Hybrids which 

 had been sent out from Ottawa. After 

 five or six seasons these commenced to 

 show fruit but most of them were very 

 small and disappointing. One or two of 

 the seedlings had fruit about one inch to 

 an inch and a quarter in diameter, but 

 these killed out after a few more seasons. 

 One of these seedlings appeared very 

 hardy but the fruit was extremely small 

 and of no value. However, scions of 

 "Wealthy and Charlamoff were obtained 

 from Mr. Stevenson and top Avorked on to 

 this seedling. The grafts took well, but 

 subsequently many of the AVealthy killed 

 back. This tree now stands about fourteen 

 feet high and this season is bearing a very 

 fair crop of both Charlamoff and Wealthy. 

 One graft of Wealthy is bearing very 

 heavily and the fruit is of very good size. 



At the time the grafts were obtained. 

 Mr. Stevenson also furnished young trees 

 of Blushed Calville, Hibernal, Antonofka, 

 Simbrisk. Kluvescoe, Gypsy Girl, Patton's 

 Greening. Duchess and Charlamoff. These 

 mostly grew well but showed considerable 

 winter killing for several seasons, and 

 after four or five years it did not look 

 as though we could get any results; then 

 the trees seemed to pick up and were get- 



ting into good shape when, during the 

 winter, rabbits cleaned out nearly every 

 tree. It seemed to be impossible to do any- 

 thing against tlie rabbits and only those 

 l)ortions of the lower Hmhs which were 

 wrapped with burlap escaped barking. In 

 the spring the trees Avere a sorry looking 

 lot and prospects appeared hopeless. How- 

 ever, they were cut back, the wounds paint- 

 ed, and to avoid similar damage in future 

 a six foot rabbit fence was erected all 

 around the .small orchard. The trees were 

 badly weakened and an occasional one suc- 

 cumbed. However, new growth was made 

 and the trees gradually recovered, though 

 owing to the wounds received most of the 

 trees appeared to get badly affected with 

 some fungus. This season for the first 

 time the growth looked healthy and vigor- 

 ous and nearly all varieties showed more 

 or less l)loom. A few of the trees are bear- 

 ing a fair crop of very excellent apples. 

 Particularly the Hibernal and Blushed 

 Calville are bearing well. The Charla- 

 moff, except those top worked, have not 

 shown any fruit. We also have a few 

 apples on the Gypsy Girl, Patten's Green- 

 ing, Antonofka, Simbrisk and Whitney 

 Hybrid and noAv feel more encouraged as 

 to the future. 



A number of years ago the writer se- 

 cured a quantity of seed of Wealthy apple 

 from Mr. Stevenson and set out 1,500 or 

 2,000 seedlings from this seed. The 

 majority of these winterkilled so badly that 

 most of them were cut out about five years 

 after, leaving probably 30 or 40 of the 

 hardiest. These have not yet all fruited 

 but those that have are more or less of the 

 crab type, though some are very prolific, 

 with fruit from an inch to an inch and 

 three-quarters in diameter. One seedling 

 tree fruiting this season for the first time 

 is more promising, with a fruit of nearly 

 two inches in diameter. 



On the whole Ave are encouraged to- be- 

 lieve that it is only a question of time 

 until suitable kinds of standard apples can 

 be de\^eloped Avhich Avill prove successful 

 under our conditions. While the Russian 

 varieties above mentioned giA^e promise of 

 some success, it is probable that .seedlings 

 of these, or seedlings of specially hybridiz- 

 ed varieties are what aa'c must eventually 

 look to for more certain results. . 



