106 .RON-CLAD VARIETIES. 



them will allow, though I believe Prof. Budd does not think there 

 are any strictly "iron-clad" sorts among them. Some of the 

 Northeast European varieties have been in this country for half a 

 century, and it may be that among the hardiest sorts of New 

 England few, if any, are free from admixture with this strain or 

 race, or with the Siberian species, which has been still longer in 

 America, and is, in some of its varieties, to be found in almost 

 every orchard. The Siberian is quite as different in all its lead- 

 ing characteristics from the Russian, as it is from the English 

 and French apples, while the North German, Swedish and Polish 

 tree fruits seem to be intermediate between those of Southwest 

 Europe and those of Russia. 



Of all the apples in Northern New England but one came 

 through last winter unscathed. This is the Foundling, a native 

 of Groton, Massachusetts. My trees came from Canada under 

 the name of Late Strawberry of Montreal, which the Montreal 

 horticultural society has decided to be the Foundling. The only 

 perfectly iron-clad Canadian apple is Pearl of Montreal not a 

 native, but imported from France, and believed by Prof. Budd to 

 be a true Russian. It is a very productive, beautiful and deli- 

 cious September dessert apple, but must be ripened on the tree 

 to develop its quality, and is then far too soft for shipment, being 

 defaced by even the most gentle handling. The hardiest native 

 Canadian apple I have is the St. Lawrence, which seems to be 

 nearly as hardy as Wealthy; but it is a very poor bearer here, 

 even on trees seventeen years planted, though on the island of 

 Montreal it is quite productive. The Fameuse is slig-htly less 

 hardy than the St. Lawrence, and the Mclntosh Red is certainly 

 no hardier than the Fameuse, yet none of those were fatally in- 

 jured or worse hurt than the Baldwin often is in Maine and Mass- 

 achusetts. Ben Davis and Clyde Beauty, apples of New York 

 origin, and the hardiest I have tested from that state, were des- 

 troyed, as was the excellent New York crab-hybrid VanWyck 

 Sweet. Of Maine apples, Cole's Quince and Rockwood are the 

 hardiest I have tried, and were not hurt much more than the Fa- 

 meuse. Of the natives of Southern and Western Vermont, 

 Bottle Greening, Northern Sweet and Tinmouth failed to stand 

 the cold, as did also Granite Beauty of New Hampshire. The 

 only native apple of Vermont, outside of this (Orleans) county, 

 that proves strictly iron-clad is the Bethel. It is a pity that this 

 fine apple, fully equal to the Baldwin in every other point, is a 

 shy bearer, especially when young. At a size when Wealthy 

 yields a barrel per tree, the Bethel gives scarcely a dozen. Of 

 our Orleans county seedlings the most valuable are Scott's Win- 

 ter and Newport Winter Sweet, Magog Red Streak being super- 

 seded by the Wealthy. Newport Winter Sweet is a thorough 

 iron-clad, equal in all respects to Tolman's (which is not iron-clad) 

 and much better for eating uncooked. 



Of Western apples, I can report well of Iowa Russet, a fine apple 



