October 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



131 



greens and other extremely hardy trees never 

 occurred in this country before, and therefore 

 will not be likely to happen very soon again. 

 Nurserymen, then, need not be discouraged ; 

 nor is there any reasonabhle ground for dis- 

 couragement to those who wish to plant 

 orchards. 



Sometimes failures occur in crops of grain 

 and every agricuUural production, and yet 

 farmers persevere and find out that, all things 

 considered, we have one of the finest farming 

 countries in the world. So shall we discover 

 that, although subject to some severe reverses, 

 such as are txperiereed in all human affairs, 

 Iowa is one of the best fruit States in the coun- 

 try. I mean for such kinds as can be grown 

 this far north and east of the Rocky Mountains. 

 Only let every man engaged in prouagating 

 trees and small fruits for sale solemnly resolve 

 that nothing shall be sent out but what is per 

 fecily hardy and prolific in the locality where 

 it is to be planted, and very soon all who buy 

 fruit trees, vines, etc., etc., can have an abun- 

 dance. Do not be alarmed about the sale of 

 your stock amidst our rapidly increasing pop- 

 ulation and general thrift. If you are governed 

 in all respects by the foregoing suggestions, the 

 demand will increase for the next quarter of a 

 century, at least, and besides having done a 

 lucrative business, you will have established a 

 reputation tor having conferred a public bene- 

 fit, and better for you than all, have conscience 

 in this respect, 



''Void ufotfeQse toward God and toward men." 



I feel it a duty to talk plainly to propagators 

 on this subject, for the more X st e and learn of 

 the plantings and failures in different portions 

 of the State the more certain I am that the 

 frauds praeliced upon purchasers have been far 

 greater than in any other branch of trade, and 

 tliat uearij all serious discouragements to 

 orcharding have grown out of these imposi- 

 tions. 



I allude more particularly to those itinerant 

 persons and companies that have penetrated 

 every county, township and town alm()st, and 

 imposed upon our citizens the dregs of Eastern 

 nurseries purchased at less than half price and 

 disposed of at higher rates, either conscious 

 that they were worthless, or which is equally 

 criminal, knowing and caring less whether they 

 were of any value or not. A million of dollars 

 would not reimburse the loss resulting from 

 impositions ot the character alluded to. I see 

 and hear of instances every day. Our 

 local nurserymen have labored and 

 toiled uuder great disadvantages on ac- 

 count of this class ot competition. Until 

 recently there has been a rage, I might 

 say a mania for foreign trees and vines; those 

 cultivated in Eastern States. This resulted 

 principally from two causes : First, fr(7m the 

 tact that many of our citizens who came here 

 from the Eastern States had their favorite sorts 

 upon which they had "fared sumptuously" lor 

 years at the old homestead, and which itinerant 

 dealers always fiad on hand in abmidance^ spoil- 

 ing 10 be disposed of and transplanted. Sec- 

 ond, because of highly colored plates or pic- 

 tures, and splendid fiuits done up in brandy, 

 alcohol, or, perhaps, "sod-corn whisky," and 

 canicQ around iu bottles to be exhibited to cus- 

 tomers, or I might say, victims, and by men 

 too, whose laudations of the "maguifieeul" 

 fruits Ihey had for sale, were even more highly 

 colored than their plates or bottled specimens. 

 Such representations and claptraps were irre- 

 sistible until innumerable failures had occurred, 

 when the whole thing collapsed, and there 

 are now many farmers that will set their 

 dogs on a man who comes with bottled spec- 

 imens and pictures as the professed rejire 

 sentative of foreign nurseries. While 



paying my respects to this class of dealers, who 

 at least have been respectable in numbers, I 

 would do injustice to them if I did not give 

 credit for an exceptional case which has come 

 within my knowledge, in which one of their 

 number about ten jears ago conferred a special 

 lavor on a very worthy gentleman and near 

 neighbor of mine, while atiempiing to practice 

 upon him a ^ros^ fraud. This neighbor select 

 ed out of the dealer's multifarious catalogue 

 five varieties, ot which he wanted four trees 

 each, and which wereaceordingly labeled, sold, 

 trausteired and planted out. They have now 

 been about five years in bearing, are splendid 

 trees, quite prolific, and are every one the gej 

 uiue Perry Russet, one of the finest Iowa win- 

 ter apples for general culture that I know of. 

 This is an exception to the general rule, and 

 must be entered on ttic credit side lor what it is 



worth, taking into consideration all the facts. 

 But the reaction in this traffic is now complete, 

 and the demand on home nurseries is far be 

 yond the supply. 



We must act well our part in the emergency. 

 Let us cultivate model kinds and model trees, and 

 we'sball sell readily at remunerative prices, 

 within the present generation, thousands of or- 

 chards, vineyards and small fruit gardens, 

 which will accumulate in our illustrious Hawk- 

 eye State, and, in their season, be found al- 

 most literally groaning under the weight of 

 their attractive and luscious fruits. 



FBUtTS AND FLOWERS, 



D. W Adams, Waukon, Allamakee Co., the 

 able Secretary of the State Horticultural So- 

 ciety, shows 71 varieties of apples, among 

 which Mr. Adams recommends for best winter 

 apples of bis section, the Ben Davis, Rawles 

 Janette, Talman Sweet. The Golden Russet 

 does well usually, but is Inclined to blight. He 

 has in his list the Hyslop Crab, a beautiful 

 plum colored apple of a size almost equaling 

 that ot ordinary apples. 



Of the Fall varieties he recommends the 

 Faimeu-eas the apple for his section. The 

 Fall Orange is also one of the best. The St. 

 Lawrence is the handsomest apple in his collec- 

 tion, a large, dark colored, streaked apple with 

 a flavor that compares favorably with the beau 

 ty of the fruit. It does as well with him as al 

 most any other variety. 



The Saxton, the Dyer, the Duchess of Olden- 

 berg, are also excellent varietie;!, and should be 

 in every northern Iowa collection. The Saps 

 of Wine he names as his best summer apple. 



Mr. Adams has 4,000 trees in his orchard, 

 1,500 of them in bearing. This shows that 

 fruit can be raised in Iowa as well as elsewhere. 



This season the best show is from the north- 

 ern part of the State, and orchardistshere from 

 Southern Iowa themselves say that northern 

 Iowa has done the best with fruit this season. 

 I. Hollingsworth, Sandusky, Lee county, shows 

 sixty varieties. This is the most southern lo- 

 cality in the State repieseated in the fruit line. 



For winter apples, Mr. H. names the Ben 

 Davis, Jonathan," Grimes' Golden, Striped Pip- 

 pin, Canada Red. 



For fall apples, he recommends the Maiden 

 Blush, the Smoke House ; for early, the Red 

 Asfraehan and Benoni. 



The Hubbards Productive is a great bearer, 

 but not early. The orchard includes about 35 

 acres. 



Mr. H. has always raised the choicest of fruit 

 and nearly always takes the first premiums at 

 fairs in other Slates as well as this. Last year 

 and this, however, his trees have not done so 

 well, the frost last year, and the worms this 

 year, hurting his crop. 



The Mother Apple has brought him more 

 money than any other, and he regards it as the 

 best apple grown. The tree, however, although 

 a good bearer, and the fruit of the best quality, 

 is a poor grower. 



Oliver Brook, of Denmark, Lee county, 

 shows aliout 40 varieties of apples. He names 

 the Genitan, the Big Red, with some of the va- 

 rieties named above, as the most profitable ap- 

 ples to grow, being su/e, hardy and good bear- 

 ers. 



Mrs. A. M. Wight, of Summitville, Van Bu- 

 ren County, Iowa, exhibits 26 varieties of ap 

 pies, most of them -very handsome, showing 

 that the ladies taake successful orchardists. 



John Grinnel, of Clay t n County, shows an- 

 other splendid list, as an additional argument 

 for fruits in northern Iowa. The choice varie- 

 ties are much the same as those mentioned in 

 the Adams list. The Golden Orange is con- 

 spicuous, and is as good an ajipie as is grown. 

 The Fall Orange, the Strawberry, and others 

 shown, are also valuable apples. 



Elwanger & Barry, of Rochester, N. T., have 

 on exhitjiticm .50 varieties of their choice pears. 

 Mr. Howard Willey,of Bloomfield of this State, 

 who is their agent in S' nthern Iowa, has 

 charge of the collection, and has the glory of 

 being awarded the first premium in advance by 

 the crowd, for the beautiful show of which he 

 is exhibitor. 



D. Leonard, of Burlington, has 26 varieties of 

 pears and 90 of apples. His show is asplendid 

 one, and speaks volumes for his skill as a fruit 

 raiser, and for his section of the State, as adapt- 

 ed to the fruit business. Mr. Leonard we were 

 unable to see to get his views as to best varie- 

 ties. 



GRAPES. 



John How, Keokuk, shows several ef the 



stardard varieties, and also a Concord vine fes- 

 tooned, with the largest number of clusters 

 that we ever saw on one vine. It was wonder. 

 ful how so many could grow on so little space. 

 There must have been near a bushel of grapes 

 on less than two yards of the vine. 



Dr. Lyon, of Hancock county. 111., shows 24 

 varieties and has as many more at home. The 

 Doctor says the Ive's seedling is the grape. 

 Hardy and a splendid bearer. It is a sweeter 

 grape than the Concord, but not quite as large. 



Gen. Bridgman, J. P. Cornish, Mrs. Jas. Mc- 

 Queen, Conrad Meister, L. F. Barney, Chas. 

 Hubbell, and others of Keokuk, make a fine 

 show in this line. 



Mrs. Willis, of Hamilton, 111., in addition to 

 other fruit, shows flue specimens of her Month- 

 ly Raspberries — having a section of the bush 

 alongside of dishes of luscious ripe ones, filled 

 with the berry in all stages of growth ; the 

 ripe, half ripe, the green and the blossoms. 

 She has sold over $.500 worth from a half acre 

 this season. She readily gets 40 cents per 

 quart, and supplies her neighbors daily. 



There is a large array of wine bottles, the 

 principal kind being the Delaware, the Cataw- 

 ba, Concord, Clinton, Virginia Seedling. We 

 didn't sample any of it, but as far as looks go, 

 we give the premium to the Catawba. 



PLANTS AND FLOWERS. 



The show of plants and flowers is not better 

 than that of the June Fair at Des Moines. 

 There are many contributions from the conser- 

 vatories of Keokuk. Among the names most 

 frequently occurring in the collection we notice 

 those of Mrs P. I. Lomax, Mrs. A. R. Wilkin- 

 son, Mrs. R. H. Huston, Mrs. Wm. Fulton, Mrs 

 P. Vidal, Mrs. Mary Brown, Mrs. G. F. Voorhes, 

 of Keokuk, with a few from points near, in 

 Illinois. 



J. C. Westhal & Son, of Davenport, have a 

 fine selection of cut flowers. 



On the flower stand, which is not half filled, 

 is placed a hundred kinds of Candies from a 

 Burlington factory. The location is made on 

 the principle of "Sweets to tbe Sweet." 



A novelty In the Fruit and Flower Hall is a 

 miniature fountain, the jets being enclosed in 

 arches of glass tube. The water is broken up 

 into sections in the tube by the admission of 

 air at regular intervals, and thus produces a 

 most wonderful optical delusion, it appearing a9 

 though the glass itsell in liquid form, was flow- 

 ing up and falling back again into the basin of 

 the fountain. The crowd could only be made 

 to disbelieve this evidence of their senses by 

 placing their hands on the tubes. 



* 



Planting the Cherry Deep. — At a late 

 meeting of the Rockfbrd (111.) Horticultni-iil 

 Society, Jufige Milkr, the PrcsidcLit of the 

 society reiuarkeil on tlie cherry: 



" In nofthern Illinois the heart cherries, the 

 sweet variety, could not be advantageously 

 cultivated, while the acid kinds grew in per- 

 f ctioii ; the new England scarlets, the 

 Holmes cherries, English Morello, and the 

 Early Kichmoiid, were hardy, and iu every 

 respect desiralilc and adapted to this climate. 

 WhL're no insects injure the trees or the 

 fruit, these trees grow well and bear early 

 and plentilully each year, and richly repaid 

 file cultivator for care and labor, with an 

 abundance of delicious cherries. In grafting 

 cherries a number ot kinds of stocks have 

 been used. Some grafted on the Mazzard 

 stock,' others ou the Morello and Mahaleb. 

 He pref rred the Mazzard stock, wliich was 

 ])erlVetl3' liardy, and not troublesome in 

 sending uji sprouts from the roots as the 

 Morello. t he Mahaleb, a French stock, was 

 not hardy in this region, and dwarfed the 

 tree, and should not be used here. 



Mr. Jrllrey has phmted a good matij' cherry 

 trees, but those that were deep planted had 

 done the best ; had some two feet deep 

 planted ; had fruited with the Morello stocks ; 

 .•-aw some sprouts last year. 



Mr. J. J. Lake asked if any one had ever 

 examined the roots of these deep planted 

 trees. 



Mr. Strachan said he had a row of trees ou 

 an average of eighteen inches ; some over 

 two feet ileep planted on a clay soil ; exam 

 ined the roots last year ; all sound aud good, 

 aud trees do well. 



