190 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



Third, to prove that " a tree grows itself," and 

 that electricity does not grow it, the oak invariably 

 grows the oak leaf and acorn, and never grows tlie 

 apple, and the apple leaf; and the apple tree grows 

 its own fruit and leaves, and not those of the oak. 

 I ask Dr. 8. if he can not see more of the agency of 

 the tree itself in this work, than that of electricity ? 



Fourth, the tree cannot grow of itself without 

 agencies to assist it. Yes, I must admit this, as much 

 so as the man who builds a house, or prints a paper, 

 must have agencies to assist. What are these agen- 

 cies, electricity ? Yes ; as I said before, earth, water, 

 air, with all their constituent parts — oxygen, nitro- 

 gen, hydrogen, electricity, (if the latter is not a 

 component part of the atmosphere, it is omnipres- 

 ent, as is water,) light of the sun, heat. Not only 

 all, but any one of which has as much to do with 

 the growth of the tree as electricity. If we examine 

 the agency of water, we find it carrying all the 

 other materials, drinking in the rays of the sun, 

 and excluding none, carrying all to the leaves, and 

 re-freighting back to their destiny where they are 

 ordered — what orders them, the materials of the 

 trees growth ? Is it electricity ? Or is it the tree 

 itself? 



Fifth, Who knows best its own wants, the tree 

 itself, or electricity? Herein lies tlie secret of the 

 groioth of tlie tree itself, that it orders its omn food for 

 its own building tip, and distributes it to its own 

 wants and iises, by its own inlierited power. Why, a 

 tree is a perfect republic in itself, allowing no for- 

 eign power like electricity to come in and set up a 

 dictatorship. I have seen electricity attempt this 

 with its awful overbearing tyrany, attempt its pow- 

 ers on the oak, stalwart and nobly defending its 

 modest rights, even to its rending asunder, and per- 

 ishing in its noble independence. 



Tbe Apple Question In Itllnnesota. 



Bt Lewis Martin, Anoka, Minn. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener. — Taking your 

 valuable paper for a medium, I wish to throw out 

 a few hints on the varieties and care of fruit trees 

 suited to Minnesota. Fifteen years ago I came to 

 Minnesota and settled in Anoka county, latitude 45 

 deg. north. At that time Mr. L. M. Ford, of St. 

 Anthony, was starting a nursery and garden. After 

 many disappointments from not knowing how to 

 do it, and the varieties that would flourish liere, he 

 came to the conclusion, as did many other good and 

 well-meaning men, that apples would not grow in 

 Minnesota. Since that time, men of energy, perse- 

 verance and pluck, have fought the obstacles inci- 

 dent to an untried soil and climate, and achieved 

 gratifying success. Raising an orchard here is, 

 however, a very different matter from what it is in 

 Michigan, Ohio or other good fruit regions. Yet, 

 by selecting the proper varieties, and the right kind 



of cultivation and protection, success is certain. I 

 have tested quite a number of varieties of grafted 

 fruit and a good many Minnesota seedlings. The 

 varieties which have succeeded best with me, are 

 Duchess of O., Tetofski, Haas, and Ben Davis. 

 The Duchess of O. is the hardiest of all the grafted 

 apples, and I consider it the most valuable of all 

 apples for this region. It is an early and abundant 

 bearer, and will do well on a sandy soil with 

 proper care. There are other varieties doing well 

 here in favorable localities and on clayey soil. 

 The Fameuse, Tollman Sweet, Perry Russet, 

 Plum's Cider, with a few others of the most hardy 

 sorts. The Crab Apples all do well here, and with 

 proper care will yield an abundance of fruit on any 

 soil and in any locality. 



The Transcendent and Hislop are the leading vari- 

 eties of Crabs, and thousands are being planted 

 every year. There is, however, one difficulty which 

 must be overcome to make fruit raising a perfect 

 success in the Northwest. Most of the stock in 

 market is grafted on tender stocks and is liable to 

 frost kill. Several valuable trees were lost in this 

 vicinity the past winter from this cause. Trees 

 that had been bearing six or eight years were found 

 to be frost killed in the spring. So far as my obser- 

 vation extends, the roots suffer most on light sandy 

 soils. But no tree is safe except those on crab bot- 

 toms, unless it is heavily mulched with barn-yard 

 manure about the time the ground freezes in order 

 to prevent dry freezing. I think it best to set the 

 trees about three inciies deeper than they grew in 

 the nursery, [better down 6 to 8 inches. — Ed.] partic- 

 ularly if the soil is light. The last winter was very 

 trying to the roots as the ground froze up very dry 

 and remained nearly bare all winter, and the fall of 

 snow very light. 



Common seedling stocks will do well enough for 

 the East and South, but not for the Northwest. If 

 we would have a jiermanent foundation for healthy 

 orchards in the Northwest, we must use crab stocks. 

 We have many seedling apple trees in our State that 

 are hardy and worthy of proi)agatiou — seedlings of 

 sound wood, and healthy bark, which show hardi- 

 ness sufficient for our climate, are what is needed. 

 Among the seedlings of this class are the Wealthy, 

 Molly, Hawkins Chief Minnesota Prince, and Mis- 

 souri's Treasure. The wood of all the.se trees is as 

 healthy as that of a Transcendent Crab. They have 

 been in bearing several years under repeated repro- 

 duction from the seeds of these trees. May we not 

 look tor fruit ecjual to the best eastern varieties? 



Grapes in California. The Pacific Press of 

 the 37th ult., says : "Favorable reports still contin. 

 ue to come in from the grape crops. An immense 

 number of new vines will come into bearing for 

 the first time this season. 



