333 



THE POMOLOGIST AST) GABDENER. 



1871 



For the first time in this State, I have this season 

 had the pleasure of eating pears of my own raising. 

 They were the Flemish Beauty, the only variety in 

 my orchard yet old enough to fruit, though equally 

 hardy and promising. No doubt in time we shall 

 grow the pear in great profusion in Minnesota. 

 As yet I have fruited but four varieties of the old 

 named apples. Some varieties that have failed with 

 me have done well with some of my neighbors, 

 whose soil is stiff' clay — my soil being deep and rich 

 underlaid with clay. Until I adopted the plan of 

 deep tree planting but very few varieties succeeded. 

 But with deep planting, so as to reach the clay at 

 once I have experienced but few failures, and have 

 got a more healthy growth of wood at the start. I 

 now intend to again try many of the rejected vari- 

 eties. The varieties of the apple doing best in this 

 vicinity are the Duchess of Oldenburg, Haas, Fa- 

 meuse, Tetofski, St. Lawrence, Plumbs' Cider, Gold- 

 en Russett, Perry Russett, Winter Wincsap, Sops of 

 Wine, Red Astrachan, Pall Stripe, ^Blue Pearmain, 

 and a few others I cannot name of the old sorts, 

 with a great variety of new, seedlings, many of 

 which are very valuable,'and of which I may make 

 further mention at another time. 



As to the relative value of the varieties named 

 I should say in their order — Duchess, Blue Pear- 

 main, and Fwmeuse for profit — the others to be 

 grown more sparingly. Of cherries, the Early 

 Richmond and the Carnation do best. The sweet 

 cherries are no go — do not succeed at all. As to 

 grapes we grow a great variety, more demand for 

 Concord vines than any other sort. But the lona 

 outstrips in quality and fruitfulness, though some 

 of Rogers' Hybrids give great satisfaction. The 

 Eumelan fruited with me this season for the first. 

 It is the earliest of all my grapes, is of first rate 

 quality, and will hang on the vines without drop- 

 ping until the latest of grapes are ripe. Its wood 

 ripens up better than that of any other vine, the 

 Croton only excepted, though the latter has not 

 fruited with me yet. Of Raspberries the Doolittle 

 and Mammoth Cluster do best — producing enor- 

 mous crops of good fruit. The Wilson Strawberry 

 is a general favorite about here, but on my black 

 loam falls far behind Green Prolific and Downer's 

 Prolific in size, flavor and productiveness, nor does it 

 stand drouth so well. 



Peter M. Gideon. 



Excelsior, Minn. 



Frozen Apples for Cider, &c. 



Editor Pomologist and Gardener. — In your 

 September issue, Dr. James Weed asks — " I should 

 like to have some one explain why the apples could 

 endure fourteen degrees of frost without the slightest 

 injury, and be completely ruined by ten degrees." 



The first freezing was an imperceptible injury, 

 but sufficient to enable the second freeze, although 

 lighter than the first, to bring ruination. 



We cover our tender grape vines at the approach 

 of winter, so that they shall not be killed or in- 

 jured. One freeze, if it lasted all winter, would be 

 of but little injury, but thawing and freezing a 

 number of times is what does the mischief 



Again, the Dr. asks, " Would the frozen apples 

 * * * answer for cider ?" Yes, my experience is, 

 that frozen apples make the best cider, the most of 

 it, and the best keeping. I make It a point to 

 freeze the apples to make cider for winter use, and 

 freeze a portion of the water out of the cider for 

 still later use. 



I only know these things from seeing them, the 

 same as I see and know that a blade of grass grows, 

 but all the causes lying behind the growing I do 

 not understand. 



Vernon, Iowa. Wm. P. Lbpfincott. 



* ♦ « 



More Abont PlniUB. 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener : — After I wrote 

 you on my return home from the State Fair, in re- 

 gard to those plums I took there for a name, I learn- 

 ed that to me was awarded the pr«raiMj?i for the best 

 show of plums. As I learned through the Pomolo- 

 gist that you did not have the pleasure of see- 

 ing or naming them, certainly I could not have 

 asked of the committee a better name. The com- 

 mittee must have come to the same conclusion that 

 Idid — that there was but a faint resemblance be- 

 tween the "Lombard" and "Smith's Orleans." 



I very much doubt if there is any plum equal to 

 it for hardiness, productiveness and other good qual- 

 ities for cooking and table, to be found in the North 

 western States. 



I have received several letters from different parts 

 of this State and from Minnesota, which have the 

 right ring. The writers must be subscribers to the 

 Pomologist and Oardener. They write that the de- 

 scription of the "Smith's Orleans Plum" in the last 

 No. of the Pomologist is just what they have been 

 looking for — that we must have fruit that is adapt- 

 ed to their cold climate. That is the true course. 

 Cultivate no fruit that is not adapted to our cli- 

 mate. 



In order to accomplish this desirable object, let 

 every farmer and gardener in the Northwest sub- 

 scribe for the Pomologist and Oardener, and commu- 

 nicate their experience with fruit through its col- 

 umns, for the mutual benefit of all. Had this been 

 adopted ten years ago, the State of Iowa would to- 

 day be thousands of dollars better off in regard to 

 fruit. But it is never too late to do good. Let the 

 farmers commence the good work. 



S. D. Rkdfield. 



Vinton, Benton Co., Iowa, Oct. 25, '71. 



