|VU .^J^KHIHWpiS'fl'.yji's 



1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



ft 



I will not undertake to enumerate the frauds 

 practiced — they are well understood by you all — 

 but let this suffice, that of fifty or mote new vari- 

 eties introduced, not a dozen are really acquisi- 

 tions to the old varieties, But the people are mad 



they are crazed upon the subject. They must 



have grapes, and grapes they shall have, and they 

 can scarcely have too many if they only have the 

 right kinds. But I know of a per.-on who would 

 have made a profitable investment if he had joined 

 our Society, attended our last annual meeting, and 

 donated $100 to the Society for the information he 

 might have received. However, it is too late for 

 him — he has purchased his information al a much 

 dearer rate. So it is with hundreds of others who 

 are paying the penalty of their neglect. Neverthe- 

 less there are others yet to plant. Thousands of 

 acres will be planted in Indiana within the next 

 few years ; and the proceedings of this meeting are 

 looked for with interest by many who are prepar- 

 ing to plant quite largely, as well as those who 

 plant but a few vines, to see the drift of the dis- 

 cussions and the varieties recommended for gene- 

 ral cultivation. Let us look well to this matter 

 then, and see that wo mislead nobody. I think we 

 can with this past year's experience, speak posi- 

 tively in regard to some new sorts that we have 

 hesitated about heretofore. 



Yery many of the new varieties are equally as 

 good, perhaps, as the older sorts, and ought not to 

 be rejected because they are not better. Others 

 should be cast overboard and the men who intro- 

 duced them held up to public execration. They 

 ought, in fact, to be indicted and sent to the peni- 

 tentiary for obtaining money under false pretence 

 and misrepresentation. 



But whatever else we do — however anxious we 

 may be to introduce and encourage the growth of 

 all new and valuable sorts, whether of grapes or 

 other fruit, let us not recommend any variety for 

 general cultivation imtil every doubt is removed. 

 Then we shall have nothing to regret, nothing to 

 take back. We have thus far gone on slowly and 

 cautiously with our recommendations, and with a 

 few unimportant exception?, none could desire 

 a change that cannot be readily made, if we make 

 the geographical division of the State that has been 

 suggested. And if we go on thus carefully we will 

 establish a list of fruits that will be of invaluable 

 service to the public, besides the satisfaction to 

 ourselves to know that our labor has not been in 

 vain." 



HOW TO SECURE APPLES. 



Pick from the trees by hand, and put in a basket 

 that is hung by a hook to a branch near you ; these 

 are sorted — all the large, perfect ones put in a bar- 

 rel ; the next sixe of perfect fruit in a second bar- 

 rel, and the culls go to the bogs or for vinegar. — 

 Apples of a size always sell better than if several 

 sizes are in the same barrel. The barrels are to be 

 laid on their sides instead of the ends, as the pres- 

 sure is less on them. Some apples need to be kept 

 in rather tight barrels, and others need more air ; 

 the Winesap does better in open bins — it is liable 

 to be covered with fungus if kept excluded from 

 the air. 



TAEIETIES. 



The Belmont was highly spoken of — Mr. Nelson 

 would name it the most valuable for a single vari- 

 ety. We have found it hardy, productive and val- 

 uable on the prairie, and have planted it largely. 

 Gen. Orr, who is an old orchardist, said : 



" I have experimented for twenty-five years in 

 keeping apples, and I believe the best way is to 

 barrel and lay them on their sides. There is little 

 danger of upples freezing if kept dry. They will 

 not freeze when open to the air until the thermom- 

 eter indicates 24 deg. When my apples are bar- 

 reled I leave them in a cool place until it is 12 deg. 

 below the freezing point, and then remove them to 

 the cellar. Winesap does better on the shelf, as 

 it needs more air than it gets in barrels. Rhode 

 Island Greening is rather tender, but we cannot 

 well do without it. It is not a long keeper, and 

 the tree should be top-grafted. In making a list 

 for planting one hundred trees, I would begin with 

 Early Harvest and Red Astrachan ; then Sweet 

 Bough, as the best early sweet apple. Maiden's 

 Blush is good for drying, is a great bearer and will 

 last as long as any of the fall app]c.=. Fall Pippin 

 and Rambo come next. Among the best is West- 

 field Seek-no-further. No one thinks of doing 

 without if. Vfindsap come in after Rambo, and 

 it is in Eeason from that time on till March. The 

 only drawback is that it will wilt if kept tightly 

 headed up. The trees bear too full sometimes. — 

 Rhode Island Greening and Prolific Beauty are my 

 next choice. Newtown Pippin scabs badly, and a" 

 large per cent, must be thrown out to make it sell 

 in market ; but it can't be dispensed with as an am- 

 ateur fruit for March, although a person using it in 

 December would say it was of no account. Lady 

 Apple is nice for March and April, but it is very 

 liable to scab. Yellow Bellflower does well with 

 me, and I believe it does generally all over the 

 country, but it is more of an amateur apple, as it 

 is tender and easily bruised, and therefore not good 

 for market. I do not consider an apple so good 

 after having been frozen. Persons must know 

 when an apple ripens to judge understandingly of 

 its qualities. Some people will use their spring 

 apples in December and January, while they are 

 endeavoring to keep their late fall and early winter 

 apples until March and April." 



Mr. Lowder, of Hendricks. (In answer to a 

 question.) The White Pippin is perfectly hardy in 

 an orchard where Rawles' Janet has died. I con- 

 sider the tree and fruit both, as first rate — bears 

 every year and is one of the best keeping and mar- 

 ket apples. 



Mr. Yancamp. I know trees of this variety 

 which are the best in the orchard and the fruit is 

 the same. It is always of uniform size, free from 

 scab and is a great bearer and deeper." 



We have stated, a year or two ago, that our 

 Hoosier friends were planting the White Pippin 

 in place of Newton Pippin and White Winter Pear- 

 man. Wherever we have seen the White Pippin 

 it has given the most unbounded satisfaction. The 

 list of apples thus far recommended are : .. 



" Autumn Seek-no-further, Yellow Bellflower, 

 Red Astrachan, Early Harvest, Sweet June, Tren- 

 ton Early, Benoni, Early Red Margaret, (or red 



