44 CIRCULAR 421, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



ties have died. The behavior of the different varieties of apples and 

 plums in the station orchard will be briefly discussed. 



APPLE VARIETIES 



No standard variety of apples has yet borne much fruit, though 

 some varieties have begun to bear. The Anoka produced fruit the 

 earliest after setting out. It appears to be fully hardy and has 

 ample foliage to protect the tree. The Hibernal is very hardy, 

 but the foliage is too scant for sun protection, and the trees had not 

 commenced to bear in 1932. Wealthy and Oldenburg (Duchess) 

 appear to be hardy with adequate foliage and are beginning to bear. 



The trees of all standard varieties of apples are still small, and 

 it will be many years before they produce much fruit. 



Crab apples made much more rapid growth than standard varie- 

 ties, and many trees are now producing good crops of fruit. Dolgo 

 is a consistent producer and the trees are thrifty. The fruit is small 

 but of fairly good quality. Florence produces the heaviest crop of 

 fruit, though the production from year to year is not so consistent 

 as it is with Dolgo. The trees of this variety are strong growing 

 and the foliage is ample. The fruit is above average size. Sylvia 

 bears some fruit each year and the fruit is of better than average 

 quality. The foliage is slightly sparse and does not fully protect 

 the fruit. Transcendent and Siberian are hardy and the trees are 

 vigorous in growth. Production of fruit is fair, but the quality is not 

 equal to some of the other varieties, although the quality of Trans- 

 cendent generally is considered good. Virginia is hardy and the fruit 

 is of good quality, but the foliage is scanty and the fruit crops have 

 been small. Whitney is hardy, and the fruit is of superior quality, 

 but the tree is slower in reaching bearing age than some of the 

 other crabs. 



PLUM VARIETIES 



Opata, Sapa, Compass, and Zumbra were the first varieties of 

 plum-sand cherry hybrids to produce fruit. Sapa and Zumbra were 

 very short lived, and portions of the trees began to die within a few 

 years. Opata and Compass were longer-lived. They produced fair 

 crops of fruit earlier than standard varieties. All trees of these 

 two varieties are now dead or in very poor condition, but their loss 

 is due more to location than to lack of hardiness. Both of these 

 varieties were in the row bordering the shelterbelt and were unable 

 to stand the competition of the larger trees in the shelterbelt. Opata 

 and Compass are short-lived as compared with standard varieties, 

 and the quality of fruit is not so good for eating out of hand, 

 though they are acceptable for culinary uses. They are valuable in 

 the early development of an orchard, because they produce fruit 

 when better varieties have not commenced to bear. 



Standard varieties of plums that have proved hardy and produc- 

 tive are Ked Wing, Teton, Radisson, Mammoth. Emerald, and Cree. 

 Teton, Mammoth, and Cree are not considered very good quality 

 plums, but they are hardy and productive. The trees of Mandan 

 Selection No. 73 grew more rapidly than those of any other variety 

 and are fully hardy. The fruit is of medium size and average qual- 



