TESTED RUSSIAN FRUITS AT THE WEST. 



653 



failed to come into general cultivation. The Japanese 

 varieties now cultivated in the United States leave, 

 however, enough to be desired in the way of flavor, 

 hardiness and other qualities, to fully warrant, well 



directed and continued effort toward the improvement of 

 our native species, and we believe, good results are to 

 come in this direction. 



Washington. A. A. Crozier. 



TESTED RUSSIAN FRUITS AT THE WEST. 



'N THE September number of 

 American Garden the careful 

 and thoughtful Dr. Hoskins 

 gives some notes on the Rus- 

 sian apples of the Department 

 importation which have been tested 

 in the north-eastern states, and ex- 

 presses regrets that the plan of dis- 

 tribution had resulted in the loss, or 

 at least the hiding from public view, 

 of a large part of the 250 varieties im- 

 ported, and the mixing of names and 

 numbers to a confusing extent. 

 In connection with his statements permit me very 

 briefly to give a historical sketch of our importations of 

 Russian fruits and collections from other sources, with 

 some notes on the results of a very extended trial of the 

 varieties on varied soils and in varied latitudes during 

 twelve of the most trying years known to the history of 

 the west and northwest, 



OUR IMPORTATIONS OF SCIONS AND PLANTS. 



During 1877 the writer was in correspondence with 

 Dr. Edward Kegel, of St. Petersburg, and Prof. R. 

 Shroeder, of the Agricultural College near Moscow, in 

 regard to the fruits of the steppes east to the Volga, and 

 south to the Black and Caspian seas. As I knew that 

 these eminent scientists and promologists had been edu- 

 cated in Germany, and that they were well acquainted 

 with the fruits of southwest Europe, I was somewhat 

 surprised by their statements that in size, appearance 

 and quality the apples, cherries, plums and prunes of 

 east Europe in the interior provinces compared favor- 

 ably with those of Germany. 



In the summer of 1878 we sent drafts for 100 roubles 

 to each of these gentlemen with the request that varie- 

 ties of the interior provinces be forwarded if obtainable 

 through their interior correspondents. 



In March, 1879, we received in good order scions of 

 72 varieties of the apple and small plants of a number of 

 varieties of the pear, cherry, plum and prune from Dr. 

 Regel, and in May we received scions of 164 varieties 

 of the apple, and rooted plants of a number of varieties 

 of pear, plum, cherry, prune, dwarf juneberry and other 

 things in the line of shrubs and trees. 



During the winter of 1878-g we also received apple 

 scions of the Russian varieties from Ellwanger & Barry , 

 of Rochester, N. Y., A. G. Tuttle, of Baraboo, Wis., and 

 from the Department of Agriculture, at Washington, 



the latter being cut from bearing trees by special ar- 

 rangement made by Senator Kirkwood. At least two 

 specimen trees were started, by top-working on Gros 

 Pomier or Duchess trees set in experimental orchard 

 the preceding spring, of about half the varieties collected. 

 The large part, however, of the scions collected was 

 root-grafted, or crown-grafted, on one year Duchess 

 trees in nursery, and in due time sent out to trial sta- 

 tions over a large part of the west and cold north. 



In the experimental orchard we also top-worked scions 

 of quite a large number of promising seedlings from 

 Montreal, North Wisconsin and other sections with try- 

 ing climates, in the spring of 1879, with a few of the 

 hardiest varieties of the old list. No further importa- 

 tions were made until the fall of 1882 and the spring of 

 1883 and 1884. 



In the summer of 1882, in company with the lamented 

 Charles Gibb, I was permitted to spend four very busy 

 months with the horticulturists and among the orchards 

 of northeast Germany, Poland, and nearly all parts of 

 Russia in Europe, from the Black Sea and the Caspian 

 north to St. Petersburg, Moscow and the upper Volga. 



This resulted in making seventeen separate importa- 

 tions from northeast Germany, Poland and various parts 

 of the interior steppe provinces as noted in our bulletin 

 of 1885, and in part in the report of the American Pomo- 

 logical Society for 1887. As the varieties imported at 

 this time were personally selected on the ground, and 

 forwarded by the most careful orchardists and pomo- 

 logists of the east, we expected that they would all prove 

 true to name and serve as checks for correcting mistakes 

 made in the Department list and by less skilled parties 

 in other importations. 



In reality this expectation has been realized, though 

 many of the varieties were mixed to a much greater ex- 

 tent than the varieties we imported earlier, selected by 

 Dr. Regel and Dr. Shroeder. This mixing was not so 

 much the result of carelessness as we at first supposed. 

 At the agricultural colleges the scions were mainly cut 

 from top-worked trees on which often four or five yarie- 

 ties were fruiting. That a common workman should 

 now and then cut from an interlocked limb is not sur- 

 prising. Again the cherries, plums and prunes were on 

 their ozmi roots, and our experience with sprouts would 

 lead us to expect some mixing from crossing of roots and 

 seedlings. This kind of mixing we were soon able to 

 detect, but not soon enough to prevent receiving many 

 scoldings for sending out mixed stock. It could not be 

 avoided, and has resulted in getting some very valuable 

 varieties of the cherry and plum, for which we have had 



