182 
November. 1891. 
/ O R C H K R D If Vil l G K R D E nH\ 
pins of the Virginia mountains to take 
the lead of all other apples in the English 
market, and this same sprightly, juicy 
character is the leading feature in southern 
grown winter apples. I have eaten apples 
from nearly all the States, even the almost 
uneatable ones of California, and I am of 
the opinion that for fine quality of flesh, and 
abundance of juice and general fine quality, 
the apples of the Blue Ridge region from 
Virginia to Georgia will lead the whole 
United States. — W. F. Massey, N. C. 
Fall Planting in Kansas. 
This is the best season in Kansas and all 
the Middle States to set out hardy trees and 
plants except peaches, nectarines, apricots 
and evergreens. Trees and plants put out 
in fall must be carefully set and the soil 
firmly packed about the roots and thrown 
up around the trunks so that no freezing, 
thawing or blowing will affect or move 
them. 
The advantages of fall planting are im- 
portant considerations, particularly that of 
early starting of the trees in the spring in 
all sections like Kansas and Nebraska where 
the dry season sets in so early, often in June 
or early July. If we get trees to start 
early and make a good spring growth, and 
thoroughly cultivate them through the dry 
season, we find nodifficulty in growing them 
successfully, and if we set in the spring the 
work must be done very early to get a good 
spring growth. At that season the ground 
is often too wet to do the work well, and 
in consequence it is often unsuccessful. 
In Kansas we never advise heeling-in 
trees as we have seen much injury done by 
freezing and thawing, and it costs nearly as 
much labor to heel them in well and take 
them up again, as to set them out at once. 
We except, however, peach and tender trees 
and plants which must be heeled in here for 
spring planting, as well as many hardy trees 
in very cold sections. We should also see 
that the growth of our trees are well ma- 
tured for fall planting. This is an important 
point which, we fear, is often overlooked in 
fall planting, and we sometimes attribute 
poor succeess to the season of planting 
rather than to the condition of the wood 
growth. Trees grown on too rich ground 
or over-stimulated are not fit to set out in 
the fall. In heeling-in trees in Kansas and 
cold sections of the country, fill in the soil 
well between the roots, and cover roots 
tops all over. — J. Stayman. 
Autumn Work in the Orchard.— Seed- 
ling stocks should be taken up and stored 
away, easy of access for grafting when 
wanted. — Cions may be cut and tied in 
small bundles and stored away in the cellar 
in damp saw dust, moss, or soil, ready for 
use at anj- time. Tie each variety separate- 
ly, so there can be no difficulty in finding 
them. — Young nursery trees and all newly 
fall budded trees, should have a slight fur- 
row thrown against them for winter protec- 
tion, or the winter may kill them. 
Orchard Notings. 
MONGOLIAN PEARS. 
I have recently been favored by Prof. 
Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural College with 
specimens of three varieties of late Mongo- 
lian pears. They appear to be of a quite dis- 
tinct race from the Russian pears. As I 
have never seen the trees of these pears I 
cannot compare them fully with the Rus- 
sians, but I hope they have the same tough, 
fungus and insect repelling foliage. Two 
of them have at this date (Oct. 10,)matured 
so as to be ealable; though one, the larger, 
about the size of Bartlett, would keep con- 
siderable longer. They will prolong the 
season considerably. These two do not 
greatly vary from familiar sorts in type of 
fruit, and might pass in market, or fruit 
show, without particular notice; but the 
third, and evidently the longest keeper, 
is small, (about two inches in diameter,) 
round, with a long stout stem, and closely 
resembling a Golden Russet apple, though 
not russeted, but of a clear yellow buff with 
numerous dots of a lighter shade. This 
seems to me a different type altogether. 
CHARLES GIBB'S COLLECTIONS. 
It seems to me very desirable that all the 
tree fruits of northern Asia should be sought 
for, and fully tested in our northern and 
north-central states, east of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. It is only necessary to look at the 
map of Asia to see that Mongolia occupies, 
on the Asiatic continent, a position very 
similar to that of our states of the north 
Mississippi Valley, and adjoining parts of 
the Canadian territory, lying between the 
fortieth and fiftieth parallels. The lament- 
ed Charles Gibb, of Canada, who died in 
Egypt on his way home from a pomologi- 
cal journey to northern China and Mongo- 
lia, made large collections, and I have no 
doubt extensive notes; but none of the lat- 
ter have yet appeared in print. I suppose 
his collections to have arrived safely in 
Canada, and to be under test at the Ot- 
tawa Station, under the supervision of Mr. 
Craig. If so, I hope he will be able soon to 
publish at least a preliminary report. Prof. 
Budd informs me that the last communica- 
tion received by him from Mr. Gibb enclos- 
ed a packet of Mongolian pear seeds. These, 
however, are, of course not the sour< eof the 
Professor’s Mongolian pears, as the time 
has been too short for the fruiting of seed- 
lings. 
THE OUTLOOK FOR WINTER APPLES. 
Ip northern New England, with the ex- 
ception of a few southern counties in Maine, 
the present has been an unfruitful year for 
apples, especially of the later keeping sorts. 
It is really the off year for apples, any way, 
and it is therefore not so very surprising 
that the crop should be a short one. But 
many orchardists hoped that in consequence 
of the total failure last year, there would 
at least be a better crop than usual. In 
fact there was generally an abundance of 
early and fall fruit, and this has given the 
public, and to a considerable extent the 
trade, an idea that apples were in full sup- 
ply. They are beginning now to find out 
the contrary, and buyers are circulating 
actively among orchardists — yet talking 
cautiously, and trying not to let out the 
fact that there is a shortage. What the 
West can do for them is not yet quite ap- 
parent. Michigan is reported to have a 
very large crop, and it is to Michigan that 
New England is apt to look for apples when 
the crop is short at home. The Annapolis 
Valley, in Nova Scotia, is reported to have 
a good supply, but these choice provincial 
apples are in great demand for shipping to 
England, and our buyers will hardly be 
able to meet the English prices. 
THE LONGFIELD APPLE. 
In the hills of Vermont, and in the Pro- 
vince of Quebec, there are practically no 
winter apples. Having a very heavy crop 
in my own orchards last year, I was not 
looking for more than a moderate one. 
though I manure heavilv, and keep the 
land under careful tillage. But. aside from 
the ever-bearing early Russians, most of 
my trees were bare of fruit. The only ex- 
ception are a small crop of Scott’s Winter, 
a few Wealtbvs on young trees that did not 
bear last year, and the early winter Rus- 
sian, Longfield. This variety surprises mo. 
So far, at least, it bears full crops every 
year, proving itself a true annual bearer. 
Grown here, it keeps into the winter con- 
siderably better than Fameuse. Though I 
cannot grow the Gravenstein, I should say 
that Longfield is about of the same season, so 
that grown in northern Maine, New Bruns- 
wick and Quebec, it would be an all-winter 
fruit. It is certainly very handsome, very 
good, and of fair size when not allowed to 
overbear. It pleases buyers both in appear- 
ance and quality, being equally good for 
eating and culinary use. 
APHIDS ON FRUIT TREES. 
For the previous two seasons there has 
been an immense incre«se of aphids on all 
our fruit trees, — bad enough on apples, but 
destructive upon plums and cherries. These 
insectsdonot appearto attack my pear trees 
at all. The Russian pears seem to be not 
only fungus free, but also iron-clad against 
aphid attacks. I have been pleased to no- 
tice, this season, a very great increase of 
the helpful lady bug, and a corresponding 
decrease of the aphide scourge. There seems 
to be a close connection between the two, 
and a balancing each way, — indicating that 
the lady bugs are absolutely dependent up- 
on the aphid crop for existence. As they in- 
crease with the latter they seem to over- 
breed, and, as it were, become so numerous 
as to “eat themselves out of house and 
home.” We shall now probably be pretty 
free from aphid, which have killed the 
ends of the shoots, and sometimes the 
whole tree in the plum and cherry nurser- 
ies and orchards, in spite of frequent dip- 
pings in (obacco and soap water, which is 
the best remedy I have found. — T. H. Hos- 
kins, Vermont. 
