The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. I 's ' 
Copyright, 1893, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. i 
VoL. III. ROCHESTER. N. Y., OCTOBER, 1895. No. 9. 
REGARDING RUSSIAN FRUITS. 
Editor 0 /The National Nurseryman: 
I have read the attack on me in your July is.sue by a 
Mr, Bomberger. It is unfortunate that any man’s per¬ 
sonal obligations should force him to attack a paper 
written wholly in the interest of intelligence and morality 
in business and try to destroy its force by impugning the 
motives of its author. His chief objection is directed to 
an illustration of an especially flagrant violation of a 
moral rule insisted upon in the paper. The violation of 
the rule is admitted, but he says the matter was cured by 
a certain election of officers. What, except obliquity of 
moral ideas, or lack of them, could lead a man to that 
attitude, is not apparent. The claim that the value of a 
species of fruit can be settled by securing the election of 
certain men and defeating others by setting things up a 
la Tammany, is a dangerous one. If he is correct, then 
Tammany was right and Parkhurst and the churches were 
wrong, as long as Tammany could carry the ward elec¬ 
tions. In fact, this was Tammany’s claim for twenty 
years wherein they actually did carry the ward elections. 
By the same easy rule of morality and logic, the churches 
will be wrong and Tammany right if it can succeed in 
carrying the ward elections next year. He denounces 
the illustration, impersonal though it was, and invites an 
examination of Professor Budd’s record. “ What is writ 
is writ ” and I take up his challenge. The official reports 
of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, of which Pro¬ 
fessor Budd has been secretary almost continuously for 
twenty-five years, cannot be objected to. These reports 
show that as long ago as 1871 the horticulturists of Iowa 
had become aware that their fruits, of eastern and south¬ 
ern origin, were not fitted to endure prairie conditions. 
They were looking anxiously for other fruits. In 1871 
the secretary of this society *ceived from Washington 
scions of sixteen varieties of Russian apples, to be grown 
and distributed to the society. See report 1872, page 
14. On page 218, report for 1874, it is recorded that 
* C. L. Watrous as chairman of a committee made report 
as follows : ‘ Resolved that the secretary be authorized 
to open a correspondence with Dr. Regel, Director of the 
Imperial Botanic Gardens, St. Petersburg, Russia, with a 
view of importing scions of varieties of Russian apples 
and other fruits for trial on the grounds of the State 
Agricultural College and that, if a favorable response be 
received, the funds of the society may be used for that 
purpose to an amount not to exceed $100, said importa¬ 
tion to be made in the fall of 1875.” Resolution adopted 
by unanimous vote. That resolution, with its unanimous 
adoption, lights up the situation in Iowa. On page 299, 
report 1877, it is recorded that this appropriation of cash 
was renewed by resolution of the board of directors. 
This resolution was offered also by C. L. Watrous. We 
were all anxious for Russian fruits then. In the mean¬ 
time, Professor Budd raised public expectation to the 
highest by accounts of some Russian apples already on 
trial in America. In report for 1878, page 80, Secretary 
Budd, in a paper, said: “ The Belle de Boskoff and 
Yellow Transparent apples, for instance, compare favor¬ 
ably with the English Golden Russet and Yellow Harvest 
in quality.” “ The absolute hardiness of these varieties 
is a desideratum covering a multitude of deficiencies.” 
“ The words absolute hardiness mean more than ability 
to live through our winters.” It (the tree) must be able 
to start into growth the fruit the ensuing spring.” Upon 
this unqualified recommendation I procured and planted 
both in nursery. Belle de Boskoff killed to the snow¬ 
line like a peach and I think I never got a tree fit for 
market. Many others suffered the same loss. Yellow 
Transparent has never been fully hardy at Des Moines 
and blights di-^astrously, besides. I fail to find where 
Professor Budd has ever acknowledged his error in these 
recommendations and warned planters of the absolute 
unreliability of the Boskoff in Iowa. Why this failure? 
I quote again from Secretary Budd, page 265, report 
1878: “The State Horticultural Society has imported 
for trial on the grounds of the Iowa Agricultural College 
about twenty varieties of pears successfully fruited on the 
steppes around Moscow and St. Petersburg Russia,” and 
in the next sentence he breaks forth into triumphant 
prophecy, “ beyond a shadow of doubt all these varieties 
will prove hardy on our most exposed prairies.” I hope¬ 
fully planted all, or nearly all of these in a most favorable 
situation at Des Moines and all are dead but one sort. 
Many froze down to the ground and others blighted to 
death. Other men suffered in the same way. I cannot 
find where Professor Budd has published these failures 
and warned planters of their danger. Wny this failure? 
Again on page 474, report 1878, the professor says: 
“ The advantage we reach in importing fruits from Russia 
is that they are absolutely hardy.” These last words he 
put in capitals. In the same connection he states : “ We 
have on the college farm over two hundred Russian 
varieties in nursery and orchard.” Yet most of them have 
been blackened and killed by winter at Des Moines and 
elsewhere over the state and losses have been heavy. I 
find no retraction of this sweeping recommendation ; no 
list of rejected varieties from the professor. Why this 
failure? Remember this was in 1878. On page 476 of 
the same volume he says: “ 1 have not the least doubt 
that every one of these thirty varieties (of apples) will. 
