522 WISCONSIN FRUIT-GROWEltS’ ASSOCIATION. 
EFFECTS OF THE WINTERS OF 1857-8. 
/ 
BY FRANCIS DRAKE, OF RACINE. 
I have not now time to give you the benefit of my experience 
as intelligibly as I would desire, and will only name a few vari¬ 
eties of Apple that have succeeded with me the best. I planted, 
in May, 1856, a block containing 400,000, which was pronoun¬ 
ced, the following autumn, by several eastern nurserymen, who 
chanced to visit me, the best block of trees they ever saw ; so 
strong and uniform was their growth. The following winter 
did little or no injury to the tops, although it embraced over 
eighty sorts ; but upon examination, I found that they were 
seriously damaged at the root, to what extent the summer alone 
could reveal; and a sad revelation it proved, as at least three- 
fourths “ gave up the ghost.’’ And of those that survived, 
without scarcely a failure, I have to speak, viz. : Red Astra- 
clian, Vincent, Rambo, Colvert,Wagener, Twenty-ounce Pippin, 
Saxon, Washington, Strawberry, Hubbardston, Nonsuch, Pri¬ 
mate, Flower, Genesee, Perry Russet, Golden Russet, Talman 
Sweet, Seek-no-further and Northern-Spy. A few other sorts 
did tolerably well. These, you will notice, are strong growers, 
and generally hardy at the tops. 
The soil was prairie, with a stiff, retentive sub-soil. The 
winter of 1856-7 was a very unfavorable one for such soils. 
The 400,000 trees, heretofore referred to, were worked upon 
roots, averaging three inches each. 
It was considered at that time, by those of experience, that 
the third cut was only time and stock thrown away. I resolved 
to experiment, and saved the feeblest cuts (those that I had 
usually thrown away), packed and planted them separate, 
amounting to over 30,000. The result was surprising—all 
those sorts before named did full as well as those grafted upon 
