FRUIT-GROWERS’ REPORT. 439 
THREE RADICAL QUESTIONS IN FRUIT GROWING. 
BY F. K. PIKENIX, BLOOMINGTON, ILL. 
1. What is the hardiest apple tree with you, of summer vari¬ 
eties, fall, winter or seedling, thoroughly proved and found 
fruitful, and the fruit useable? 
2. Which is the most certain bearer of each season — sum¬ 
mer, fall, winter—more especially in unfavorable seasons, when 
late frosts cut off the fruit crops? 
The writer well remembers hearing, from venerable grand¬ 
parents, about certain trees of a Russet, or Seedling, or some¬ 
thing else in the “ Old Orchard way down East,” which bore 
in several frosty seasons that destroyed all other apple-sets in 
the orchard. Others can probably recall similar experiences 
and reports. In our own orchard here, set three years in 
spring of 1860, and many trees well furnished with bloom, 
nearly all were killed by severe late frosts, except the Winesap 
of which there were many trees, most of which had apples on; 
and so it was in several other orchards about. The Jonathan 
also bore a few apples. 
Other varieties, like the Janet and Northern Spy, have a 
very useful habit of late blooming, and so escape. Others, as 
is said of Rome Beauty and Vandevere Pippin, will throw out 
new, though feebler bloom, if the first set is destroyed by frost. 
3. Among reasonably hardy sorts, which are the earliest 
bearers of each season? A decided object, we think, on new 
places. 
The writer well recollects hearing, some years since, Mr. A. 
R. Whitney, of Lee Co., Ill., say that from two trees of Yellow 
Ingestrie he had sold fruit to the value of sixty dollars almost 
before many of those standing around, of other sorts and much 
larger trees, had commenced bearing. 
No matter if the fruit be but few removes from a crab apple, 
if a variety were hardy or reliably fruitful in bad seasons, and a 
very early and good bearer, it would be worth cultivating. 
Are not these important points for the million who would 
plant fruit trees on new places, or in severe climates? And so 
