440 Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
newed, and only a few trees remain on that south side of the or¬ 
chard; only those iron-clads that you find hard to kill. I would go 
on and repeat examples of this kind, but I wish you to examine for 
yourself in every town and locality in the State. In 1857, after 
the hard winters of 1855 and 1856, I arrived at the conclusion 
which I have to-da} r . I wrote an article for the old Wisconsin 
Farmer, of which Mr. Hoyt was the editor. If any of you will 
turn to the volume for that year, you will find it. I wish our far¬ 
mers had learned that twenty years ago. It would have given us 
that million dollars worth of apples which we are now purchasing. 
This matter of location is the greenback of pomology. It will ad¬ 
mit of indefinite extension and no repudiation. That is, extension 
to meet the demands of trade and commerce. 
Question: Will Mr. Plumb state what he considers the Iron¬ 
clads. 
Mr. Plumb: This is a delicate subject. Our State society after 
recommending list after list for the last ten years, at our meeting 
last week, concluded not to recommend any list. We are free to 
recommend as individuals. I can recommend three varieties. The 
Dutchess of Oldenburg as a standard of hardiness for its season. 
Do you ask for simply the hardy ones? 
Question: The Iron-clad. The exceedingly hardy? 
Mr. Plumb: We also consider the Fameuse one of the Iron¬ 
clads, yet it has failed in different places. We have a variety 
largely disseminated throughout the State called Plumb’s Cider, 
which has proved equally hardy in almost every section. We have 
another; I have had it growing in the neighborhood nine or ten 
years. It appears to be very valuable. We probably will call it 
the Walbridge. It appears to be the Gennet of Wisconsin. The 
testimony for twenty years in Rock county and Jefferson county, 
and a less number of years in other parts of the State is, that it is 
an exceedingly hardy tree; a great bearer, and a fine eating apple; 
an apple that sells readily from six to eight dollars a barrel in the 
month of May, and keeps equally well with the Gennet, and re¬ 
tains its acid better. 
Mr. Peffer: Mr. Plumb remarked that we don't recommend any 
variety particularly. We have come to the same conclusion that 
the Northwestern Fruit-Growers Association did in 1858. The}" 
concluded at that time they didn’t know anything about fruit- 
