New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 87 
enterprising fryit growers are very generally interested in com- 
parative trials of the more recently introduced varieties. 
Although in the greater part of our State the winters are not so 
severe as to necessitate the selection of the so-called iron-clad 
fruits, in-our northern counties, which lie in the latitude of central 
Wisconsin, experience has shown that only the hardier sorts can 
- be successfully fruited. On this account it has seemed wise to 
test the so-called Russian varieties, as well as the less known 
native sorts. 
The question as to the method of securing the newer varieties 
had to be considered. Many of these are advertised to a con- 
siderable extent before the plants are offered for sale. The 
proprietors of supposed new and valuable varieties are often 
unwilling to place them at a public place like an experiment 
station, where the plants are liable to dissemination. On the 
other hand, the Station should hardly be expected to pay 
the extravagant prices charged for novelties and then be 
restricted as to their privileges with them. As the originators or 
proprietors of new fruits are the ones chiefly interested in their 
introduction, it seems proper that they should furnish the plants 
to the Station, and as the object of the Station tests is the infor- 
_ mation of fruit growers and not the distribution of plants, it is 
quite right that the proprietors of new fruits should be protected 
against dissemination from the Station. The following circular 
was therefore sent to as many proprietors of new fruits as could 
readily be reached : 
New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 
GENEVA, January 3, 1888. 
It is proposed to make the testing of new fruits a special feature 
_ of the horticultural department of this Station in the future, in 
order that all persons interested in fruit culture may be enabled 
to see and compare the newer varieties growing under, as nearly 
as can be secured, equal conditions. A portion of the Station 
erounds well adapted to fruit has been set apart and will be 
reserved for this special purpose. The soil will be kept well 
fertilized and the culture given will be first class. Accurate notes 
will be kept on all points that have a near or remote interest to 
the fruit grower, such as the time of maturity, yield, size, color, 
