The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-05-11
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Siberian Apples.


Northern Maine, Vermont and New
Hampshire, rs well as in the Province
of Quebec,s II. attended with serious
difficulties consequent upon the severe
winter cold. Every species Of plant
and tree has its northward range limit
ed by this cause; and as we travel
toward the, Arctic regions one after an
other drops out Of sight, until at last we
reach those bleak and frigid shores,
where only the reindeer moss and a
few stunted herbs survive.
Nearly ell the favorite apples of the
Middle States. of the sea coast region,
of New England and of the Champlain
valley, are forbidden to the jewellers In
the section above named. These fruits
seem to be unable to endure winters
where the thermometer habitually
descends to or below fifty-two degrees
of frost, or, as we commonly express it,
twenty degrees below zero. Exposed
to this temperature the young growth
Is killed, partially or entirely; the
hardwood becomes blackened and
decays; and even the sapwood, though
surviving, is so weakened in vitality
that it "bleeds" at every slight cut or
wound the bark becomes black from
the exuded sap, the tree is stunted
bears only feebly and of imperfect fruit,
and finally gives up the ghost.
In fba liotc Of boio., NJ =, -.
put forth by all the leading nurseries of
the country, nine-tenths, at least, are
such rs are found to follow this course
to destruction, in very cold localities,
even underline most careful and skillful
attention. And this is one reason why
New York trees" are 80 emphatically
condemned. 1t is not the only reason,
since large quantities of refuse nursery
stock have been peddled through the
country by tree agents." that would
never have been good for anything if
planted In the most favorable location.
But the best trees that ever grew, of
the Baldwin, King of Tompkins Coun-
ty, Yellow Belle-feur, Jewett's Red,
Hubbardston Nonesuch, Roxbury Rus
sett, Early Harvest, and twenty other
popular sorts, would equally fail along
the northern limits of the apple; and
every attempt to grow them can result
only in disappointment.
Must we. then, give up apple grow
ing in Northern Vermont Certainly
we must, unless we can find some
harder varieties than those which are
reckoned the standard sorts i'm moro
favored localities. But fortunately
there are number of well known and
acceptable kinds that stand very well
In all but the most exposed and un-
favorable spots. Among these may be
named the Tetofsky, Duchess of Olden.
burgh, Red Astrachan, Blue Pearmain,
Westfield Seek no Further, Fameuse
Ben Davis, st. Lawrence, and Tolman
Sweet; and to these may be added a
number more, not so generally known.
such as the Peach Apple, Magog Red
Streak, Clyde Beauty, Kentish Fill
basket, Granite Beauty, Tracy Apple,
Seotts Winter, Mcintosh Red, Derby
Seek-no- Further, and st. Jobnsbury
Sweet.
From these lists varieties NAV be
selected from which very satisfactory
orchards may, with care, be grown,
But even these require much more
attention than is ordinari ly given upon
most farms, in order to be OF any great
profit to the grower The trees must
be carefully planted, cultivated. fur
rowed, mulched and fertilzed, in order
to make them really successful and
even with all this care, it may be that
an unusually severe winter will iniure
more or less of them, and destroy such
as are not thoroughly vigorous and
healthy In short, the difficulty of
growing what is called English
apples" in Northern Vermont is about
equal to the difficulty of growing
peaches In Massachusetts and Con.
necticut. 1t can be done, bu. under
ordinary circumstances it cannot be
'h"uc W pas as u DuSlHtSS.
Would we, then, discourage our
readers from attempting to raise apples?
BY no means. Every farmer should
endeavor to grow trees enough for
large and liberal home supply of this
necessary fruit; and if in growing these
lie hnds he has Il pretty favorable
location, We should even advise him TO
extend his plantation, since wherever
1t IL difficult TO grow apples, apples are
sure to bring good price, and con-
sequenlly in such case prove n profit
able crop.
But what if even the hardest ENG
fish apples" fail 4? Well, fortunately
there is 10 need of giving up, even
then. The Siberian Crab has been
grown pretty extensively for many
years in these cold sections; the trees
have stood among other apple trees, and
seedlings grown from them have shown
considerable tendency towards i'm
proyement, both in size and quality
Indeed, so great has the i'm orovement
been IN some cases, as to Justify the
belief that from this Siberian parentage
we may in time expect 10 obtain race
OF apples that will push profitable
apple culture one or two hundred miles
north of its present limits.
This improvement has progressed
rapidly in the last ten years. Many
are so disguised with what are justly
called "crab apples" that they refuse
to try anything that has "crab" or
SIBERIAN" attached to its name and
consequently they are unaware of this
great improvement that is going OH.
both in the quality and size of these
"crab-hybrids." But recognizing the
need of something harder than the
Al