The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-08-22
Montreal horticultural Report.


This report for 1SSl-S2 is just issued,
and is full of most valuable information. |
II embraces Mr.. Charles Gibbs report
upon Russian Apples, heretofore noticed
at length in these columns, and another
report by the same critic on the Seeds
and Shrubs of Northern Europe and
Asia. Mr.. Glib was accompanied on his
Russian tour by Professor Budd of the
Iowa Agricultural College, and the pro-
fessor's report is also given, covering the
same ground, with much of interest in adj
dition. Professor Budd also gives a
paper upon, Not Well Known Trees
and Shrubs, that is very useful. Helm
rich Goegginger of Riga, Russia, con-
tributes paper upon the Fine Fruits of
that country, while A. g. Tuttle of Bara-
boo, Wisconsin, gives his experience with
Russian apples. Taking all these in con-
nection with the paper of Aaron Web
ster of East Roxbury, VT, on Russian
Apples, in the previous report of this So
ciety, the genealogical student will find
about all that is now known on that sub
ject, collected in an accessible form.
These papers give much more favorable
idea of the probable usefulness of Rus
sian fruits in the colder parts of America
than has heretofore been held. The in
ferior quality of many of the Russian ap-
Piles imported by our department of agri.
culture in 1870, and the fact that nearly
all of them were early varieties, has
tended to prejudice growers against that
class of fruit. But, as we several times
before have remarked, it is not likely that,
out of over two hundred sorts of Ameri-
can apples taken at random and exported,
say, to New Zealand, more than half
dozen would prove valuable there. Yet
that half-dozen might be very valuable
indeed. Besides the early kinds (and of
these some ten or more are very useful for
the cold North), there are undoubtedly
some long keepers among the Russians,
that are valuable both for home use and
for market. Among these we have
fruited L" Longfeld's Apple" very similar
to Fameuse in size and appearance, very
productive, and keeping well until March
or April. Another is Borsdorf (No. 400
of the Department LisO which is larger
than Longfeld, and much longer keeper,
being really spring rather than win
ter apple. We put it with Ben Davis as
keeper, while it is considerably better
in quality, with much harder tree.
Another Russian that is long keeper is
Little Seeding. Notwithstanding its
name this apple is not very small, while
the tree is very productive, and the fruit
keeps until apples come again. The
quality is pretty good. These kinds
show that there are bookkeeping Rus
slams that are already here, while the re-
marks of Messrs. Glib and Budd haye re-
vealed still better apples of this class in
the Antonovka, and the varieties of Anis,
and, perhaps, in the Arabska and some
others. When we get to growing these
hardy apples in America there will I'M
questionably spring up class of seed
lings from them, perhaps crossed with
our own apples, that will be likely to
have among them sorts more valuable in
the far North than either.
But the researches of Messrs. Glib and
Budd were not limited to apples alone.
The pears, plums and cherries of Russia
are likely to be quite as valuable in our
colder sections as the apples, and to be-
come also the parents of new sorts still
better suited to our wants. We shall
await the propagation and dissemination
of these, therefore, with the warmest in
terest.
Besides the articles above mentioned
this report contains valuable paper or
the Principles of Successful Orchardine
in the Province of Quebec, by r. w
Shepherd, Jr, an experienced orchardist
whose teachings are as valuable for north
ern Vermont as for Canada. The report
concludes with the reports of five auxiliar,
county societies, all of which are of
practical nature and worthy of study
There is no price attached to these re
ports, but we do not doubt that fifty cent
forwarded to Henry S. Evans, secretar,
of the society, Montreal, would secure
copy. We are specially pleased to not
that the Montreal society never had s.
large number of contributory. member
or was so successful in every way as a
this time. We wish that the fruit-grow
ers of Vermont could be persuaded of tn
advantages of such an organization 70
themselves.