The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-12
Talk with Correspondents.

Q) Do you know of any Russian APP
pies that have proved valuable winter
varieties in this country?
(2) Do you know anything about the
Arctic apple?
(3) Would sprout that grows up by
the side of an old tree be likely to make
good stock to graft, if the old tree
was removed; or would it be better to
set out trees on new ground?
(4) Does the Transcendent Crab make
a good stock to top-graft large varieties
into?
(5) Is the Sutton's Beauty valuable
apple to grow in Vermont?
REPLIEs.-O In the list of Russian
apple-trees imported by the United
States Department of Agriculture in
1S69-70 we know of but two all-winter
apples that have appeared-the Bors-
dorf (No. 402) and Little Seeding
(No. 4lO). Longfeld (No. 16D, Golden
White (No. 97S) and Switzer (No.
304) keep some time into the winter
the Longfeld keeping about as well as
Wealthy. But there are considerable
number of the apples in that list that
seem to have been entirely lost; in fact
considerably less than half of them
have never been reported upon by those
to whom cions were sent by the depart
ment. In 1883 the Iowa Agricultural
College sent its horticultural professor,
j. L. Budd, to Russia to investigate the
tree-fruits of that country. Professor
Budd spent large part of the growing
season in travelling from one orchard
district to another, and he brought over
cions of many varieties of all seasons,
but especially of the best keepers.
Some of these bear the same names as
kinds on the department list, and are
presumably the same apples. OF these,
Antonovka, Longfeld, Good Peasant,
Pink Anis, Red Anis, Vargul, Borsdorf,
Bogdanoff, White Russet, Babuschino,
and some others are keepers, and all
are of good size, color and quality. We
have many of them growing in orchard,
and some have fruited, but not in suf-
ficient quantity to give fair test of
their keeping. Professor Budd says
the Russians handle their winter apples
carefully and with much skill, and find
no difficulty in keeping many sorts
through the winter. We are inclined
to believe that as the growing season is
shorter in Central Russia, which is the
chief orchard region, than in Vermont
(the former being in latitude fifty to
sixty degrees, while all Vermont lies
south of latitude forty-fve degrees),
early gathering and special care will be
required with most of these sorts to get
them through the whole winter here.
OF those we know most about, we are
disposed to regard Longfeld as the
most promising-it being an early and
prolific bearer, and in Iowa better
keeper than Wealthy. Good Peasant
is supposed to be seeding of Long
field, and is almost identical with it in
fruit. Professor Budd thinks it by
several weeks better keeper. These
two apples resemble the Maiden's
Blush, but are rather less in size. Their
quality is very good, either for dessert
or cooking,
(2) The Arctic apple is represented
as Canadian variety; but on inquiry
we are informed that it has never been
shown at the Montreal exhibitions, and
is entirely unknown to the Montreal
Horticultural Society.
(3) Such sprout often makes good
tree to graft upon, but there is no GER
tainty about the value of any sort for
that purpose until tried. We do not
think very much Of that way of renew
ing an orchard, even for home supply,
and certainly not for market purposes.
(D Sometimes it has done pretty
well, at least for time; but it is not
highly recommended for that purpose
by those who have tried it.
(5) The Sutton (not "Sutton's "
Beauty is very nice Massachusetts, APP
pie, not yet much planted in Vermont,
we believe. We should not want to set
more than one or two trial trees of it yet.
The probabilities are against its prov
ing sufficiently hardy for the greater
part of the state.
GA. NJ" Chelsea, VT, writes: O
1t is said in your department that salt
must be eaten or we shall not live, or
shall live but in q small way. So one
of our teachers, or her book, told her
pupils. What then of the aborigines
of this and other dark continents2"
(2) My Alexander apple-tree is grow
ing over my neighbours house. Would
you cut back one, or two or more years.
growth?