The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-11-14
Possibilities of 0rcharding in the
Cold North.

VI
Cold North.
President Chamberlain of the Iowa
Agricultural College, whose recent adj
vent there. as that of very able and
energetic, as well as capable man, we
hailed with much satisfaction, il yet,
like all of us, bound by his limitations.
Coming directly from the mild climate
of Ohio, and seeing around him the
numerous dead orchards of Iowa, re-
sulting from the recent " test winters"
he writes to the Country Gentleman:
" No use to try TO fight nature; this
section will never grow tree-fruits
probably" We can remember, forty
years ago, when exactly this thing was
said about Maine, by new corners from
Massachusetts,; yet look at Names
enormous export of the very finest
apples at the present time! And Presi-
dent Chamberlain ought certainly to
have given some weight to facts right
under his own eyes, in the college
orchard, where, in the midst of the
dead trees, stood enough of the young,
unframed Russians to give a crop of
200 bushels the present season.
This same want of faith has marked
our own progress in fruit growing
in Orleans county. Many time have
old farmers visiting us, in years past,
told us how vain were our hopes.
Haven't we tried it, over and over
again? Don't we kno,c that apples can
not be raised in this cold country?"
They even talked as though we were
insulting them by making such at
tempts. But we stuck to it, and now
Orleans county is almost self-support-
ing in the matter of apples, and soon
will be so in plums, pears and cherries.
1t is curious, too, to see how 10th
old fogyism is to be converted. Show
these kickers the thrift and productive
ness of our long rows of Yellow Trans
parent and Oldenburgh, and they say:
Yes; perhaps you can grow summer
and fall apples pretty we'll, but they
won't keep" Show them the Wealthy
and they will admit its productiveness,
beauty and excellence, but say, "Not
everybody can make them keep; they
drop badly; the bark on the trees some
times blights, 1.-THE very faults of the
Baldwin along the northern limits,
where yet is profitably grown, when
top-grafted on more vigorous stocks.
Show them Scott's Winter, the trees
without these defects, and the fruit
keeping until summer apples come
again, and they remark "Yes, but it
is small apple, and not fit to eat until
spring." forgetting that in both these
points it is at least equal to the Golden
Russet, with the advantage of being
red, and not subject to whitening, as
all russets are, unless headed up in
barrels. Well, let us be of good cheer.
If we have not yet reached perfection,
we have made good progress, with
much more to encourage us in sight.
For, besides many good native seed
lings that have sprung up in the cold
north, and ahown themselves able to
"stand the racket" we have the two or
three hundred new varieties from Rus
STA, nearly all of which care nothing for
our hardest winters, and out of which
there is every prospect of sitting many
sorts suited to one or another locality, if
not to all. And, we repeat, not apples
alone. At least one Russian pear is
proving quite as hardy as the Duchess
of Oldenburg apple in our grounds,
and dozen more not less hardy than
Fameuse, while dozens of choice sorts
of cherry from North Germany and
Russia care no more for our winters
than the wild "bird cherry" and doz-
ems more of the fine Russian plums are
as free from injury and as productive
of fruit as the wild plum of Canada
We believe that these and like dis
coveries-in the good time coming
when New Englanders will value their
old home as they should, and the at
fractions and distractions of the far
West shall cease to charm them out of
their good sense-will make the noun
tain farms of Vermont worth eagles
where they are worth but dollars now,
will make them homes that will defy
every outside temptation to their in
habitants, sitting under their own vines
and fruit trees in peace, plenty and joy.