The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-12-20
Editorial NOtings.

of tariff can do to promote it. An
English writer says: cit is almost
startling to reflect how few sheep there
are, of any sort, in the United States,
in comparison with the area of our con-
tinent. The total number does not ex-
coed $4,000 000,-or about two-thirds
of a sheep to an inhabitant; while Eng
land, smaller than several single states,
has 81 900 ,000." We have had high
and low tariff on foreign wool, without
any decided effect upon the total pro-
duction in the United States. Yet we
think the wool industry should receive
liberal encouragement; but we do not
expect any very marked results from it
until there is an equally large bounty
on dog-scalps-when the scalps are
taken in sheep pastures.
SEVERAL times we have been ac-
cused of being selfshly interested in
this matter. We have perfect right
to be so,-as much so as a manufac-
turer has to be interested in protec-
tive duty on his goods; but, though we
were partly brought up on a sheep
farm, we never personally owned a
sheep since boyhood.
WE have never bought a cheap horse,
and have never sold a horse. All the
horses that we have ever owned are
either dead or in our possession to-day.
We believe this is the true policy. We
won't buy horse, unless we can have
him on trial long enough to learn what
he is: and we never try to beat the
seller down. We find these to be all
good rules. -
THE horticultural editor of the Stock
man and Farmer says: 1.-THE so-called
iron-clad apples are great boon to the
Gold North where the finer varieties
cannot be grown on account, mainly,
of the severity of the winters. Peter
M. Gideon of Minnesota, DR.. I. II.
Hoskins of Vermont, Professor Budd
of Iowa, and others, who for years have
been experimenting in order to obtain
varieties suited to that large section of
country, are doing most valuable work.
Their efforts thus far have been crowned
with good measure of success, and
much more may reasonably be expected
in the future"
THE above remarks about Russian
apples are quite true, and the antici-
patton referred to is being rapidly JUS
titled. 1t has taken long time to sift
the very large list of tree fruits which
the generosity of our Russian horticul-
tural friends has given us. A large
percentage of them are not yet fully
tested. But amongst them has been
found some very desirable fruit, equal
at all points to some of our best sorts
in beauty, size and quality; with the
addition of much greater resistance
both to severity of climate and to dis
ease.
THE fact that the earliest importa-
tions of Russian apples embracing only
few kinds, selected chiefly for their
size and beauty, with little reference to
other points,) were not of high dessert
quality has led to the belief that there
were no Russian apples admissible to
that grade. Undoubtedly, in Russia as
elsewhere, the relative number of
best" dessert apples is comparatively
small. But testing has now proceeded
so far that it may be safely said there
are many "good" and every good''
dessert apples among our Russian i'm
portations.
ANOTHER doubtful point has been as
to whether Russia could send us many
bookkeeping apples,-that is, such as,
coming from the fifties and sixties of
north latitude, would keep we'll when
grown in our forties.
EXPERIENCE has, to considerable
extent, justified this natural anticipa-
ton, but as the tests go on, and time
brings its experiences, we are finding
that there are bookkeeping apples, and
very good and handsome and produc.
tive kinds of that class, among our Rus
sian varieties.
OF course, it is only in the Colo
North that these keepers " will b.
keepers. There are probably none thai
will prove such in the Middle States
But for the territory north of forty-foui
degrees there are certainly sufficient
number of valuable long-keepers already
discovered among the Russian varieties
that are also large, handsome, and o
very good quality. Planted still farthe
north, the number of these will, o
course, increase; and there is not nov
the least chance that there will be an,
lack of valuable long-keepers found be
fore the limits of hardness in the tree