The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-05-10
An Apparent Injustice.

Almost everybody interested in grow
ing apples has heard of Peter M. Gid
con of Excelsior, Minnesota, the pro-
Queer of the so widely-grown Wealthy
apple Mr.. Gideon was one of the
earlier settlers of Minnesota; and also
one of the first to find out that the
older varieties of tree fruits would not
endure what are called the " test win
tiers" of the upper Mississippi valley.
Realizing this fact, he collected apple
seeds from as far north as possible.
From Bangor, Me-, he received!a par
eel of seeds taken from apples in a city
garden where, in visit to that place
a number of years ago, we learned that a
Fameuse tree and Siberian crab-apple
tree grew side by side. The Wealthy
came from that seed; and we think it
quite fair to assume, both from this
itself, that it came from a cross between
the Fameuse and the crab,-especially
as seedlings of Wealthy seem to breed
back to both of these types.
Mr.. Gideon's service to his state, in
producing this fine apple, was fully
recognized; and, as he was poor man,
he was voted a sum of money, and was
also appointed we believe, to superin-
tend state experimental farm, for the
purpose of continuing his work in the
same line. Some four years ago Mr..
Gideon sent us quite a number of what
he considered his best seedlings. Not
many of them have yet produced crop
of apples; but enough has been seen to
convince us that there are some very
desirable kinds amongst them. Re-
Gently, in reply to note of ours in
quiring what progress he had been max
ing of late, he tells us that some years
ago he had grown some 10000 young
trees from his best new seedlings, and
was about offering them for sale, when
"out came a statement in the official
report Of the State Horticultural Society,
that we had nothing but the Wealthy
that was as good as the Transcendent
Crab,-that they were small, sour,
grabbed and water-cored." Mr.. Gideon
adds that "this statement went without
contradiction, though every member
knew it was a lie. With the nursery
men who usually make up the greater
part of the actual membership of State
Horticultural Society it saved their
trade, and with others served to avenge
an old grudge they had against me for
exposing some of their methods" Mr..
Gideon proceeds to say that the editor
of farm paper, who knew all about his
new seedlings, and was Mr.. CPS neigh
Dor, in answer to correspondence replied
in these words: "The presumption is
that if of any value, we should have seen
the fruit in the market ere this" Mr..
G. adds: "This settled it. Not ten
dollars worth of my trees were taken
that fall, The trees stood till too old to
sell, and had to be burned, though hun
dreds of bushels of these new varieties
had been sold in Minneapolis within a
few steps of that editors office"
We have heard that Mr.. Gideon is
what is called "rather an odd stick %;
and, perhaps, like other industrious
and useful men, he has cared but little
to make himself popular. But be this
as it may, it cannot be gainsaid that
Mr.. Gideon's seeding apples have been
worth millions to the great Northwest,
as well as to other sections, where the
Wealthy is grown on its merits, without
reference TO climate. The ways of tree
dealers are too we'll known to us, and
to thousands of others, to permit of a
doubt that they would do all they could
to spoil the sale of Mr.. Gideon's large
stock of his new seedlings. He writes
that he expects to make a good show of
these at Chicago the coming season;
and we hope he will make success of
it. But, like most great benefactors of
the human race, it may be his lot to die
poor. Yet his name will survive in the
annals of genealogical science, long
after his critics have been forgotten.
1t is right for us to say that we have
written the above entirely from sense
of justice, without the slightest sugges-
ton from Mr.. Gideon.
BUCKLEN's ARNICA SALvE.-The
best salve in the world for cuts, bruises,