Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-09-05
WISCONSIN APPLES
BEST VARIETIES FOR BADGERS
TO GROW.
A VALUABLE INVESTIGATION
Prof. COTS Bulletin for the Informa-
ton of Farmers and OtherS-Tke
Oldenburg Variety a Great Favor
lite with Wealthy a Close Second
Faith in Apple Culture.

Bulletin No 10 Of the Wisconsin ex-
with apple culture in Wisconsin. 1t
was compiled from information fur
nished by 172 apple growers residing !
in different parts of the state, chiefly |
in Waupaca. Rock, Walworth. La
Fayette, kewaunee, Door and Outa-
game counties.
From this bulletin it appears that
leads in the number of bearing trees
in the orchards reported, about Is per
cent. of the whole number being Of
this sort. Next comes the Wealthy,
which includes 15 per cent. Of the
whole number, followed by the
Fameuse or Snow with per cent,
and the Longield and McMahan with
6 per cent. each. Whitney No. 20
constitutes per cent. of all, Haas
or Fall Queen per cent, Talman's
Sweet and Tetofsky 3 per cent. each
and Golden Russet, Northwestern
Greening, Wa1bridge and Wolf River
2 per cent each. The remainder Of
the varieties reported is made up Of
some 200 sorts, including very many
of the old names familiar in the
orchards of New York and New Eng
land. This long list Of varieties forms
an instructive object lesson of the
tragic history Of apple culture in Wis
rCO "a h Ia
ignorance of the severe climatic con-
! ditions, planted freely of the varieties
| they had learned to love in the milder
| climate Of the east, but these first
orchards have been swept away will,
| the exception of here and there a tree
| or group of trees that CHANGED to be
planted in a sheltered location.
In ability to endure cold, the follow
| ing varieties are rated in the order
named: Oldenburg, Tetofsky, Talman' S
! Sweet, Haas, Fameuse, McMahan,
Golden Russell, Red Astrachan,
! Wealthy, Pewaukee and Alexander.
The Northwestern Greening and Long
field, Of which comparatively few
! trees are as yet bearing, also promise
well in this respect. In productive
ness, the Oldenburgh, Longfeld,
Wealthy, Fameuse, Haas, Yellow
Transparent, Tetofsky, Wolf River
and McMahan are rated in the order
named. The. Oldenburgh, Fameuse
Wealthy, Haas and McMahan were re-
ported as among the more salable va
rieties. The Fameuse appears most
subject to apple scab with Walbridge
second and Talman's Sweet third. AL
eXander was reported most subject to
blight followed by Wealthy second,
Talman's Sweet third and Yellow
Transparent fourth. The Fameuse is
regarded as most liable to sun-scald
followed by Walbridge, Wealthy, Ben
Davis and Talman's Sweet.
The majority Of the more successful
Wisconsin orchards are planted Oh
clay loan with a clay subsoil overly
ing limestone rock. Most of them are
located above adjacent land and the
greater number slope to the north OIL
east.
The great majority of those that
have practiseG spraying apple trees re-
port beneficial results. A few of the
correspondents use some protection for
the trunks of their apple trees, mainly
, lath screens woven together with wire.
! The correspondents are about equally
, divided between keeping the soil of
the orchard constantly cultivated and
). seeding it down to grass after the
trees are Of bearing age. The major
ity favor planting apple trees not less
than thirty feet apart each way. II
would appear that Wisconsin orchard
lists are nearly unanimous III prefer
ring homegrown trees to those pro
duced east or south.
One hundred and two of the 172 cor
respondents sell more or less apples
and Of these the greater part find
market without shipping. The north.
ern and northwestern markets are pre-
ferred by the great majority of
shippers. 1t appears that good winter
apples bring on the average not less
than one dollar per bushel and that
the culture of crabs is profitable in
some parts of Wisconsin, notably
/ Waupaca county.
! Among the varieties recommended
by the correspondents for planting in
Wisconsin, the Oldenburgh, Wealthy,
Haas, Fameuse, Northwestern Green
! ing, Wolf River, Talman's Sweet and
Hibernal are suggested by many cor
respondents in about the order named.
| In some parts of the state other va
rieties are given preference. Thus in
La Fayette and Green counties Fa-
meuse is placed first, Oldenburgh Sec
Ond, PeWaukee third, followed by RO-
man Stem, Saint Lawrence, Wealthy
= Willow Twig, Haas and Longield; in
Richland and Sank counties McMahan
while in La Crosse county AviSta is
given the fourth place.
The testimonies indicate that Wis
cOnsin orchards yield at least a fair
crop of apples not less than eight sea-
sons out of ten, and about four seasons
out of ten they yield a full crop. 1t
is doubtful if any state in the union
can offer a better showing.
From the testimony presented in this
bulletin it appears that in the south
ern and eastern parts of Wisconsin
snd in Waupaca, Richland, Sank and
La Crosse counties apple culture is in
a fairly healthful and growing condi-
ton. While the orchards are for the
most part quite small, few are Of
considerable magnitude. The bearing
trees are probably as productive as in