Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-02-14
HoRT1CULTuRE.
By Charles F. Gardner, Usage. Iowa.

time will be called the Great Northern
Fruit Belt, where fruit will be- produced
Of quality not to be surpassed by any
other section of country.
The apple ms. grown by nature IS Iii.
vided into three great families, Pyruh
malus, the wild apple of Europe, from
which have originated vast number of
our cultivated valuable varieties. This
work commenced over four thousand
years ago. Ia -
The cultivated form of crab apples
have descended from the wild Pyrus BAG.
cata of Siberia. These two forms Of the
apple, readily hybridize, and there are
many varieties that show the character.
istics Of both species.
Then we have the Pyrus Coronarla, or
the wild crab apple found in Iowa. This
does not readily hybridize with the other
families of the apple, neither is it adapt
ed to be used as stock for budding or
grating, These trees when set in an Or
chard are liable to b i1lt aud are not
near as hardy as some OF our best cult
waited varieties. Very little can be ex-
pected from this race of trees. The only
improvement, to my knowledge, that has
been made IS in regard to size in the
crab known as the Soniard. These trees
were badly injured and many killed out
right during the winter of 1884 S. ,s
Several hundred varieties of apple trees
have been imported from Russia and
other foreign countries by Prof j. L.
Budd of the State Experiment Station at
Ames, Iowa. That much good has re-.
suited from these appropriations is beyond
question. 1t has advanced in material
way the interest of horticulture in Iowa
aud Minnesota.
1t was never expected that all these
imported varieties would prove valuable
here. Some Of them are found deficient
in hardness, some blight badly, and
some are very poor in quality, but strike
out all kinds that are not desirable to
propagate here and we have left at least
thirty valuable varieties, twelve Of them
being winter apples. Ihave quite num-
Der Of them III bearing at my experiment
station. sli3 ~ @
There are muny of these trees in bear
ing here in your own county. Mr.. Chair
man, you and your people are fortunate
In that you have in your midst fellow
citizen who has acquired state wide
fame as horticulturist, not only III your
own state, but in Wis, MINI. and the
Dakotas, who has spent many long vaiu-
able years of time and much money, in
his endeavors to secure hardy fruit that
will stand the trying visslcitudes of our
climate. He has tried hundreds OF the
kinds that have alluded to, and besides
this, he has originated varieties of his
own, especially Of the apple, by the slow
process Of planting selected seed from
tbs best fruit, destroying such plants as
showed the wrong eur marks, carefully
tending those that developed the right
kind of foliage. he has produced varieties
that ut this time is awakening great lu-
.erest throughout the north. west. His
"Red Warrior" and seversl other of his
seedlings have come to stay and they
will cause bis name to be inscribed on
the rolls of horticulture among the names
Of those who have benefited their fellow
man. speak of your fellow townsman
MIR. j. b. Mitchell.
Another ono Of our fellow citizens who
has gained national reputation by his
earnest Efforts in the cross fertilization
of tie apple and other fruits, IN our dis
irlct, laboring persisteptly for more than
thirty years, sometimes under great diff.
entities aud ut times almost without hope,
but finally eliminating in gra,d success
is our mutual friend, Mr.. G. G. Pat.en, OF
Charles City, Iowa. On his grounds can
be seen hundreds If seedlings many of
which promise to be OF great value.
His "Patten's GreeciDg' was valuable
acquisition. bnt he has seedlings that
will no doubt totally eclipse If, both as to
quality of fruit and hardness OF tree.
We want all the good things in the
horticultural line we can get, whether 1t
comes from Russia, or from our own in
divldual efforts in the line of cross fertll-
iZation.
We have learned that the low headed
tree is the best for us. t at we can pro
tcct from sun scald, rabbits and MICE by
covering the trunk with hay. straw or
corn stalks, tying it OH with a string
winding the trunk with burlap, or by the
use of laths wired together. We prot. CT
onr young trees in the orchard by hank.
lug them up with earth on the approach
Of winter aud we have found out that ON
trees should be so grown, that the trunks
will be shaded By their own foliage, and
that farm animals of ali kinds and at all
seasohs must be kept ont Of our orchards
LaDd for an orchard should be deeply
plowed IN the fall aud w,ll pnlveriz.d III
the spring. Orchards while young should
be cultivated. When they commence
bearing commence manureing and rot
before.
We have found out as rule that meth.
DDS and practices adopted and followed
by our fellow citizens III what is called
the great apple growing regions OF the
United States will not do for us here
We want trees ON their owl roots, this we
secure by using short root and long
scion. We plant deep and the Scion
throws out roots Of its own. BuddeG
apple trees are worthless for us for the
reason that the seeding stocks GU which
they are budaed are not hardy. Ii the
stock winter kills the tree is goue, while
III the short root and long scion method
lii the root winter kills the roots thrown
out by the scion, will carry the tree
through the winter safely and enter on !;
strong, vigorous AID, healthy growth
when spring opens.
wish to say few words III relation tC
the care and management Of sma' fruits
Especially the strawberry. From what
have observed haye Come to the con
clusion that the great ma jority of failures
is due to lack OF proper preparation u
the soil before planting right at the be-
ginning is the great Key Note to success
Select this best corn land that has beer
in cultivation for humber Of years, the
last crop either III corn or potatoes. AZ
soon BIS the crop 10 removed the frs
operation is to clear the ground Of all
rubbish Of every kind, have the surface
perfectly clean. Then give it thorough
pulverizing with Il disk or other nipple
meut of that kind, let it lay then unit
rather late in the fall then pillow again t.
the depth OF ten to sixteen inches, USING
Il small piow and four horses. In early
winter cover this ground with good
coating of we'll rotted manure. In the
spring rake off all course material and