Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-11

We have had no real test winter since then and
we have some trees of these varieties now bear
ing in the county, but they have grown UP from
sprouts from the stump of trees killed in the
winter of 1884 5,
With the exception of the Duchess of Olden.
burg Commonly called Duchess) and the let.
| ofsky. the Russian apples had not been largely
disseminated until after 1854, but there had
been few planted here and there in Minnesota
and Northern Iowa, and bearing previous to
that time. and like the Duchess, they came
through that winter with but little in
jury and are yet fruiting. will here say that il
has been said that the Duchess can not be
proved to be Russian apple. Now ask who
| can prove that it is not? This subject has been
| discussed in several of the horticultural meet
ings of the state and it is the consensus OF
opinion of nearly all, and those best informed
that 1t is a Russian apple. While it is not now
known in Russia under that name, they are
growing under three or four other names and II
has been imported into the United States from
ST. petersburg and Moscow, Russia, under as
many. 1 have it in my collection from St
Petersburg, under three different names, OF
! something so near like it, in both tree and
difference.
Inc RUSSIAN apple trees are good, bad and
| indifferent like many other things The trees
are not all hardy, but there are several kinds
that Will equal, If not s,lrpass, the Duchess In
this respect, and 1t is conceded by many who
are growing 1t in orchards that the Hibernal
allas Lieby, is twenty per cent more hardy than
Duchess.
NOT hna, ,r,,t.
IN finding late keeping apples among these
Russians, the trees of which are perfectly reli.
able in all respects but even in this they are in
advance of the old sorts, for among the latter
we have none more than half hardy in TRYING
winter.
Trees of late keeping apples require a longer
season In which to complete their growth and
mature their wood than earlier apples, and
they go into winter in too green condition to
stand extreme cold.
Inc russian trees are more dwarf than the
American kinds. At four years old they are
not larger than the latter at three years. They
make shorter and more stubbed growth and
IN nurseries, beside such trees as Wealthy
HasS, and others of our common kinds, look
ike inferior trees but is not this dwarf habit an
aid to their hardness?
The question of growing late winter apples
may perhaps be solved by top working some OF
the most hardy and late keepers on hardy
stocks.
Trees first fail in the body and lower forks
ana by grating In the braches of hardy trees
varieties that fail on their own stems can be
grown with fair success. AT the present time
it is impracticable for nurserymen to grow
them in this manner to any large extent;
people are not educated to this method and
would not pay :the extra expense of this
double working. To get the hardy stock the
tree must first be grown as a root graft, and
then again grated into the branches at two or
three years from the root graft and trees sold
at three or four years old, respectively.
A top worked tree with q one year head is
not thing of beauty. :and buyers will often
"kick' when such trees are delivered, as /
know by experience; they don't want trees
with them stumps," and you can't always take
time to explain, especially so when the man
hasn't much confidence in what you say
The proper way for the planter to do who
wishes to grow the more tender and later kinds
is to plant known hardy trees, and do their own
top grating.
have said that the failure of better success
in growing apples could largely be attributed to
eilo uusuitdule klluS VI trees planted, but this
is not all. Many trees that otherwise would
have done well and paid large returns for Their
cost If they had been taken care of, have failed
from objectionable neglect of the planter. In
some cases they havd been planted in the sod
where the most hardy fruit trees would not live
Others planted in good soil but never cultivated
them and left them to hold their own with rank
weeds that absorbed all the moisture in the
ground and thus robbed the tree of the essen
tial element of life to newly planted trees, and
to harbor mice to gnaw and kill the trees
Cattle and other farm stock has been allowed a
free run over the young trees, to browse and
break them down to their hearts content, and
the planter consoles himself by saying: 'Oh
well, don't care, I'll make Mitchell Tor others,
as the case may beg replace themn Or they
Will curse the nurserymen; or declare that you
can't grow apples in northern Iowa anyhow.
You do not need to be told that this kind of
farming with other products of the soil would
not succeed; why then expect it of the fruit tree9
Plant such hardy trees and plants as can be
had from your home nurseries and give them
suitable care and you will be on the high road
TO success with fruit in Northern Iowa.