The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-08-31


Choosing the proper varieties of
fruits for planting in the Great Plains
region is one of the principal problems
confronting the grower, according to
Farmers Bulletin 727 of the United
States department of agriculture. Gil
matte conditions in this area are es-
pecially trying to fruit trees, and the
success or failure of the grower is
very apt to depend upon the care ex-
ercised in selecting varieties.
The following fruits, many Of which
have been tested with fair success at
the Akron (Colo.) field station, are
suggested as an aid to those who are
without experience in choosing varie-
ties to plant in this part of the coun-
try:
Apples.
Southern Section.-A few of the va
rieties Of apples that may well be con-
sidered for the southern part of this
area are the Yellow Transparent, Red
June, San Jacinto, Maiden Blush,
Gravenstein, Wealthy, Grimes, Jona-
than, Kinnard, Northwestern, Texas
Red, Winesap, Missouri, Arkansas
Black, Rails, and Limbertwig; for
crab apples, the Florence and Hyslop.
These varieties, named approximately
in the order in which they mature,
represent a long sequence of ripening,
from the early to the bookkeeping
sorts.
Central Section.-Most of the varie-
ties that succeed best in the southern
eart of the area could doubtless be
planted in the central.
Northern extraordinarily the
varieties that can be planted in this
part of the area must be restricted
to the harder sorts on account of the
extremely low winter temperatures.
These include the Oldenburg, Wealthy,
Hibernal, Mcmahon, Northwestern,
Patten, Malinda, and the HyslOp crab.
There are some localities in this Sec
ton, however, where even the hardest
sorts would be of doubtful value.
Pears.
There are hardly enough pears now
growing in this area to show the range
Of their possibilities, unless their COM
parative absence is to be interpreted
as signifying that they are not well
adapted to these conditions. The
Kieffer, Angouleme Duchess), Bart
lett, and possibly one or two other
sorts, are occasionally grown in the
southern part Of the area. A variety
supposed to be the Warner has grown
we'll at the Akron field station, but
trees planted in 1908 have not yet ma
tured fruit. The Flemish (Flemish
Beauty is one of the hardest sorts
and sometimes succeeds farther north
than most other varieties.
Peaches.
Peach growing in this area is largely
confined to the southern section, where
a considerable number of varieties are
grown to a limited extent. These in
clude the Alexander. Sneed, Triumph,
Arp, Carman, Mamie Ross, Chinese
Cling, alberta, Heath, Lee General
Lee), Lemon Cling, and others.
At the Akron field station peach
trees, including a number Of the hard
Ter sorts, were killed to the ground, or
nearly so, every winter.
PIums.
Plums, particularly the native sorts,
are perhaps the most dependable of all
the tree fruits for planting on the
Great Plains. The following are
adapted for the southern sections:
America, De Soto, Golden (Gold Of
Stark Bros), Hammer, Kroh, Pooles
Pride), Laire, Pottawattamie, Robin
son, Roulette, Six Weeks, Surprise,
Wayland, Whitaker, Wildgoose, Wolf,
Wooten, and Wyant.
Among the more promising varieties
at the Akron field station are the fol-
lowing: Brittlewood, Burwood, Cheney,
De Soto, Hawkeye, Surprise, Terry,
Wolf, and Wyant. Most of these va
rieties have been planted widely
throughout the Great Plains area.
Several varieties of European plums,
including the Lombard, Arctic, Shrop-
shire Damson), and others, have also
been planted at this station. None of
them can be considered promising.
The trees make only small growth as
a rule, and they do not Withstand the
winter conditions in a satisfactory
manner.
Cherries.
Second only to the plums among the
tree fruits for this area are sour cher
ries. The number Of varieties COM
monty grown is small, the Richmond
(Early Richmond), Montmorency, and
English Morello comprising nearly all
the trees that have been planted; in
fact, there are probably to be found
many times more trees of single va
Broom-corn Soils.
Broom corn is hard on the land.
But Illinois farmers who grow large
oronc of This corn have found q way