It is a conceded point that a man who "never fired a gun," knows but little about military affairs. Now, before turning your correspondent over to the tender mercy of our most noble critic, Mr. R. T. Choke, please to give him another opportunity to show that he has been on the "battle ground" at least, and unless an extremely dull scholar, should know something about P. coro-naria. Southern Minnesota is said to be the northern limit of the wild crab in the United States, and that it is a much hardier tree here, than the same species found in Missouri, the home of the Soulard. This I have proved by actual test. I have resided in southern Minnesota over thirty years and soon after my arrival I purchased eighty acres of land on which were perhaps over a thousand wild crab trees. Some of these were eight inches or more in diameter, and fifteen feet high. I have never found a sun-scalded wild crab in Minnesota, except the Soulard. We have a tree in open ground, headed five feet high, and leaning to the northeast on an angle of nearly 450. It is apparently perfect in all its parts.

All of our Duchess trees leaning in the same direction, and headed three feet high, are sun-scalded. I firmly believe that the wild crab of Minnesota is the most hardy apple tree known in the United States. With us it has been more free from blight than the Duchess, while the Soulard has suffered most.

The improvement of oar native crab-apple was brought before our horticultural societies in Minnesota for the first time last January, and resulted in a prize being offered for the best plate of fruit of this sort by the Southern Minnesota Fair Association, and also by the Winona Fair and Inter-State Exposition. The crab-apple that won the first prize was of only medium size, perfect in shape, and in color much like the Maiden's Blush.

The Wordbn Pear. (See p. 751).

The seeds from the hybrids, as Professor Budd tells us, are very difficult to germinate. Out of twenty-two seeds kindly sent me by C. G. Patten, from his hybrid, only one germinated. Diamonds are not easily found, but very valuable when once secured. This may prove true of the northernmost type of the wild crab-apple, after a few generations of crosses with the hardiest and best of the Russians. There is nothing but theory to indicate that this field is not rich in promise. I have had considerable amusement out of my correspondence with well-known horticulturists on this subject. I corresponded with one of the best horticulturists of Wisconsin on this subject before writing anything for publication. He wrote me very frankly that "The wild crab subject had been taken up more than 40 years ago, and put through for all there was in it !" I stated in reply that it reminded me of a conversation held a short time since with an old farmer who went out to the "Rockies" many years ago to dig for gold ; and like many others, the more he dug the poorer he grew. He is now delving away on a poor farm, with not much better results.

Knowing his history well, to see what he would say, I asked him why he did not go out to the gold mines and get rich ? He remarked that be had " Put the Rockies through more'n 40 years ago for all there was in 'em, and wanted no more Rockies in his'n."Yet it is true that others have taken up the work where be left it, with better plans, better machinery, and better heads on their shoulders, and while they have as yet, "put through" but a very insignificant portion of the Rocky Mountains, they have already brought many millions of treasure to light, and several of them have retired with princely fortunes. May not some intelligent man take up the wild apple of the North and do likewise ? - A. W. Sias.