Perhaps there is no horticultural subject which has called forth so many conflicting opinions, as the adaptability of fruits to a certain location, for one who succeeds at one place, may not at another only a few miles distant, on apparently the same kind of soil. This is particularly true with many of our small fruits, and it accounts for the conflicting reports respecting them. This fact has influenced the establishment of our experimental stations. It is useless to attempt to come to a conclusion about varieties unless we know exactly the conditions under which each variety is grown. This can be done by experiment stations or individual enterprise, by collecting the different varieties and growing them under similar conditions, and keeping a record of the weather, particularly when in bloom. A few days difference in the time of blooming may make a success or failure. While experiment stations should make these tests, yet they are from six to twenty years behind our most experienced progressive fruit growers, as it requires that time to fully test the value of the different kinds of fruits in any locality.

The lack of adaptability of fruits is no doubt one of the principal causes of disappointments in fruit-growing, for few persons undertake the business with any fixed idea of what they want, and where to plant what they have. One reason for this is the fact that we have so many varieties which appear to be good, that we cannot make a selection with any degree of certainty. An error once made can seldom be corrected, for few persons live long enough to plant out the second orchard on the same place, and few if any would do so, who failed in the first. As the apple is our great commercial fruit, exceeding in value all others combined, it is the more important that we make no mistake with it; and there is no just reason why we should. Some fruits depend directly upon climate. The poach cannot be grown with success where the temperature falls 17 degrees below zero, and some of our grapes, blackberries and raspberries will not endure that degree of cold. And none of these fruits can be grown anywhere where the temperature changes suddenly 60 degrees in 24 hours, without protection, even if the temperature does not fall below zero.

But it is not so with the apple, for all varieties will endure 17 degrees below zero without injury, as well as the sudden changes, and it is not very particular as to soil.

We may also fail for the want of the right varieties of apples. Who could succeed with the Milam in competition with the Jonathan ? Yet the one is as productive as the other, and equally as well adapted to the same soil and location. This is the case with a very large number of varieties, as the Hall, Holly, Mangum, Kittageekee, Watwood, Hutchison, Louck's Cluster, Crain's Spice, Goodyear, Abram, Flat Romain, Clark Pearmain, Rock, Mattamuskeet, May, Fink, Shockly, Yates, Great Keeper, Lansingburg, Yahoola, Petrez Favorite, Wasp, Spafford Russet, Fett, Ross Nonpariel, Enos Winter, Faust, Jermanite, Press Ewing, Maxey, Virginia Quaker, Williams of Virginia, Broad River, Sweet Russet, Hampton Russet, Tender Skin, Thurond, Ingram, Clark of Kentucky, Gipson of Kentucky, Wright's Jenet - nearly all of southern origin. These can be grown here and may be considered adapted to any climate where the mean monthly temperature is the same as here, but they are of no market value compared with others. This is the case here with nearly all southern summer varieties, as well as nearly all of the northern winter apples. - J. Stayman, Kansas.