STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. IO3 



were glad to buy them at $3.25 a box. I had some trouble in 

 selling my No. 2's. 



Question : What variety was that ? 



Answer : Baldwins and Northern Spies. 



Mr. Conant : I think it is nearly always understood that 

 very few apples in Maine have ever been put in boxes, and I 

 thought perhaps this question would be an important one at this 

 time. It is my judgment that with some of our best grades of 

 fruit, that is, the best table varieties and those in fancy grade, it 

 is profitable to pack and market a certain per cent of them, at 

 least, in boxes. We, as a cooperative body, in Oxford county, 

 have had a little experience in boxing some fruit, and we find it 

 profitable to box some of the fancy grades of certain varieties 

 and market them that way. 



Question : What were the principal varieties ? 



Mr. Conant: We boxed fancy Baldwins, Northern Spy, 

 Mcintosh Red, and some Fameuse. 



Question : What per cent ? 



Mr. Conant : A very small percentage. It would be impos- 

 sible to tell the percentage of those taken from the tree. I spoke 

 only of the fancy grade. I think it will not be profitable in 

 Maine for years to come to pack anything but the fancy grade 

 in boxes. I think the lower grades should go in barrels. 



No. 10. Have any of our members tried parcel post to market 

 their apples and with what results? 



Dr. Twitchell: I marketed nearly a hundred bushels of 

 plums last year very largely by parcel post, shipping them in 

 carriers — peach baskets — four and six quarts, principally in six 

 quart baskets. 



I would like to ask Mr. Conant, going back to the other ques~ 

 ion — out of 100 barrels, how many boxes one would get? 



Mr. Conant: Well, I think it would be impossible for me to 

 give you any figures on that, because we never kept any account. 

 We were not trying to get data on that question, simply taking 

 out the better grades and packing the others, practically at the 

 same time, so it would be impossible for me to give you the fig- 

 ures on that. All is, I know this, we made money with certain 

 varieties by selling them that way. For instance, a box of 

 Northern Spies, running from ^2 to 81 count, would bring 

 $2.75, while a good barrel of No. i Northern spies would bring 



