32 REPOllT OF THE SECRETxVRY OF THE 



Ehode Island Greening, Baldwin, and for late keeping, the 

 Roxbury Russet, which, though not a great, yet is a regular or 

 annual bearer." 



It is a somewhat curious incident in pomological literature, 

 that the late Mr. Downing, in his " Fruits and Fruit Trees of 

 America," — edition of 1852, — recommended, as particularly 

 favorable, what he called the " Putnam Russet." He says : 

 "For a knowledge of this celebrated Western apple we are 

 indebted to that zealous pomologist, our friend. Professor 

 Kirtland of Cleveland. It is considered decidedly the most 

 valuable late-keeping apple in the West — not inferior to the 

 Newtown Pippin, and the growth of the tree is very luxuriant. 

 It originated at ]\Iarielta, Ohio, and is largely grown for the 

 New Orleans and West India markets." This apple was 

 recognized and ascertained to be identical with the Roxbury 

 Russet, and in later editions Downing so refers to it. It came 

 to be called the Putnam Russet from the fact that it was taken 

 to the Ohio Valley in 179G, by Rufus Putnam, and from 

 thence it was distributed over the Southwest. 



A vote of the Fruit-growers' Society of Western New York 

 gave the following as the best six varieties for that section : 

 Baldwin, Tompkins County King, Golden Russet of Western 

 New York, Roxbury Russet, Rhode Island Greening, and the 

 Northern Spy. It will be seen that the Russet family occupies 

 one-third of* this vote. It will also be seen that this apple 

 (the Roxbury) has the preference in the East, in Ohio, and in 

 Western New York, as one of the best of long-keepers. 



Gentlemen, I suppose you will expect a more minute 

 description, and I do not wish to exhaust your patience. I 

 submit the following, which has been Avell matured, but yet 

 may fail in accuracy. The varieties are very similar. It 

 requires a close observer, in this section, to distinguish them* 

 Oftentimes it is only by the shoots that they can be classified. 

 As has been said, the Roxbury Russet originated in New 

 England, and has been extensively distributed throughout the 



