80 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP THE 



Mr. Knapp — Yes. If you gather apples when they are wet, 

 they will not keep so well. 



Mr. G. H. Liuderman — The best way to keep apples is, after 

 they are picked, heap them up to sweat, then pack them in 

 buckwheat, chaff, or bran. 



Mr. Fuller was always in the habit of picking apples on the 

 lOtb of October. It is not natural for an apple to rot. It is 

 in the careless handling of apples that the apples are made to 

 rot. The apples should be gathered in a small basket, and 

 then carefully packed in barrels, and headed in. In this way 

 I never lost any apples. But I never could find a man that 

 would handle the fruit with sufficient care. 



Mr. Holt : A person may not drop an apple, and yet the 

 apples may be injured by pulling out the stem. I believe, with 

 Prof. Whitney, that we ought to gather apples earlier. You 

 take a juicy apple like the Spy, and it is much harder to keep 

 than the Eusset, which is dryer. The difficulty of apples 

 wintering by being picked green will be overcome by packing 

 well in barrels. 



Mr. Knapp mentioned an instance where the earliest 

 gathered apples rotted worse than those gathered later. 



It was stated that the Commissioner of Agriculture had just 

 received from the Imperial Botanical Gardens of St. Peters- 

 burg, a collection of Russian apples, embracing about 100 

 varieties. These have come in perfect condition, and are well 

 provided with grafts, of which the Society will receive a few 

 specimens. It will be recollected that the Russian apples 

 flourish exceedingly well in Michigan, to prove which it is 

 only necessary to mention the Astrachan and Duchess of 

 Oldenburg. 



A. T. Linderman then read a paper upon the subject of 

 establishing a Test Garden in connection with the Society, 

 which was ordered printed. 



On motion of Henry S. Clubb, 



Resolved, That the Society hereby heartily indorse the 

 action of the Secretary in issuing the circular to disseminators. 



