MY EXPERIENCE IN STRAWBERRY GROWING. 23 1 



THE PETER APPLE. 



(A discussion.) 



The President: Mr. Brackett has something to bring before 

 you in which I hope all of you will be interested. 



Mr. Arthur Brackett : Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

 I want to bring this question of the Wealthy apple before you. I 

 am interested in the matter, and I live near the place where it origi- 

 nated. I believe the Wealthy apple is worth more than all the 

 rest of the apples put together. If I were asked to name my 

 choice among apples, I would say the Wealthy every time. We 

 may have apples that come up to the Wealthy, but we have not 

 tested them. The point I wish to bring up today is this : I have 

 taken the trouble to go to the old Gideon farm and get some of 

 the Wealthy, and they were taken from some of the original 

 trees. I also have some Wealthy apples here that are called 

 "Peter," and I have marked them very plainly so as to know 

 which is which. If I get them separated I cannot tell them apart. 

 These apples are taken right from the Wealthy and Peter trees 

 as Mr. Gideon had them marked. There is no liability of a mis- 

 take. They were marked with copper labels. 



Mr. ^Elliot: Who marked them? 



Mr. Brackett : Mr. Getchell marked them from the list. 



Mr. Elliot: I want to know who made that list? 



Mr. Brackett : It was done by Briggs and Gray, the owners, 

 or their manager. The original list was made by Mr. Gideon 

 himself. 



Mr. Elliot: Was that the original list? 



Mr. Brackett : I understand Mr, Gideon made the original 

 list and kept them distinct, according to their ideas. I think we 

 Tiave heard of the Peter as well as the Wealthy. If there is any 

 such apple as the Peter we want to know it, but the majority of 

 the fruit growers throughout the state think there is nothing but 

 the Wealthy, and the Peter shown at our fairs are all picked from 

 Wealthy trees. We are sending them out all over the United 

 States. When a man gets the Wealthy, he usually sends for the 

 Peter and pays express and expects to get something different, 

 but it is really the same thing. We are trying to distinguish be- 

 tween the two, but the difference is so small, if there is a differ- 

 ence, that we are not able to tell what it is. I say if there is no 

 difference between the two the Peter ought to be stricken from 

 our list. Prof. Green told me I could say for him that for years 

 he had been acquainted with the apples as much as any man could 

 be, and that he never could see any difference between, the two 

 apples. Prof. Green is one of the best authorities we have here. 



