78 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



misnamed, and still more frequently have other varieties of Rus- 

 sets erroneously labelled this kind. The Roxbury Russet has 

 characteristics so marked and so plainly different from any 

 other Russet that once carefully noted it need never after be 

 mistaken. More for the purpose of showing that other kinds 

 are not this, than the identification of the one being described, 

 the illustration herewith, photographed from a sample expressly 

 for the purpose, is given. 



All the books substantially agree in their description of this 

 variety. Cole's American Fruit Book, though old, is one of the 

 best for this State, so I copy a description from that: 



"Rather large; fiattish; Yellow Russet, rarely a faint blush; 

 stem medium, slender, in a rather shallow cavity; calyx closed, 

 in a moderate basin; f^esh greenish-white, rather dry when fully 

 ripe, slightly acid and pleasant. Pretty good for cooking, not 

 first-rate for dessert. Late winter, spring and early summer. 

 A moderate grower and great bearer, in a moist, strong, rich 

 soil. Important from its late keeping. Origin, Roxbury, 

 Mass." 



The importance of this apple on account of its late keeping, 

 from a commercial standpoint, is not as great as was formerly 

 the case. For reasons that I will not now stop to discuss the 

 extremely late keeping apples do not now bear the increased price, 

 as the season advances, that they did years ago. I think I am 

 correct in the statement that this variety is not being planted 

 out in new orchards to any considerable extent at the present 

 time. Still it is the best, all things considered, Russet apple 

 we have, and among the best, if not the best, late keeper in the 

 whole Hst. Its large size gives it a value over all other Russets. 



This apple, though so common, has been known under sev- 

 eral different names from time to time. Last fall when at the 

 International Exhibition at St. John, with Secretary Knowlton, 

 we found a Russet apple in several Nova Scotia collections 

 labelled "Nonpareil." We also found the Roxbury Russet in 

 some of the same collections. Our interest was awakened, 

 and being desirous of gaining information from any source 

 available, we investigated the matter as clearly as we were able. 

 The apples were not fully matured, but in that condition we 

 could not find any distinction between the apples shown under 



