STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 129 



I found them last fall all the way to New Sweden, these keeping 

 well through the winter and promising to furnish to them a winter 

 apple of high qualit}'. 



Mr. Pope. What encouragement have we for careful sorting of 

 our fruit when all our bu3'ers, in packing the fruit for the English 

 market, pack the best ones on the top and bottom and throw almost 

 anything in between ? 



Mr. Prince. I have been told that they pour the apples out into 

 a large tray, a barrel or two, for a sample, and then sell from that 

 sample. I don't know how that may be, but I have thought that if 

 I had apples enough to make it an object, I would put up my apples 

 and put my name in the barrels, and on the end I believe I should 

 make money out of it. Put them up as they ought to be, and not 

 as mine were this year — putting in about a peck of number ones on 

 the bottom and then number twos, and marking them number twos. 

 Of course when they open them they will think they have got a verj' 

 fine barrel of number twos. I do not believe in that way of putting 

 up apples. 



Mr. Pope. I spoke to our bu3'er about that, and I said, " What 

 is the use? As soon as they are turned out in the tray they show." 

 He said, " Their first impression is the strongest ; they see the barrel 

 of apples looks very nice and they will pay a good price, even 

 though they look badl}^ down along. But if they open the barrel 

 and it looks badly on top, that barrel is condemned any wa3^" And 

 I asked the same question in Boston, and they said, ''You ship good 

 hard apples, not very large,- and don't be too particular about sort- 

 ing ; you will get more money out of it." In shipping I sent num- 

 ber ones and twos on the same vessel, sold at the same time, and I 

 got more money out of the number twos than the number ones. 



Mr. Prince. 1 guess it is time for me to take the train. [Laugh- 

 ter.] 



Mr. Blossom. Mr. Merrill told me how to pack them, "I want 

 you to pack them right straight down through all just alike." Now 

 what did he go over to England for if it wasn't to find out how he 

 wanted these apples packed? 



Mr. Merrill. I should be glad to explain the process of selling 

 apples there. I think the buying of apples and exporting is as 

 legitimate a business as we have in the State of Maine and many 

 of the apple growers appreciate it. Mr. Pope's apples go to Liver 



