1890.] PUBLIC DOCU]\IEXT — No. 4. 71 



Dr. Fisher. They keep better so, but I never want to 

 cover them up and send them to market a month after- 

 wards. I want my apples to be sorted the day before they 

 go to market, whatever time it may be. I can see them and 

 handle them better if they are in boxes, open to inspection. 



Question. "Would you say that the same rules would 

 apply to the keeping of turnips and other garden roots that 

 apply to apples ? 



Dr. Fisher. I think the same rules would apply, except 

 that they should be covered with something. But I would 

 harvest them as late as possible, because the difficulty there 

 is that the turnips will sprout if joii put them in a warm 

 cellar, and you therefore want to leave them out just as late 

 as ]:)Ossible, and then put them in the coolest place you. can 

 find. If you can cover them with leaves or an^^thing of the 

 sort so as to keep the temperature uniform, they will keep 

 as long as possible. 



Secretary Sessions. I have one more question, " AMiich 

 is the best early potato ? " I would like to have Mr. Pierce 

 of "West Millbury answer it, if he will. 



Mr. Pierce. That is rather more of a question than I 

 feel qualified to answer. In my experience this year the 

 Pearl of Savoy has been the best. They rotted consider- 

 ably, but after the rotten ones were taken out there was a 

 pretty good crop left. Next to that I w^ould place the 

 Beauty of Hebron. 



Mr. Howe of Dudley. M}^ experience in raising potatoes 

 has been very little. The question of the use of salt was 

 discussed this afternoon. I will say that I experimented 

 with salt in raising potatoes this year, and it was a total 

 failure. The salt was applied with chemical fertilizers, and 

 not one-half of my seed came up. That satisfied me as to 

 the expediency of using salt. 



Mr. Peterson. Has any one had any experience with 

 regard to the time of planting potatoes to prevent the rot ? 



]Mr. GoDDARD of New Ipswich. I was very successful 

 this year with my potato crop. I have always sprouted my 

 early potatoes before planting them in the spring. I plant 

 them just as early as the soil is fit to work, consequently I 

 have never been much troubled with the rot. This year my 



