FRUIT CULTURE 149 



has had any practical experience or knowledge about digging the 

 holes for setting trees with dynamite? 



Mr. Wheeler. The question is asked whether it is of advantage 

 to blow out the holes for setting trees with dynamite. I think 

 one of you three gentlemen has seen that done. Have you seen 

 that, Mr. Frost? 



Mr. Frost. I have seen it and I have tried it, and it depends 

 entirely on what the subsoil consists of. If you have a hard 

 subsoil, or hardpan, I think it is very advisable to use dynamite 

 for planting. It not only breaks up the subsoil and makes a better 

 trench, but it makes it easier to dig the holes. The method of 

 using it is to punch a hole with a crowbar about thirty inches and 

 use from a quarter to half a stick, and then explode it. With a 

 hard subsoil you get better results and a quicker growth in the tree. 



Question. I would like to ask if Newtown Pippin would be a 

 desirable apple in this section for export. 



Mr. Wheeler. The question is asked if the Newtown Pippin 

 would be a desirable apple for export. I will call upon Prof. 

 Pickett. 



Prof. Pickett. I do not feel qualified to answer the question, 

 because I have not seen it grown enough in New England to say. 

 Day before yesterday a gentleman from New Hampshire wrote in 

 and asked me that question, and he said that he would like to grow 

 it because he had two or three trees in his orchard that were doing 

 splendidly. His orchard is in Concord, New Hampshire. I 

 should think that was too far north to get good results, but you are 

 75 miles south of that, and I am rather of the opinion that it would 

 be a valuable variety and worth trying out; but the authorities 

 on varieties for Massachusetts have not highly recommended it or 

 included it in their list of commercial varieties. I have seen it in 

 New Hampshire and at least half a dozen different places doing well 

 in every case. This man said that he would like to use it, and I 

 thought it was a fair one to use in the place of Baldwins, and I wish 

 heartily that I could tell him it was a better variety than a Baldwin, 

 but I could not tell him that. 



Question. Will you give us the history and origin of the Baldwin 

 apple? 



Mr. Wheeler. We have up stairs a very complete library on all 



