REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ERUITS. 95 



in quantity and quality, wliicli, however, was no great disappoint- 

 ment, as tliis is not ttie " bearing year " for apples. Still, the 

 fruit was perhaps not quite up to the average even of the '"odd 

 year ; " and this again was not strange after the remarkably abun- 

 dant crop of 1872. Several late varieties of the crop of that year 

 have been exhibited, beginning with the Loring Sweet, from John 

 Owen, March 8th. It is a medium-sized yellow apple, flesh tender, 

 and (^ good quality. The specimens shown were somewhat spotted* 

 April '26th, Mrs. E. M. Gill presented good specimens of the 

 Ladies' Sweeting, which has taken its place as one of our best win- 

 ter sweet apples. May 10th, J. B. Moore presented fine specimens 

 of the Hunt Russet, which the committee deem one of the most 

 desirable' of all apples; handsome, of the highest quality, and an 

 excellent keeper. Mr Moore made a statement in regard to the 

 origin and history of this variety, which we think of sufficient in- 

 terest to put on record here. Pie says that there is still standing 

 and bearing in Concord a row of Hunt Russet trees planted bj^ the 

 great-great-grandfather of his wife, two hundred years ago, and 

 that the variety originated on a farm in Concord about a mile 

 from where these trees are standing. It will not flourish on a cold 

 soil, but requires a warm soil, such as is adapted to corn. JMr. 

 Moore showed at the same time, and also on the 7tli of June, the 

 Size apple, a large, handsome red fruit of good quality, and 

 thought to be valuable as a late-keeping variety. It is a native of 

 Dover, N. H., and was exhibited here about twenty years ago, but 

 appears to have been out of sight in the meantime. May 31st, 

 Marshall P. Wilder exhibited the Forest Apple, received by him 

 from Connecticut.- It is of medium size, conical, yellow, thinly 

 traced with russet, of good flavor for the season, and said to be a 

 remarkably late keeper. The Summer Harvey, mentioned in our 

 last report, was again exhibited by T. M. Davis on the 16th of 

 August, and received the prize for " any other sort " The other 

 prizes for summer apples were again awarded to the old favorites, 

 Early Bough, Red Astrachan, Williams, Porter, and Gravenstein, the 

 Early Bough taking all three prizes on the 9th of August, the first 

 prize day for apples. September 9th, the third prize was awarded 

 to Moses Taylor for Holden Pippin (the Fall Orange of Downing), 

 a large, fair, yellow apple, which, though too acid for dessert, is de- 

 si ralile for cooking and market. * At the annual exhibition we find 

 that more of I he prizes off'ered were awarded than were two years 



