44 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Question. Have you used commercial fertilizers? 



Mr. Whittier. No, not for trees. 



Mr, Briggs. Have you ever made apple jell}? 



Mr. Whittier. I never have. I have made many inquiries, and 

 have nearly alwa^'S found that those who have undertaken the busi- 

 ness have failed. It is only the sour fruit that is used for making 

 jelly, and it is unfit for such a purpose. If sugar was used and 

 there was a good market for it, it might be made to pay pretty well. 



Mr. Briggs. If we sort and sell only No. 1 apples, we must use 

 up the other apples either by evaporating or by some other wa}', and 

 if we can make a profit on jelly, why not make them into jelly? 

 Man}^ apples are not fit for evaporating and could be made into 

 cider and then into jelly, and we could thus dispose of consider- 

 able second qualit}' fruit. 



Question. What kind of trees would you recommend planting? 



Mr. Whittier. I have not used many other kinds than the Bald- 

 win. I think the Baldwin the most profitable and best market apple 

 for general use. 



Question. How small should a perfect apple be to be classed as 

 No. 1? 



Mr. Whittier. I make three grades. The smallest I evaporate, 

 the next go as seconds, and the rest as No. 1 apples. 



Question. Would an apple that would go through a two-inch auger 

 hole be classed as a No. 2 or 3? How about keeping apples? 



Mr. Whittier. I should say an apple of that size would be about 

 right to evaporate. In keeping it makes a great deal of difl!^erence 

 in the kind of apple. Russets will keep well when kept in a tight place. 

 Cover them well with paper to keep the air out, and then they will 

 not wither and wrinkle. I should barrel them, if possible. For 

 Greenings I use an open shallow box. Otherwise they will change 

 color. I have kept some in bins and have now about six hundred 

 barrels of my best apples in the cellar in bins. In regard to evap- 

 orating apples I would say further, that I evaporated last fall twen- 

 ty-one hundred barrels of apples which yielded over six tons of 

 evaporated fruit of very choice quality, samples of which are on 

 exhibition here. This was all sold in one lot at 12 cents per pound, 

 the order for its sale being sent to me by telegraph. 



Question. How deep was the bin in which you had the apples? 



Mr. Whittier. Two feet and one-half deep. Set in the bottom 

 one tier of barrels, then floor over the top and lay in the apples 

 three feet deep, in bins partitioned from each other. 



