120 



apple stocks with them on grass land that was kept in 

 good condition by top dressing. The apples on these 

 trees were many of them small and unfair, not fit for 

 market. 



The above experiment agrees with our former experi- 

 ence that constant cultivation and manuring will produce 

 large apples, but not as good for use or to keep as those 

 less prolific. There should be, however, cultivation or 

 fertilizing sufiicient to keep the trees in a thrift}- bearing 

 condition, to produce the best fruit. 



These apples rotted worse than others have done under 

 like circumstances. The question arose before the com- 

 mittee on apples at the late fair at Peabody whether the 

 largest apples should have the premium in consequence 

 of their being large, or those of less size that were thought 

 to be better apples. It was decided that the best apples 

 should have the premium, taking both the size and quality 

 into consideration. 



Two years ago a history of the Baldwin apple was pub- 

 lished in the transactions of the Essex Agricultural So- 

 ciety, which is briefly as follows: — In the latter years of 

 the last century Col. Laomi Baldwin, a distinguished en- 

 gineer, while engineering for the Middlesex canal from 

 Chelmsford, now Lowell, to Boston, discovered these 

 apples on a tree in a wood in Wilmington, perceived their 

 value and disseminated them. They spread gradually, 

 the Rhode Island Greening, a popular apple (but not 

 red), being their competitor. The first account we have 

 of them was in the south part of the county in 1812 or 

 1813. They gradually spread over the county. The 

 winter of 1832, a severe winter, that commenced about 

 the middle of November after a mild autumn, before na- 

 ture had prepared the trees for winter, many beautiful 

 young orchards were almost entirely destroyed, which 

 greatly cheeked the ardor of the people in propagating 

 them. 



Now the Baldwin apple as a variety has become old, 



