70 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



unsafe. I recently visited one of the foremost farmers of Winthrop, 

 and had the pleasure of going into his fruit cellar in company- with 

 two other gentlemen. He showed us his bin of Baldwins, which 

 were in bulk. Tlie cellar had a cemented floor and appeared to be 

 c]vy. The apples were in a bin some four feet wide and from ten to 

 twelve feet long. I should judge their depth to be from four to six 

 feet. He had a thermometer lying upon the apples. I never saw 

 handsomer Baldwins ; it was a rich treat to look upon them, the}' 

 were so large and of such a bright, beautiful color. They^ were 

 well assorted and read}' for the market, but he was not ready to sell 

 them. He said he kept the temperature down to 28 or 30 degrees, 

 and he said : "I am not afraid if it runs down to 28." I also learned 

 that it is better to keep Baldwins in bulk than in barrels or upon 

 shelves. My practice has been to put No. 2 Baldwins on shelves 

 some distance from the bottom. Baldwins will keep better on shelves 

 than in barrels. I shall never barrel Baldwins in the fall again ; 

 shall put them in bulk. Rhode Island Greenings will not bear 

 barrelling ; they should be kept in an open bm in the cellar. 



Mr. Prince. You ask how I can make a cellar moist. I would 

 sa}', I don't intend to have it so. My fruit cellar is more than half 

 above the ground, but in a moderatel}' moist soil. I believe that 

 any cellar with a cement floor and the walls laid in cement will be 

 moist enough to keep fruit. I think a cellar with a wall of conamon 

 round stone and laid up open would be dryer than one with both 

 wall and floor laid in cement. I think where both the walls and floor 

 are laid in cement it would be moist enough. 



Mr. Gakdineu. I do not see how it is possible to keep the yellow 

 Bcllflowers in bulk ; they are so tender that in picking the}' will 

 show the marks of the fingers upon them, and if carried and dumped 

 on a barn floor and left in bulk, 99 per cent of them would be 

 bruised. Therefore I cannot see any other way to handle them 

 except to pick them from the tree and put them into barrels by hand, 

 assorting them at the same time. They will keep until April if 

 not bruised. If they are bruised they will not keep. 



Mr Prince. I think, if you sort your apples as you pick them, 

 and let them lay until spring, you will find a good many of your 

 No. 1 apples No. 2s, and your No. 2s will be No. 3. When I 

 gather my apples I put all that are sound together and let them lay 

 until I want to sell them ; then I sort them. It saves one sorting. 

 I never allow my apples to be overhauled until they are ready for 



