The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-12
AGRICULTURAL.



The hour or two spent in examining the
apples kindly forwarded us by Mr.. j, w.
Adams Of Springfield, Mass, formerly OF
Portland, was one OF great satisfaction. Ihe
collection embraced between fifty and sixty
varieties, the larger part of them being grown
on Mr.. Adams "Brightwood" grounds, and
the remainder selected from the prize collec-
ton of the Hampden County Agricultural
Society. 1t was unfortunate that some OF the
earlier sorts were much decayed, and the fla
vor of many others considerably impaired by
being in contact with them, and on thic ac-
count we were not able to Judge so we'll of
the merits OF certain varieties to which Mr..
Adams directed our attention, as would 9th.
erwise have been the case. This was true of
the Dawes Porter-an apple which origi-
mated with brother of Senator Dawes on the
William Cullen Bryant farm in Cummington
en- the Berkshire mountains. or this Mr..
Adams writes: sit asplres to rank with our
old and well known Porter. 1t is trife lat
er, better grower, good bearer, and has a
spicy flavor. I think you will call it very
good and possibly best" But in fact the
apple was 80 permeated by the disagreeable
odor of the decaying fruit, we could not think
of eating it. In this collection were samples
OF an apple Mr.. Adams calls the Brightwood,
promising sort which originated in this
state, on the grounds of DR.. Noyes of Auburn,
and concerning which Mr.. Adams says: 81
like it better than the Baldwin. 1t is an ear
ly and abundant bearer here, and the quality
think you will find more mild, fine grained
and better flavor than the Baldwin," We
think the apple in eating earlier than the
Baldwin, and judge it viii not keep as late.
1t is certainly close grained, brisk, juicy ap-
cluded were the following: Wine, Flair, Bald
win. Hill, Hubbardston Nonesuch, Twenty
ounce iii properly named not possessing the
characteristics of that fruit. we think, in form
or general quality, Lady Garden Sweet, Con-
gress, Bellfower, Orange Sweet, Wagner mot
agreeing with our Maine grown Wagners in
form or quality, Golden Russell, Fameuse,
Vandevere, Flushing Spitzenburg, Craven
stein, Talman Sweet mot good specimen),
Blue Pearmain 1--WE can beat it in Kennebec
county over and over again }, Boston Sweet,
Ladies' Sweet, Bagg IA fruit peculiar to west
ern Massachusetts, and not catalogned by
Downing or Thomas), Northern Spy, Green
Sweet, Oyster Bay Ia most elegant apple
In appearance), Gillflower, Peck's Pleas
ant, Newtown Pippln. Fall Pippin, St.
Lawrence, Golden Ball, Roxbury Rus
set, Jewett's Fine Red, Pound Royal
Jonathcn, Ben Davis IA wonderfully poor
Seek-no-further, Sweet Baldwin, Obong
Russell known here as New York Russet)
Fallawater Ga Pennsylvania apple with nearly
twenty synonyms). In his letter Mr.. Adams
further says. "Several of the fruits which I
grew as winter apples when 1 was in the
nursery business at Portland are ripe too
early for this section; among them mention
the Somerset, to which once with Mr.. Al
bert Noyes awarded the first premium at the
State Fair in Augusta. Here it ripens in
August, and is as red as the Astrachan."
The Somerset, which is one of our best au-
tuD1n apples, seldom keeps beyond September
with us, and we think Mr.. Adams must be
mistaken about calling it a winter sort.
Both Downing and Thomas give its season
season as Observation-Disclosures Farmer.