The varieties showing the best keeping qualities were Baldwin, Spitzenberg, Russet, Northern Spy and Canada Red. These varieties were kept in cold storage and placed on the tables as late in the season as November fifteenth, when they were found to have retained their color, firmness and flavor.
Some of the fall varieties, which are ordinarily supposed to be poor keepers, came out of cold storage in perfect condition and kept remarkably well after being placed on the tables. Among these the Alexander, Fallawater, Holland Pippin, McIntosh and Rome Beauty were the best.
A collection of Fallawaters from W.R. Fitch, of Rushville, N.Y., were placed on the tables April twenty-ninth, when they attracted considerable attention on account of their unusual size and fine color, and remained in splendid condition for weeks. While somewhat shriveled and dried up, they showed no signs of decay when removed from the tables July twentieth. The same is true of a collection of Holland Pippins and McIntoshes placed on exhibition at the same time.
A collection of Alexanders from J.B. Collamer, of Hilton, will serve as an illustration of the advantages of picking at the proper time, handling with care and placing in cold storage immediately. These apples were exhibited for a week at the State Fair held at Syracuse in September of 1903. They were then wrapped, packed and sent to St. Louis, where they were kept in cold storage until June twenty-sixth, when they were placed on exhibition until after the visit of Governor Odell, June twenty-ninth. On June thirtieth they were rewrapped and repacked and sent back to cold storage until a few days before the State Fair at Syracuse in September of 1904, when they were shipped to Syracuse and again exhibited for a week. At the close of the State Fair they were again returned to St. Louis and exhibited for two weeks.
The Newtown Pippin is another variety which showed excellent keeping qualities. On August twelfth a collection of forty-six plates from Henry D. Lewis, of Annandale, was taken out of cold storage and placed on exhibition. They held up in good condition until the thirtieth of August, during the hottest weather of the season.
The Greenings, while large in size, of fine color, and apparently in perfect condition when packed, invariably came out of cold storage badly scalded and discolored. In fact, there were only three or four lots which were entirely free from scald.
In September, large additions of new fruit were made to the exhibit from individual growers, and also from the New York Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva.
George W. Anderson, Charles N. Baker, Samuel J. Wells and T.H. King are among the exhibitors who deserve special mention for the quality and extent of their exhibits.
A complete list of the 424 varieties of apples exhibited appears following the list of exhibitors.