The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-04-07

cider of New Jersey have been manufac-
tured in a single year into an imitation
champagne, which is scarcely distinguished
by many from that made from the grape.
Dried apples are also considerable article
of commerce. They are pared by me-
chinery and generally dried in the sun and
in ovens made for the purpose.
In perfumery, the pulp of this fruit,
mixed intimately with lard, forms poma-
tum. Shoe-m makers lasts are made Of the
wood. 1t is also used for other purposes
by the turner's, being fine grained and
compact, is frequently stained black and
used as ebony by cabinet-makers.
The apple will grow on great variety
of soils, but it seldom thrives on very dry
sands or very moist soils Its favorite
soil, in all countries, is a strong loan Of
calcareous or limestone nature. A deep
strong gravelly-marly or loamy clay, or a
strong sandy loan on gravelly sub:oil,
produces the greatest crops and the highest
Favored fruits, as well as the longest lived
trees. Such soil is moist rather than
dry, the most favorable condition for this
fruit. Too damp soils may often be rem
dered fit for the apple by thorough drain
ing, and too dry ones by deep subsoil
ploughing, or tronching when the subsoil
is of a heavier texture.
Many apple orchards in New England
are very fourishipg and productive, on
soils so stony and rock-covered Though
naturally fertile) as to be unfit for any
other crop. Coke says that blowing sands,
when bottomed on a dry substratum and
aided by mari or meadow mud, will be
found capable Of producing very fine APP
pie trees. Good cultivation and system
of high manurng will always remunerate
the proprietor of an orchard, except it be
planted on a quicksand or a cold clay; in
such soils no management can prevent an
early decay.
In tho middle and southern portion of
this country apple orchards flourish best
| on northern slopes, and often even on the
| steep north sides of hills, when the climate
is hot and dry. Farther North a south
eastern exposure is preferable to ripen the
crop, and the wood more perfectly.
1t may be well here to add that in
almost every district of the country there
are varieties having had their origin there
seem to flourish more perfectly in that, and
the fruit of finer quality than in any other
locality. Thus the Newtown pippin and
the Spitzenburg are the great apples Of
New York; the Baldwin and Roxbury
russell of Massachusetts, the beethoven
and rambo and others of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey and the Peck's pleasant and
seek-no-further of Connecticut, aud though
these apples are cultivated with greater OF
less success in other parts of the country
yet nowhere is their flavor and productive
ness so perfect as in the best soil of theii
native districts, and this accounts for the
variety of opinions respecting the compar-
| tive merits Of different fruits in different
States and localities.
But the foregoing remarks apply princi-
pally to bookkeeping varieties, such as are
named above; but being removed to a
mere southern latitude, they loose their
bookkeeping qualities and become autumn
fruits of inferior quality. But the sum.
mer fruits are often improved both in
quality and size by being introduced into
more southern climate and congenial
soil, many of which | could name when
necessary, but as prefer to take up this
branch of the subject and examine all the
different varieties in DETAIL | will omit any
further remarks on that subject here.
| One of the finest orchards in America is
that of r. l.. Pell, at Eropas, on the Hud-
| son. 1t is no less remarkable for the beau
ty and high flavor of its fruit than the
constant productiveness of its trees. lie
says: "For many years have been ex-
perimenting on the apple, having an or
chard of 1000 bearing Newtown pippin
trees. found it very Improbable to wait
! for what is termed the bearing year. and
| it has been my aim to assist nature, so as
to enable the trees to bear every year.
have noticed that from the excessive pro-
ductiveness of this tree, it requires the in
termediate year to recover itself-to ex-
tract from the earth and the atmosphere
the materials to enable it to produce again
This it is not able to do, undssisted 6y art
while it is loaded with fruit, and the in
termediato year is lost. If, however, the
tree is supplied with proper food
it will bear every year, at least, such
has been the result of my experiments
Three years ago, in April, scraped all
the rough bark from several thousand trees
in my orchards, and washed all the trunks
and limbs within reach with soft soap,
| trimmed out all the branches that crossed
each other, early in June, and painted the
wounded part with white lead, to exclude
moisture and prevent decay. In July |
placed one peck of oyster shell lime under
each tree, and left it piled about the trunk
until November, when the lime was dug
| in thoroughly. The following year col
| lected from these trees 100 barrels of
fruit, part of which was sold in New York
| for four, and others in London for nine
dollars per barrel The cider, made from
the refuse, was sold at the mill at 49, rs
per barrel, exclusive of the barrel In
October MANFRED these trees with stable
manure, in which the ammonia had been
| fixed, and covered this Immediately with
earth.
"The succeeding autumn they were liter
ally bending to the ground with the finest
fruit | ever saw, while the other trees in
my orchard, not so treated, are quite bar
rem, the last season having been their bear