Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-10-20
NO. 24S.
miscellaneous.
THE GREAT APPLE CROP.

The question is. what shall he done
with the enormous excess of the apple
crop of tins year? The cider mills are
already at work at their full capacity,
turning out superior quality of cider
from superior quality of apples. II is
not often that the first pick of the fruit
finds its way TO the mills, as it does this
year. The ripening was earlier this year
than usual. owing, perhaps, to the prema-
ture heat in May and onward; so that the
winter varieties. which are not usually
gathered until the last, are dropping from
the trees everywhere. Ii is not easy to
account for it except by the premature
ripening caused by the early season re-
| ferred To. So that cider must be made
this year before the frosts or rot at all. in
spite of the injunction not TO make il till
after their occurrence.
| To the north of us. which Ia our great
apple region, the ground in the orchards
is almost literally covered with fruit and
farmers are in a quandry what To do with
it. In central and western Massachusetts
the crop is unpreccdcntlv heavy. One
farmer in Hampshire county will have
crop OF 5000 bushels. and he can find no
better use To put them 10 than TO convert
them into vinegar. Cider will he lower
than ever before and the difficulty will be
10 find barrels to contain il, If indeed il
would pay TO do so. As for feeding ap-
pies to swine and cattle, there is some
thing to be said on both sides swine take
readily TO an apple diet, hut they require
filling and hardening with meal before
Strengthening; but cattle thrive on apples,
and make excellent beef, while cows are
said TO WELD superior milk and cream
when fed freely on them.
Ii has been suggested that "a good use to
which to put the fruit, in part. would be
making apple Jelly from it by evaporizing
the juice. The juice this year is SAID TO be
very heavy with sugar. and therefore may
he boiled down with advantage. An ex-
change urges this method of treating the
fruit upon farmers. asserting chat the juice
OF sound and ripe apples though sound
and condensed by boiling. makes good
food and drink both. But the old practice
of drying will probably be the most gen
orally followed. New methods of driving
have been introduced of late years. one
being at present employed on an extended
scale in this State. The irui, is made to
retain its natural state of whiteness by
bleaching process. while its favor is lett
unimpaired and in "A few hours may now
he turned out. with the help of furnaces
and drying rooms, an immense quality of
preserved fruit
In the manufacture of cider, however,
there is acknowledged to be- very great
room for Improvement We need to make
it with more care. European cider sur
passes the American mainly ior that rea-
son. The best article will invariably
command the best price. We have been
in the habit of grinding up our refuse on
" of the orchard but the unexpected con-
dition of things this year may compel us
into discovery that will be to our lasting
advantage. Unsound and decayed fruit
cannot be expected TO produce the high
est quality of cider. We need to select
the best specimens of the best fruits in or
der to secure that result; and perhaps the
early rIpening and falling of the best APP
pies this year will lead us TO the very dis
cOvery which we have heretofore been
reluctant to make Plougbman.