The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-05
Apples.


ft is commonly supposed that The ap-
pie is fruit The accurate scientific
man will tell as this is wrong. Pears.
plums, oranges, peaches and nearly all
so called fruits are not fruits, but the
fleshy envelopes or receptacles of the
fruit which is really the seed enclosed
within these envelopes, just as grain
of corn is the fruit of the maize plant
eDveloped in the husk and born upon
the receptacle which is the stalk. A
strawberry. too, is not fruit, but the
receptacle upon which the true fruit,
the small. hard seeds, are imbedded.
A strawberry is, in fact, receptacle
turned inside out. Just as if an apple
could be so reversed AMI the seeds in
the core were attached to the outside
instead of being placed inside. This is
the botanical view of the apple. But
apples existed and were eaten and en-
loved before botanists took our APP re-
tites away with their Greek terms and
their mattcr-of-fact way of putting
| things. In this case, however, We have
the advan age over the scientific men
and a prior right TO the use of this word
fruit. For its popular and precise
meaning is something that is enjoyed, !"
and it ge.s this meaning from its origi-
nal Latin root, which is fri, the past
tense of the verb truor, to en- ov, and
meaning literally enjoyed, SO that the
apple to Us is that part of the tree
wlrich is enjoyed or made use of, and in
using this word we are right and the
botanists have reason to give back to
us this word to which they have no
right and should use seed instead.
1t is pleasant for once to get ahead of
these people, who are so ready to poke
their inexpressible words ut us and cal
a simple thing like violet aston a Dip
ioplppus indriif 0iias, and so turn the
tables upon them. And it makes the
delicious fruit all the more agreeable
that we can enjoy it without violating
any propripty in calling it a fruit
And Just now the farmer who is with
out the early apple is casting away one
of the best gifts of nature. 1t is n very
pertinent sub ect, too, just now when
we are having spasn of virtue pro-
duced by the dread of visit from the
cholera. and many persons lear that
fruit of any kind is a provocative of
this disease. But. on the contrary, this
disease is direct punishment due to
our own neglect of such true sanitary
re regulations, as observing the most par
ticuar cleanliness, and eating such truly
wholesome and seasonable food as per-
fectly ripe fruit. and so avoiding the
conditions which favor the spread OF
contagion. AMI just now when the
Early Harvest, the Sweet Bough and
the Red Astrakan are ripe. those who
have them should enjoy them without
fear, because there is no more whole
who are without them should not delay
TO prepare piece of ground, IN readi-
ness to plant dozen of them before
the winter comes. But caution
should be given that the apple is better
cooked than eaten raw, because its
cells are ruptured and the flesh is made
more digeStiblc. Baked and stewed,
or even made into pies, they are indis-
pensable to the full en-. Oyment of
rural lie.
Some disposal, too. should be made
of the great quantity OF waste fruit
which cover the ground ut this season.
1t is not a waste really, but a discharge
of Il burden, because the trees could not
possibly mature all the fruit which has
been set this year. and the fallen apples
contain good many of the larvn of
the apple moth. This insect is not
really deserving of all the blame cast
upon it. 1t brings down good many
apples, but these are relief to the tree,
and enable it to better mature what are
left. 1t is a sort of pruning that is very
useful, if not ind spensable, and that it
is done fer us without cost or trouble
should be source of gratitude to the
insect which does it for us. But how
should this fallen fruit be disposed of?
Any way but to use them for food for
our animals, even the common scav-
enger, the pig, for which they are quite
as WHOLESOME rs for ourselves. 1t Is
worse still to crush them for cider to
tempt the ignorant and unguarded into
pain and misery AMI cramps, which
mag pave the way for the cholera
should it invade our shores. And yet
we see some farmers thus converting
this waste fruit, the re ected surplus OF
nature, into what they call CIDER. This
we hasten to protest against as an in
Jury and Oh at Better to make 4 pit
and gather these immature apples and
bury them under two feet of earth,
where they will do the most good by
doing no harm. and efectually putting
out OF the way great many apple
worms. There will be enough of these
left still to do our pruning for US
HtnrJ Stea0art, in n. \. Time.