Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03
English Fruit.
From the London Spectator.

From the London Spectator.
Like many other things in England, the pop
ularity of particular kinds of fruit is largely o
question of fashion, and there is no doubt but
that the English apple has Of late years fallen
into much disfavor-to a certain degree mer-
tied, for the immense improvement that has
taken place in it is comparatively recent, and
some twenty years ago dessert of English ap-
Piles, pears and nuts would have been hard
featured one indeed. But now the reproach
has passed away, and even as the products OF
our hot houses may challenge the grapes and
peaches Of any other country, SO too the
harder fruits grown beneath our Indictment sky
may hold their own in beauty and flavor against
the huge apples Of America or the fragrant
pears of France. Travellers may talk as they
will Of the exotic and Outlandish growths OF
distant countries, we at home are not without
the kindly fruits of the earth. and are ready to
maintain that in respect Of quality we are at
least as blessed as any other nation. There is
nothing to compare with our infinite variety
of berries-the strawberry alone possesses as
many tastes as 1t does shapes and sizes-while
the flavor OF the plum varies as does its
color from transparent amber, through every
shade of red and gold to the deepest
purple. Let us also remark by the way how
much klndlier Is the outward aspect Of our
fruit than that of these tropical growths;
apples, pears, Strawberries plums and peaches
offer themselves at once to be eaten; at the
most there is but a thin and delicate skin that
gives only the flavor Of resistance to the teeth
OF those that covet them; whereas the rind Of
the pineapple is a rough rampant that Yields
only to the sharp knife, the mangosteen turks
inside hard and uninviting shell and the
prickly pear defends itself with the most alb
horrent spikes from the hands of its would-be
consumers.
There is no fruit that lends itself more read
lily to cooking than the apple. What is sauce
for the goose is also sauce for the gander and
there is no doubt but that the apple is a very
excellent sauce for the goose. Excellent also
when immured in pies and buildings and more
than excellent within the dumping dump
ling that SO exercised the mind of the good
king who wondered greatly how the apple got
inside. Nor must the drink be forgotten that
Is made from the same useful fruit-the cider
that IS the joy of the Devonshire and the Nor
folk farmer.
Compared with others We are not a yery
fruit-loving people. We look upon apples,
oranges and nuts as toys to trife with when
our hunger has been elsewhere satisfied and
cannot bring ourselves to regard them seriously
prove to us that we are wrong but there seems
but little prospect OF our conversion to their
views. After all the diet Of mankind is simply
question Of latitude. The Esquimaux sub
sists almost exclusively upon bfubber, while
the negro is content to find all his nourishment
In scanty plot Of bananas. We, in our half
way position between Pole and Equator. should
probably do well to steer q middle course
neither TO carnivorous nor altogether fructiv-
orous. But though We are SO little given to
fruit eating, we nevertheless consume enor-
mously more than we are able to supply and
the sum spent every year upon the importation
OF foreign fruit is very large indeed. Oranges
we cannot grow, but apples and pears will do
as well on English soil as elsewhere and great
part Of that sum that now goes abroad might
well go into the pockets Of the small tenant
farmers and cottage gardeners in England
SO much has been done of late years to improve
our stock OF fruit trees and to acquire
knowledge as to the suitability Of different
kinds of different soils that very little would be
required from the growers themselves but the
small amount Of care that is necessary to all
tree culture. II is true that no cure can guard
against the blight that at rare intervals makes
barren every orchard in o large district and
every tree In the orchard, but the blight Is not
very frequent visitor and, taking one year
with another, the years Of plenty certainly pre-
ponderate over those Of famine. At the pres
ent moment IN many Enghsh villages
the only fruit trees to be seen are
a few cankered and barren apples,
planted in some uncongenial soil that would
have, perhaps, supported any otner kinds but
that peculiar one. Thanks TO the efforts Of the
many societies that have interested themselves
In fruit culture We have learned enough to
avoid such mistakes in the future and there 10
no reason why the business Of fruit growing
should not flourish a. well with NJ at home as
with our neighbors abroad, only we must, per-
haps, lynch few Of the regraters Of CoVent
Garden