Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-03-10
APPLES, PEARS AND PEACHES.
-. Have Been Wonderfully improved ny
Cultivation.

end satisfactory OF all the fruits OF
The temperate zones. The origin OF
che common apple Is to be traced to
some OF those hardy $, &c es which are
sometimes found almost as far north
as the Arctic circle. The fruit seems
TO have a natural ability to withstand
cold and IL reaches its greatest per-
lection In New England, New \ork
aud Michigan where the winters are
severe. As 1t nears :he EQUATOR the
apple retains its beauty but It's fine.
ness Of taste Is lost. American apples
stand ut the head, although they are
not indigenous to this country. The
early settlers brought apple trees
with them and the Indians helped to
spred the fruit throughout the
country.
Although the apple Is given such
prominent place in the Il ble aud Is
mentioned by Herodatus, Theophras.
tus and other ancient writer's, It IL
believed by authorities of the present
day that other fruits were designated
by that name. Even now the word
ap lie Is used to designate fieshv
fruit, as the lovc.apple or tomato.
pine apple and rose.apple. The word
has a curious derivation. The Anglo
saxon Is "apl" and the German
"a fell" Of the same origin, probably,
with the lend and Sanscrit lab" or
ZAP" water, and "p'hala," fruit
The apple was undoubtedly OF
eastern origin but just what was It's
natal country Is q mOOted question.
The apples Pliny mentions were
probably crude varieties Of those
familiar to-day. lie says, speaking
OF crab and wild apples, that they
are sour, 80 sour as to take tho edge
OF q knife; but some, he SAYS, are re.
twenty varieties are mentioned BY
Pliny. II Is probable that the Rom.
ans tnmarkablc for their smell. More
than trOduced the apple into England,
but nothing 10 known Of Is subseQ ucnt
history until after tho ad"ent Of
Christian ,ty, when the monks and
Others planted orchards Heqcefor'
ward the fruit became common.
Chemists soy that the apple con.
tains a larger percentage Of phosphor.
Gus than any other fruit or vegetable.
PHOSPHORUS Is that admirable
adapted for renewing the essential
nervous matter, ietchicin, Of the
brain and spinal cord. 1t IL perhaps
for this reason that old Scandlnav i'm
traditions represented tho apple al
J the food Of the gods who, when they
felt themselves growing weak and In.
firm, resorted to this fruit for renew.
Ing their powers OF mind and body.
The physiological benefits OF apples
do not stop here, for the acids OF the
|. fruit are Of great use for men Ol
sedentary habits whose lives are
; sluggish In action, these acids servinp
, to eliminate from the body nOxiou.
matters, which, II retained. woult
! make the brain heavy and dull Of
, bring about jaundice or skin erup
tionS
No fruit-bearing plant seems Il
. have as many enemies 10 docs thu
, apple tree. Years ago the fruit wa
, perfectly fair and uninjured by worn
) or caterpillar In New England, as 1
Is still In sOme parts OF the west, bu
now the b0rer attacks the stem, per
fOrating IL a little above the ground
, the wood aphis attacks the tcndo
0 shoots; the caterpillar builds Its cob
web nests and dev0nrs the leaves: tn
canker worm also dcvours all tn
foliage: the apple moth Iays its cgg
ut the edge OF tho calyx and the larv'
when Matched enters tho fruit; E2'
:, the bark louise attacks the birk
Hut the orchardist Is able to eithc
destroy all OF these pests. Or proven
their ravagcs, although tn do so "a
duires constant care und Gatchful
ness
b Closely related to the apple Is tn
pear Like It's cousin 1t was know
In elihy's time. But 1t could no
r. have been very choice then tor h
: observes that 'all pears whatsoeve
d are but heavy meat unless We
!. boiled or baked" Its excellence ha
}. been attained within o comparativel
recent period. 1t Is native Of tn
temperate portions OF Europe aud q
IL the Caucasus, but that all the know
10 Notwithstanding over thousan
= came from one stock Is doubted b
d some. By some, however, all are be
70 lievcd to have descended from som
wild shrub, specimens Of which ar
occasionally found In the west q
t. France. The origin OF the name
!. unknown
.. The pear, like the apple, has man
I" enemies, the greatest OF which Is tn
bright, which will without warnin
destroy o large branch or q Who'll
p. trc& Blight Is probably due to
"a minute fungus.
IL Who In the apple-growlng region
OF America Is not familiar with cider
And who, even where pears are raise
In abundance, knows the taste {
perry9 Perry seems to be Us distinct
lively English as cider Is American
1t is made from pears much the sam
as cider Is made from apples ]
u England large orchards are devote
exclusively TO the raising OF peri
pears When well.made, perry brin.
Il price equal to that of some kinds
wine.
No fruit has been so much imprO
u cd by cultivation as The peacl
y Originally a poisonous almond, 1
fruity parts being used to poison a
rows, 1t has been rendered by tran
plantation and cultivation one
the most wholesome Of fruits.
some II Is beliyed to have first grow
In China, whence 1t was carried
Persia, Turkey and other easte
counLYies From Persia IL was TAXI