52 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



table, to prevent the apples rolling off; spread an old blanket, or quilt is bet- 

 ter, on the table to prevent bruising. 



ASSORTING AKD PACKIifG. 



In assorting the apples from this table, make two grades — one of perfect 

 apples, the other of the poorer quality. The worthless for market throw one 

 Bide for cider. First, place two courses of apples in the bottom of the barrel, 

 with the stems down ; then proceed to put tlie apples in, not dropping them, 

 but reach the hand down so they will not bruise in the least. Shake the barrel 

 gently two or three times whilst filling. Too little attention is paid to this 

 matter of assorting. Take three barrels as they are ordinarily put up, and 

 make two barrels of good quality and one of inferior. The two extra barrels 

 will sell for more money in market than the three unassorted. The perfect 

 apples will keep much longer, thus favoring the chances for better prices. 

 Then it is with no small degree of pleasurable satisfaction to know you have 

 as good apples as any of your neighbors, when they call for an evening social 

 chat and you bring out your beauties to their wondering gaze ! 



THE OECHARD GROUND 



devoted to some hard crop may be made to pay for care and cultivation of the 

 orchard till it is in good bearing condition. 



AMOUNT OF FRUIT PER ACRE. 



An orchard will contain about fifty trees to the acre. I think they may 

 Bafely be estimated to produce one barrel per tree for a great number of years, 

 or whilst in good condition. This would give fifty barrels per acre each year, 

 and at two dollars per barrel would be one hundred dollars per acre, I think 

 a good orchard, with care, and composed of the best varieties, will exceed 

 rather than fall short of these estimates. 



The above estimates are made from the amount of apples produced bj 

 young trees for the past five years, composed of Eed Canada, Wagener, and 

 Maiden's Blush. 



Three-fourths of the orchards put out twenty years ago throughout the 

 country are composed of varieties to a great extent almost worthless. Persons 

 owning such orchards cannot see any profit in fruit, — like the man who has 

 an orchard of one hundred trees, twelve of these being of choice varieties are 

 of more value than the other eighty-eight. 



MARKETING. 



Much might be said under tliis head. Perhaps one-half of the apples 

 throughout the State are gathered and turned into a wagon box and taken, 

 from three to ten miles, over rough roads, to market. You can imagine their 

 condition, — I cannot describe them. Here the purchaser culls out perhaps 

 one-third and puts one side as worthless, paying you probably fifty cents per 

 bushel for those he deems fit to ship. The refuse apples, having taken them 

 to market, you do not feel inclined to be seen taking them home again, so you 

 leave them with this fair, conscientious dealer, who, as the shades of night 

 gather around, he also gathers up these cast-off piles of apples and quickly 

 deposits them in barrels, and the next morning they are on ^the way to some 

 large boarding-house, hotel, or Alden dry-house in Chicago, while you, by a 

 few sharp applications of pure Saxon from your better-half, have waked to the 



