APPENDIX. 211 



USES OF THE APPLE. 



So well known are tlie uses of the apple that little need Vje said upon this 

 subject. No fruit Icnowu to the cultivator in the north temperate zone can 

 take the place of the apple as a food product. Manj- other fruits, indeed 

 most cultivated fruits, rank as luxuries, but the apple in most parts of the 

 United States is one of the leading: staple products of the farm. 



In its numerous varieties its season of maturity extends throu<ifhout th* 

 year. No other fruit of the temperate zone may thus be had in continnous 

 succession without resorting to artificial means of preservation. It is pre- 

 eminently useful in the household economy. As a culinary fruit none excels 

 it. It graces the table in a greatei- variety of forms than any other, and as 

 a dessert fruit few are its equal and none its superior. Its juice when ex- 

 tracted makes an excellent and wholesome beverage, and for vinegar it has 

 no rival. As a market fruit it is one of the easiest and least expensive to 

 handle, and usually finds a ready market if well grown and handled with 

 that end in view. 



Among the many ways in which the ap])le is now used, the manufacture 

 of jellies and preserves is one of growing imjjortance. The numerous fac- 

 tories for the manufacture of these goods which have sprung uj) all over the 

 apple-growing region of the counti-y have not only created a demand for 

 second and third-grade apples, but also for the waste products — cores and 

 skins — resulting from drying and evaporating the fruit. It has been found 

 that jellies manufactured from this apple waste are almost as good as those 

 manufactured from whole fruit. These waste products have not only a value 

 for the uses above mentioned, but there is a growing demand for them for 

 export purposes for the manufacture of cheaj) wines and cider. 



Choi)S, for which there is also ready sale foi- export purposes, are made 

 from the lower-grade apples by chopping the whole fruit into coarse pieces 

 and converting by an evaporator into what is known as chops. 



Apple butter, of the real, rich, old-time farm product, not the thin, fac- 

 tory-made excuse, fills an important place in the household economy and 

 always finds a ready sale at good prices. 



Good, sweet cider, made from sound apples, not from half-decayed, wormy 

 fruit, is one of the most healthful products of the orchard, and all surplus 

 over and above what is needed for home consumption is always in demand 

 at remunerative prices. It can be kept sweet and unfermented by heating 

 it to a temperatui-e of 160° F. and holding it there for thirty minutes, then 

 sealing it up tight in bottles or casks, to be put into a cool place. 



Boiled cider made in the good old-fashioned way by reducing to one-fifth 

 by boiling, and canned, makes an excellent article for culinary purposes, for 

 making apple butter, apple sauce, or for use in apple or mince pies. It also 

 has a commercial value. 



While the aim and purpose of the farmer should be to supply an abun- 

 dance of fruit for his own family, he should also be able to offer to the out- 

 side world a liberal surplus. The apple orchard will often bring him better 

 returns for his outlay than any other portion of his farm, acre for acre. The 

 product of a single tree will sometimes sell for $10 or more, and fifty such 



