SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 353 



to be equally as good as wlien grass alone constituted the feed. To make as- 

 surance doubly sure he stopped feeding the apples, and immediately the cow 

 fell olf in lier milk to her former yield. After a few days he began feeding 

 again and former results were attained. It must be understood that the apples 

 were a mixture of varieties, the majority being sour, and windfalls at that. 

 Being pleased with the result thus far he began to feed them to his other cows 

 with good results, the gain in milk being about 50 per cent, and the quantity 

 and (juality of butter also increasing in somewhat like ratio. The grazing was 

 rowen of the meadow. The only secret of success was commencinir to feed 

 in small quantity and gradually increasing to the capacity of the cow's appe- 

 tite. Now, should any of your readers try the experiment by turning his cows 

 into the orchard and allow them to eat at their will to begin, and should the 

 cows be badly injured or killed thereby, do not throw the blame where it does 

 not belong. 



EATING FRUIT. 



TASTE AS APPLIED TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



It has been said "there is no accounting for tastes." This may be true in 

 the main, but I hink there are many, if not a majority, of the eccentric or 

 abnormal cases that can be traced to a whim, a disordered imagination, or to 

 somebody's remark, that the food was specially healthy or unhealthy. It is 

 most certain that the imagination has much to do with the flavor or supposed 

 flavor of substances taken into the mouth. Cases are related where simple 

 bread pills have caused violent vomiting, when taken under the impression 

 that they were a nauseous emetic, and patients have been known to take easily 

 every day for a week medicines that their stomachs would not have retained a 

 moment had they known what they had taken. And singular as it may seem, 

 those who have the most confidence in their own ability to detect any such 

 imposition, are often deceived the most easily. 



The Baldwin apple has a very high reioutation among apple growers, and, of 

 course, among nurserymen who supply them with the trees. So great is the 

 reputation of this apple that several, when asked what kinds they would 

 recommend for an orchard of 100 trees, have answered: '* Ninety-nine 

 Baldwins and the odd one another Baldwin." But is it because of any 

 peculiarly delicious flavor of the fruit? No I if tasted in the dark, most 

 persons would, from the mere taste, prefer the Swaar, Peck's Pleasant, Spy, 

 Red Canada, and several of the Pippins, and perhaps the Greening and Spitz- 

 enberg. The reputation of the Baldwin is derived, not from any fine flavor, 

 but from the vigor and thriftiness of the tree, the fairness and fine appear- 

 ance of the fruit, its good handling and keeping qualities; but, most of all, 

 from its extraordinary productiveness, in which, so far as dollars and cents 

 is concerned, it is doubtless superior to any other of the long-tested varieties. 

 Such being the case, those who raise apples for profit, show good judgment in 

 planting largely of this variety. But the consumer, when he goes into market 



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