ORCHARDS. 179 



square feet in an acre, (43,560) by tlie number of square feet 

 given to each plant, which is obtained by multiplying the dis- 

 tance heU\een7'ows by the distance between the j:'/a«^s ov trees. 

 Thus strawberries planted three feet by one foot, give each 

 plant three square feet or 14,520 plants to the acre. 



QUALITIES OF APPLES. 



Qualities desirable in varieties of Apples for different 



2ntr2yoses. 



For a good and salable apple for market^ we would recoir- 

 mend a combination of the following requisites : 



A thrifty grower, good bearer, fruit large, handsome and of 

 excellent quality : a red apple is the most salable. Some, 

 though not first rate, are profitable for the market as they sell 

 from their superior size and beauty, although the quality may 

 be only tolerable. 



^ For the p)rivate garden or small orchard^ quality is of the 

 first importance ; yet appearance, growth and bearing are 

 also important considerations. 



With the amateur, quality is the main thing, and appear- 

 ance next ; while growth and bearing are of less regard. 



A dessert apple should be of good size, handsome, and of a 

 fine rich flavor. 



Cooking apples should be rather large, fair, and of an 

 even surface, qualities various for diiferent purposes. The 

 cooking of apples destroys much of their acidity. Some 

 brisk acid apples, that are poor for the dessert, are excellent 

 for the kitchen. Some apples will not cook well, but retain 

 tbeir form and remain hard after this process. These should 

 be discarded. Some cook quickly and form a jelly, which is 

 desirable for some purposes, but not for others. 



The best stveet apples for milk, are those tht:^t bake per- 

 fectly soft, yet retain their form. Those that fall to pieces 

 from their own weight in cooking and mix up with the milk 

 are not good. 



