IRISH GARDENING. 



163 



tions of tiie Apple crop i'runi both a coiu- 

 mei'cial point of view ami v^a^ 11 most valuable 

 dietetic and food product, there seems to 

 be little need for extolling the virtues of the 

 Ap2)le (whatever may be said of it in the 

 Garden of old, when its charms led to such a 

 dreadful end), for as " Old as the hills '" are 

 such proverbs as " Eat an ai)ple going to bed, 

 and the doctors may beg for bread " (this 

 meant to convey an idea of the dietetic \alue of 

 Apples, but with no notion that such dire 

 results would befall the doctors). In those 

 strenuous times Apples may well be brought to 

 tlie fore as a valuable adjunct to the food 

 sup})ly, and used more .frequently in various 

 forms of cookery. For instance : stewed 

 Api)les may be eaten with bread through the 

 winter months, instead of that dear and scarce 

 commodity, " good sound butter," or at any 

 rate to eke out the supply of butter; stewed 

 Apples with rice, to reduce the consumption 

 of bread, &c., &c (selecting such varieties of 

 Apples as are palatable with little sugar used 

 in the cookery); of course increased demand 

 should go hand in liand with increased supply, 

 so that any means for encouraging more general 

 and increased consumption of the fruit is quite 

 pardonable. 



In the present world-wide turmoil, as is 

 generally well known, the import of Apples has 

 been jnohibited, and there is much probability 

 that this restriction may be very prolonged. 



This would seem to be an incentive to secure 

 for Irish-grown fruit a more extensive hold on 

 the Apple trade throughout Ireland as well as 

 a profitable share in cross-Channel demands. 

 In this matter some cardinal aims to be 

 achieved are such as the increased production 

 of first-class fruits in quantity, of varieties well 

 known in the fruit trade, large size in cooking 

 varieties, and in dessert varieties a good-sized 

 and clean well-coloured fruit is absolutely 

 essential to secure the best financial results. 

 Grow quantities of a limited number of varieties 

 that may be relied on to provide a succession 

 througiiout the season, so that an unbroken 

 supply is at hand to meet the requirements of 

 markets and dealers : this latter advice applies 

 specially to dessert varieties, which now 

 realise more profitable prices than cooking 

 Apples. In private gardens there is a pro- 

 nounced tendency to grow a great number of 

 varieties (and in ' recent years there is a 

 fascinating list of varieties put forward by 

 mn'serymen to select from), and I should say 

 quite a pardonable desire. Many beautiful and 

 useful varieties may be grown for home con- 

 sumption which are, however, not well suited 

 for market purposes. A fruit room filled with 

 well gi'own and highly-coloured fruits con- 

 stitutes quite a miniature fruit show, and is 

 useful in many ways, and stimulative, as with 

 public exhibitions or fruit shows, which con- 

 stitute such admirable object lessons in fruit 



A Well-I'uuxed Apple Thee. 



