8 



THE APPLES OF NEW YORK. 



The fruit from the seedling trees would now be called " natural " 

 or " seedling " fruit in distinction from grafted fruit ; in the early 

 days, however, and even within the last half century, the fruit of 

 these seedling apples was also called " common " fruit, a designation 

 which might have arisen because of the abundance of such trees at 

 that time. Such apples were then used chiefly for feeding to stock 

 and for cider-making, being on that account often called cider apples. 

 The surplus, if there were any, was usually allowed to rot because 

 there was no profitable way of disposing of it. 



FIG. 2a. THE OLD TREE STANDS AS A REMINDER OF THE DAYS OF THE STAGE- 

 COACH AND THE PARING-BEE. 



In many parts of New York, especially in the eastern two-thirds 

 of the state, there are still seen portions of the primitive seedling 

 orchards varying in age from fifty to one hundred years, or possibly 

 more. The old trees, having outlived their companions, stand as 

 silent reminders of the days of the stage-coach, the hand-loom, the 

 spinning-wheel, and the paring-bee, and of the time when the farmer 

 generally considered his winter supplies incomplete unless there 

 were several barrels of cider stored in the cellar. 



