40 



us of fruits 3'ieldino- must of 1.001 specific gTavitv, which, if correct, 

 is hardly surpassed in our da}' in any countr}'. 



There is a large group of varieties of apples cultivated in P^ngland 

 chietiy for cider, the names of which are made up of some P^nglish 

 word prefixed to the word Norman or Jersey, as C'herry Norman, 

 Broad-leaf Norman. Chisel Jersey, Red Jersey, etc. These apples all 

 possess the peculiar bitter-sweet taste which characterizes so distinctly 

 many of the most famous French cider apples. An interesting ques- 

 tion arises in this connection as to whether these apples are ancient 

 im])ortations from Normandy and the Channel Islands. In the work on 

 Vintage Fruits, quoted alcove, the opinion is given that they are not. 

 This is l)ased on comparisons made in 1884 at the congress of Rouen; 

 which really prove nothing further than that they are not recent 

 importations. It appears, after extensive comparisons, that this 

 peculiar race of apples so common in Normand}- has had a common 

 origin, either in England or in France, indications all pointing to the 

 latter countrv. Interchanges between England and the mainland have 

 been such for many centuries that the parent stocks of the present 

 race of bitter-sweet apples in England may very easily have been 

 derived from French sources. Then there is the other argument, 

 that all the historically old English cider apples, like Foxwhelp and 

 Red Streak, which go back some two centuries in the literature, give 

 no hint, either in chemical composition or quality, of common origin 

 with the bitter-sweet varieties of France. 



From what was seen of these fruits in England it appears that if 

 seedlings had been fret^lv grown from them and well selected, as in 

 France, England would to-day have as good a race of cider apples as 

 France has. 



But are the bitter-sweets so essential^ This question is not settled. 

 In Germany scarcely a trace of thiy peculiar qualitv was found in the 

 cider fruits, ,yet they make most excellent cider in Germany. Also 

 in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, England, most excellent ciders 

 were sampled, in whose makmg no particular attention was paid to the 

 usmg of bitter-sweet fruit. The question is an important one, and, 

 with a view of giving- it ample study, the writer has procured and is 

 growing a collection of French and English cider apples representing 

 the l)itter-sweet and other old types. 



It has been necessary to examine a consideral)le mass of data in the 

 attempt to select a representative list of English cider fruits. ]\Ir, F. 

 J. Lloyd has examined and reported upon such a large nuinl)er of 

 varieties in his work for the Bath lyid West Society that it is possible 

 to use ])ut a small fraction of his data. Hence an att«Miipt has been 

 made to select a set of varieties whidi shall re])rcsent the old renowned 

 cider fruits and the more recent sorts which are coming prominentl}^ 

 into notice. Among the varieties selected, the Blenheim Orange, 

 which is an old popular variety grown for general purposes, and used 



