SOME APPLE LORE. 



417 



long-, of a light yellow. 

 Abundant near Toronto, 

 blooming in August, and 

 reported at the Niagara 

 River, in Cayuga and Mai- 

 den Townships (Maclagan); 

 near Hamilton (Logie), 

 and near London (Saun- 

 ders). 



G E R A R D I A Purpurea 

 Linnaeus. Large Purple 

 Gerardia. Plant grows 

 from one to two feet high ; 

 bears broad purple flow- 

 ' ers an inch long in August 



Fig- i923^Gerar- ^j^j September. Found at 

 Niagara Falls (Burgess), 

 and Windmill Point, Lake Erie (D. F. Day). 

 Gerardia Paupercula Britton. Small- 

 Flowered Gerardia. This is from six to 



twelve inches high, exceeding-ly pretty, with 

 numerous rose-purple flowers about three- 

 quarters of an inch in length. It is very 

 abundant in the moist sand of Toronto 

 Island, blooming therein August. Its range 

 is from Ottawa to the Lake of the Woods, 

 in moist soil. See Fig. 1923, showing a 

 branch with flowers, 



Gerardia Texnifolia Vahl, Slender 

 Gerardia. A very slender plant, from six to 

 24 inches high, with narrow linear leaves 

 and light purple spotted flowers less than an 

 inch long-, appearing- in August. Macoun 

 says on dry, sandy banks of the Humber 

 River, near Toronto, but the writer has not 

 yet been so fortunate as to meet with it 

 there. On Prince's Island, near Hamilton 

 (Logie) ; in Niagara and Maiden Townships 

 (Maclagan). 



Toronto, D, W, Beadle, 



Some Apple Lore. — Apples were formerly 

 underestimated, they were scarcely con- 

 sidered a fruit rare enough for the con- 

 sideration of the epicure, unless, indeed, 

 they formed a part of some elaborate 

 dessert, compounded and cooked by a 

 skilled housekeeper. Apple jellies, pud- 

 dings, pies and cakes might do, but plain 

 raw apples were fit only for school-children, 

 vegetarians, or the poor. All this is now 

 changed and the apple has come to its own 

 again. But if its flavor has been at various 

 times slightly esteemed or discredited, at 

 least its wholosomeness has been steadily 

 recognized, " Apple sayings " are fre- 

 quent, both in our country and in England, 

 all of which testify in favor of the fruit. In 

 the " west countree " there are four such : 



An apple a day 

 Sends the doctor away, 



is the first and briefest. Then follow in the 



order of their vigor, three more : 



Apple in the morning, 

 Doctor's warning. 



Roast apple at night. 

 Starved the doctor outright. 



Eat an apple going to bed. 

 Knock the doctor on the head. 



A little less aggressive is one of the 



Midlands : 



Three each day, seven days a week. 

 Ruddy apple, ruddy cheek. 



More interesting than these is an old 

 orchard verse which used to be recited on 

 certain ancient farms on the plucking of the 

 first ripe apples of the crop. Misfortune 

 was supposed to follow its omission, and 

 its utterance was quite a little ceremony, 

 the first apple over which it was spoken 

 being presented to a young girl, who halved 

 and bit it before any further fruit was 

 gathered, or at least tasted. Thus it ran : 



The fruit of Eve receive and cleave. 



And taste the flesh therein ; 

 A wholesome food, for man 'tis good 



That once for man was sin. 

 And since 'tis sweet, why pluck and eat, 



The Lord will have it so : 

 For that which Eve did grieve, believe 



Hath wrought its all of woe — 



Eat the apple ! 



