70 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



butic condition, and vegetables or medicines which tend to counteract 

 such conditions are called anti-scorbutics. Before the da^'s of canned 

 fruits and vegetables the ravages of this disease were frequently 

 dreadful. In the English navy no ship is fitted out without an 

 abundant supplj' of lime juice, which is regularly issued as a ration, 

 and has gained for them, from the seaman of the merchant service, 

 the appellation of "Liraers." The lime juice of commerce is pre- 

 pared by dissolving the cr3'stals of citric acid in water, in the propor- 

 tion of 9J drachms to the pint, with the addition of a little oil of 

 lemon. It is extremely difficult to preserve the expressed juice 

 without decomposition, and it cannot be made to retain for any 

 lengthy period its original flavor, in spite of sealing at a high tem- 

 perature, or the addition of alcohol, hence the use of the crystals of 

 the acid is the most satisfactory. 



The grape and the apple I have reserved for the last considera- 

 tion, because they are the source of wine, cider and vinegar, articles 

 of great commercial importance, and most interesting in their 

 processes of manufacture and their use, as well as abuse. Apart 

 from the very limited food value of the grape as a raw fruit, or in 

 the dried state, our chief interest centers upon it as the source of 

 wine. Cider, as such, being valuable for the alcohol it contains, 

 the remarks upon the use and effect of wine may be considered 

 applicable to it as well. One of the first trees to flourish after the 

 deluge, the grape, has proven to man no less a blessing than a 

 curse. Among all nations acquainted with the vine, the product of 

 its fermented juice has been deified in song and story, and debased 

 by vile imitations. The grape, consisting largely of juice and con- 

 taining but little fleshy matter, is one of the least nutritious of fruits. 

 It is strongly laxative, and its injudicious use quickly gives rise to 

 dysenteric affection. Systematic consumption of the fruit fresh 

 from the vine has been said to be of service in arresting pulmonary 

 complaints, but in the light of present knowledge this must take its 

 way to the hereafter of thousands of exploded cures. Grape leaves, 

 containing tannin, are sometimes dried and powdered and adminis- 

 tered as an astringent medicine. Sugar and tartaric acid fix the 

 value of the grape. From one we obtain an important article of 

 cookery, from the other, alcohol. 



The importance of the wine industries of ILurope and America 

 need no reiteration. Nor do I feel called upon to do more than 

 present a statement of facts relative to the much mooted question of 



