APPLES. 151 



singularly fibrous and astringent; in pressing, it sepa- 

 rates from the liquor, which runs through the finest flan- 

 nel like spring water; in this state it may be trans- 

 ported a great distance to the cellar of the dealer, be- 

 fore the commencement of the fermentation it is not 

 practicable to express the juice sufficiently from the 

 pomace, in one operation of the press ; it is therefore 

 usually returned to the vat, and serves to make water 

 cider of a very superiour quality my own practice is, 

 to mix the crab pomace in the vat with that of strong 

 rich cider apples, which makes an improved liquor, by 

 being strained through and absorbing much of the fine 

 liquor of the crab. The tree is of small size, the 

 leaves, though small, are of luxuriant growth -the 

 wood hard and tough, never breaking with the load 

 of fruit usually produced every second year ^such is 

 the hardiness of this fruit, that in its bearing year it re- 

 sists the frosts which frequently cut off our other apples: 

 the origin of this apple is satisfactorily traced to Vir- 

 ginia, where trees nearly one hundred years old, are 

 now standing in the orchard of a respectable inhabi- 

 tant of that State, from whom I obtained the informa- 

 tion. The size of the fruit may be increased by liberal 

 manuring and good cultivation I have hauled from 

 one to three and four loads of meadow or river mud 

 round many hundreds of my trees, with the best effect, 

 in the increase both of the size and quantity of the 

 fruit. 



