THE APPLE. 21 



the Madams of Prance carry in their pockets, by reason 

 they yield no unpleasant scent ; " and Lister, in 1698, 

 speaking of its being served up in a dessert at Paris, 

 describes the fruit as being " very beautiful, and very red 

 on one side, and pale or white on the other, and may 

 serve the ladies at their toilets as a pattern to paint by ;" 

 a remark worthy to have been inspired by a Parisian 

 atmosphere. The susceptibility to light and shade shown 

 by this contrasted complexion, may be taken advantage 

 of to form devices on the fruit before it has attained its 

 full depth of rosiness, by affixing pieces of paper, cut in 

 the form required, to the side exposed to the sun, when 

 the parts thus covered will remain of a pale tint. It is 

 grown now to a large extent in the United States, and 

 imported here thence, as well as in a smaller proportion 

 from Trance, with much profit to those concerned, as it 

 always bears a higher price than almost any other fancy 

 apple in the market, justifying the title bestowed on it 

 by De Quintinye, of the " Pomme des Demoiselles et de 

 bonne Compagnie" It should be eaten without paring, as 

 it is in the skin that the perfume resides. 



In common culture the apple-tree in America, as in 

 England, bears only in alternate years, producing exces- 

 sive crops one season and none or scarcely any the next, 

 the plant so exhausting itself in bringing forth the utmost 

 possible amount of produce, that a year's repose becomes 

 necessary in order to recruit its strength before making 

 fresh efforts ; but if it be preferred to gather a moderate 

 crop annually, this may be effected by thinning out half 

 the fruit when young, in the spring of the prolific year. 

 Should it be desired to combine yearly crops with large 

 production, even this is not unattainable, if the trees be 

 furnished with a supply of nutriment proportionate to 

 the demands made upon them, as has been proved by the 

 American cultivators ; for in one of the finest orchards in 

 the New World, situated on the Hudson, and containing 

 about 2,000 bearing Newtown Pippin trees, the owner, 

 finding the alternate barren year rather unprofitable, yet 

 unwilling to diminish his crops, tried the plan of arti- 

 ficially recruiting the powers of his trees by feeding 



