GATHERING AND MANAGEMENT OF APPLES. 309 



small peach - pit. Fig. 120. 



The knife moves 

 automatically 

 around the apple 

 or peach, as rep- 

 resented by the 

 dotted line. The 

 main considera- 

 tion in using a 

 peeling - machine 

 is to put each ap- 

 ple on the fork so 



, . , Combined peach and apple parer. 



that the outside 



will revolve true, and to keep the knife as sharp as a razor, 



by whetting the edge on a fine-gritted whetstone. 



Sweet-apple Molasses. A great many well-to-do persons, 

 who have large quantities of choice apples, have never 

 tasted of apple molasses. If properly made, it is a superb 

 luxury. To make a choice article, procure ripe, sound, 

 sweet apples, reject all poor and half -rotten specimens 

 grind them, express the juice as directed for making su- 

 perior cider, and boil the cider down to the desired con- 

 sistency in a clean brass kettle, or in an iron kettle lined 

 with mastic. Iron kettles will color the liquid. Maintain 

 a steady fire, to prevent scorching it. The unfermented 

 juice of any variety of sweet apples may be employed. 

 While the sirup is being boiled, let all the scum be re- 

 moved. As soon as it is of the desired consistency, put it 

 in large bottles or kegs, and cork tight. 



Sweet-apple Jelly. One of the greatest luxuries of the 

 apple-orchard consists of apple- jelly made of the juice of 

 ripe, sweet apples, boiled down carefully as one boils maple- 

 sap when making sugar, until it is sufficiently thick to form 

 a jelly when it has cooled. If ripe, clean, and sound sweet 



