Ill 



said to have been known at the time of the Norman Conquest, was not 

 common in England till the reign of Charles I. This writer also 

 informs us that " there is made an ointment with the pulp of Apples, 

 swine's grease and rose-water which takes away the roughness of the 

 skin, and is called pomatum." In the cider districts of England it was 

 formerly a common practice to salute Apple trees in the hope of obtaining 

 a great crop the following season, and this custom existed quite recently 

 in some places. The ceremony consisted in pouring a portion of the 

 contents of a wassail bowl of cider, with a piece of toast in it, about the 

 roots of the trees. Pieces of toast were also hung in the branches of the 

 most barren trees, and the owner, with his family and servants, would 

 dance around them and sing appropriate songs. A large round Apple 

 called the Costard, from historical records, appears to have been the 

 kind most generally grown in England before the better sorts became 

 numerous. From this the old English term Costard Monger (now 

 Costermonger) came to be applied to dealers who hawk fruit and 

 vegetables for sale. 



USES OF THE APPLE. 



As to the various ways of utilising the fruit, and the inducements to 

 the cultivation of Apples as a commercial speculation, I am of opinion 

 that there is a wide and profitable field in Australasia. There is in all 

 the colonies a large and increasing demand for fresh fruit, both for 

 dessert and culinary purposes, which lasts throughout the year. After 

 this demand is supplied, a good market can be found in the United 

 Kingdom for any surplus that we may have to spare for many years to 

 come. It has been already proved that Apples can be profitably 

 shipped to England, and it is only a question of time for a large trade 

 to be developed. In opening up and continuing this trade Australasian 

 growers have the great advantage, owing to our seasons being different 

 from those of Europe and America, of being able to place large quantities 

 of fruit in the British market, when the main supplies from other 

 sources are exhausted. In some countries, and more especially the 

 United States, it is a common practice to dry Apples, and in the last- 

 named country the industry has assumed large proportions. American 

 dried Apples are in great demand for home use, and large quantities are 

 exported to various parts of the world. The practice of drying 

 deserves the attention of colonial growers, who may by this means be 

 enabled to utilise unmarketable varieties or avoid sacrificing fruit in 

 glutted markets. There cannot fail to be a good home demand for 

 dried Apples if once brought into general use, and after supplying our 

 wants there is no reason why a large export trade should not be 

 developed. The process of drying is simple, and may readily be carried 

 out by any cultivator. If drying is carried out upon a large scale it 

 will, as a matter of course, be most economically and effectively per- 

 formed by means of " evaporators " or ovens, through which currents 

 of heated air extract the moisture from the fruit. On a small scale, 

 when the climatic conditions are favourable, the produce may be 



