FRUITS FOR SMALL GARDEN 283 



must be met, owing to the exigencies of ship- 

 ping and storing and what not, and flavor and 

 quahty must be sacrificed to these else the rais- 

 ing of fruit for sale would not be profitable. It 

 is no exaggeration therefore to say that no one 

 knows the true flavor of a really fine apple or 

 peach who has never picked one of the superla- 

 tive varieties from the stem and eaten it on 

 the spot! 



Of all the fruits of the northern hemisphere 

 the apple is justly the most popular, since it is 

 the most abundant, most permanent, and most 

 useful to the greatest number. An apple has 

 two-thirds as much nutriment as a potato; and 

 down to the very last bit of skin every one is 

 usable, for even windfalls and imperfect speci- 

 mens will yield a delicious beverage and as fine 

 a vinegar as can be produced. Apples the year 

 around are possible, by selecting the right va- 

 rieties; and this is true of even the small gar- 

 den, since the dwarfed trees may be used in 

 these. Fortunately the nurserymen of this 

 country have learned how to grow these dwarf 

 forms — importation being at present prohibited ; 

 and they will of course continue to grow them, 

 for the demand for them grows apace. 



Standard apple trees require to be set from 

 thirty-five to forty feet apart; that is, a stand- 



