FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 273 



The juice of the peach and apricot may be distiled into a 

 brandy of pleasant flavor; but all ardent spirits are great 

 destroyers of the Human Race. Liquors of the vinous kind 

 are much less huriful to the constitution ; but far from be- 

 ing innocent, if taken to excess. 



In the Letters of Esfireilla^ mention is made of a famous 

 peartree, that grew at a place called Teignton, in England ; 

 that from this tree many others of the same variety were 

 raised, by engrafting; and that the perry made from these 

 trees had frequently been sold, in London, for CAam- 

 jiaigne. 



See further, PERRY. 



Mr. Coofier, of Newjersey, has made a liquor from the 

 juice of the apple, with other ingredients, which, by Con- 

 noiseurs in wine, passed for it, and was considered of excel- 

 ent quality. 



See WINE. 



Liquors of such quality are not, however, to be made 

 from the most common sorts of either pears or apples. 

 The choicest kinds of fruit must be selected lor such pur- 

 poses. In searching for fruit-trees, whence scions are to 

 be taken for grafting, in order to raise the most valuable 

 fruit-trees, regard should be had to the four following par- 

 ticulars: First, that the trees bear the best of fruit for 

 making either cider or perry ; second, that they ripen at 

 different times; third, that they bear plentifully; and, 

 fourth, that they bear every year. 



Trees possessing all these qualities are not every where 

 to be found ; but they should be sought for ; and, whenever 

 found, they alone should be used for obtaining a supply of 

 scions, whence to take limbs to make trees after the Chi- 

 nese method, which we shall presently describe. 



Trees may be found which bear excelent fruit for making 

 eider, or perry, and which, when grown to good size, will 

 each yield, yearly, from twenty to thirty bushtls, or more ; 

 which is perhaps five times the quantity that the common 

 sort of such trees usually bear. This is surely a sufficient 

 inducement to search for the most valuable fruit-trees, 

 when planting an orchard, instead of planting in the com- 

 mon way. 



For the different methods of grafting, see that article. 



The Chinese method of raising any particular kind of 

 appletree'is as follows: Take a limb, of suitable size, of 

 the tree selected, and take off the bark all round it, to the 

 width of an inch ; round this place plaister a bulb of loam, 

 say, of the diameter of eight or ten inches, and bind it 

 round with old cloths, or tow, and strings to keep it to its 

 place; immediately above this place a vessel, filled with 

 }vater, with such a leak in its bottom as will constantly 



35 



