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the poor, an apple for the merchant and an apple for the 

 small boy to steal from the neighbor's tree. Folk-lore, 

 mythology and poetry find frequent themes in the apple. An 

 apple is declared to have been concerned in our original 

 parents' downfall, though we have reason to believe that it 

 was basely slandered. Even at the worst we should have 

 to admit that the temptation must have been a great one. 

 The apple has, however, outlived its first reputation and \\ (; 

 find the wisest of men in trying to describe truth and tactful- 

 ness saying that, "Words fitly spoken are like anples of 

 gold in pictures of silver." One of the nine labors enn- 

 sidered worthy of the labors of Hercules consisted in the 

 gathering of the golden apples of the garden of Hesperides. 

 A labor worthy of the farmers of this state of Massachu- 

 setts is the production of the finest and fairest apples for 

 the home and for the market, to supply the needs of the 

 people of the east with a plentiful quantity of one of the 

 most wholesome and satisfying products of the husbandman. 

 There have been described in this country morr; than 

 three thousand varieties of apples, enough one might siy 

 to fit all climates, soils, purposes and tastes. T might tres- 

 pass on James Whitcomb Riley for words to describe the 

 number and variety of our favorite fruit : 



"Apples crimson, yellow, red, 



Striped, pink, and mottled, too. 

 Prom golden skies to tintings drowned 



In dusky drops of dew, 

 I praise you all, wherever found, 



And love you thru and thru: — 

 Oh, Apples on the Trees, 



With your breath upon the breeze. 

 There's nothing all the world around 



Half so good as you!" 



To a eonnoiseur this immense number of varieties of- 

 fers a great delight for he may choose many sorts, each 

 good in its own particular way. To the amateur with a 

 small garden they are his despair. To the commercial 

 orehardist they are a temptation and sometimes a snare 

 for he has difficulty in limiting the number which he should 

 plant. 



To the uninitiated the differences between varieties is 

 often so slight as to pass unnoticed but to the close observer 

 many of these differences are of the utmo.st practical im- 



