322 PYRUS MALUS. 
and by this means thousands of them may be obtained and destroyed, from the 
time when they first begin to leave the apples, until the fruit is gathered." 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the apple-tree, in a wild state, is fine- 
grained, hard, and of a brownish colour ; and that of the cultivated tree is 
believed to be of a still finer and closer grain, which is a result of cultivation 
contrary to what is usual. The weight of the wood of this species varies much 
according to the locality in which it grows. In a green state, it weighs from 
fortv-eight to sixty-six pounds to a cubic foot ; and it loses from one eighth to 
one'twelfth of its bulk in drying, and about one tenth of its weight. The wood 
of the cultivated varieties weighs more than that of the wild tree, in the propor- 
tion of about sixty-six to forty-five. In Britain, apple-tree wood was formerly 
much used in turnery, and as cogs for wheels, for which latter purpose it was 
found to be durable, when kept dry ; but if exposed to the alternations of mois- 
ture and dryness, it did not last long in any situation. The bark of this tree 
affords a yellow dye ; and the leaves are eaten by horses, cows, sheep, and goats. 
In France and some parts of Germany, the thorny wild-apple, or crab, is formed 
into live hedges, the branches of which, according to Agricola, were inarched into 
each other, in order to give them more strength to resist cattle. In some of the 
forests of France, its fruit is a great resource for the wild boar, and it is also 
given in that country to swine and cows. Apples, for the yarious purposes in 
domestic economy, recommend themselves to our choice by very different quali- 
ties ; though some few varieties are almost equally well adapted to all purposes. 
In those for the table, we require, sweetness, with a subdued and pleasant acidity, 
and a delicate, aromatic flavour. In. the kitchen-apple, size, the quality of keep- 
ing, and considerable acidity are the principal requisites; and those intended for 
boiling and for making sauce, acidity is an indispensable property. The best 
apples for cider, are those which yield a juice of the greatest specific gravity ; 
and it is said that cider made from trees grown on a strong clayey soil, has more 
strength, and will keep better than that made from trees on a sandy soil. The 
red and yellow colour of the rind is considered as good indications of cider fruit, 
and apples of the various degrees of these colours are decidedly preferable to those 
of which the rind is green. The pulp should be yellow, the taste rich, and 
somewhat astringent. Apples of a small size, if equal in quality, are always to 
be preferred for cider to those of a larger size, in order that the rind and kernel 
may bear the greatest proportion to the pulp, the latter of which, affords the 
weakest and the most watery juice. 
With regard to the preservation of apples, it is a practice, with many persons, 
to gather them in October, and first spread them on the floor of an upper room, in 
order to let them dry, and then to pack them in casks or boxes, and store them 
away in a cellar ; but experience has shown that this mode of treatment causes 
them to wither, and lose their flavour, without acquiring any additional dura 
bility. The apples intended to be preserved for winter and spring use, should 
remain on the trees until quite ripe, which will usually take place at the coming 
of the first heavy frost. They should then be plucked from the trees by hand, in 
a fair day, and packed up immediately in casks, in alternate layers of dry sand, 
plaster, chaff, saw-dust, or bran, and conveyed to a cool, dry place as soon as pos- 
sible. The sand or saw-dust may be dried in the heat of summer, or may be 
baked in an oven at the time required to be used. The peculiar advantages aris- 
ing from packing apples in sand, are explained and commented upon as follows, 
by the lale Mr. Webster, author of the "American Dictionary of the English 
Language ;" " 1st, the sand keeps the apples from the air, which is essential to 
their preservation ; 2d, the sand checks the evaporation or perspiration of the 
apples, thus preserving in them their full flavour at the same time any moisture 
yielded by the apples is absorbed by the sand so that the apples are kept dry, 
