192 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



abiding, and suit all palates ; others are in the nature of an 

 aroma or spiciness, which is well developed only in very favor- 

 able circumstances, and in most cases is so fugitive that it 

 must be enjoyed at the very moment of perfect ripening, or it 

 is lost, and in reference to which tastes vary greatly. Such 

 may be chosen for special culture, but not for the general pur- 

 poses of life or profits of business. For the efiect of soil and 

 climate upon flavor, see those heads. 



SPECIFIC GRAVITY. 



Other things being equal, the comparative value of any fruit 

 may be instantly determined, like the value of gold, by its su- 

 perior specific gravity, or " heft," as we say familiarly. This 

 indicates with precision its richness in saccharum, and may 

 guide the manufacturer of vinegar in his choice of fruits for 

 this purpose, though for cooking or eating we need to inquire 

 farther as to flavor, &c. 



FRUIT-TREES. 

 SELECTING VARIETIES. 



In making a selection of fruits, choose mainly from such va- 

 rieties as are known to succeed in your own locality, either as 

 having originated there or become wonted. If you seek to in- 

 troduce improved varieties, never depend on their reputation in 

 other localities, but study their intrinsic character. If you 

 transfer the Boston russet or the Baldwin to New Jersey or 

 Delaware merely with a view to home consumption, you may 

 succeed ; but if with the idea of raising apples for shipping, 

 you will be disappointed. If, however, you find in Canada or 

 New England an apple of good color, shape, and heft, but in- 

 dicating by its excess of acid that the season in those latitudes 

 is not long enough to perfect it, you may move it southward 

 with a probability amounting almost to certainty that you will 

 obtain a valuable fruit. 



Perhaps the general rule may be expressed thus : Fruits 

 that ripen very late, or do not ripen at all in a given latitude, 

 will improve by moving South ; and fruits that in a more 

 southerly location ripen early, may be moved northward with- 



