162 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



apples, except their productiveness, because they 

 mix the good and bad together. 



" On this first point, it is apparent, that we can- 

 not rival other countries in cider, until we adopt 

 some system in planting, by selecting apples well 

 known to be calculated to make good cider, and 

 well assorted as to ripeness. 



" We now proceed to the second point ; the cull- 

 ing and sorting the apples previous to grinding 

 them. 



" That this is considered an important part of 

 the process of making good cider, will appear from 

 the following extracts. 



" The Abbe Rosier, author of the most approv- 

 ed work on agriculture in France, has the following 

 remarks. 



"'The fruit ought always to be left on the trees 

 till it is quite ripe. You may then disengage it 

 from the tree easily, without hurting the fruit buds 

 of the next year. They should be gathered on a 

 dry day, when they are not covered with dew, or 

 any extraordinary moisture. Moisture causes them 

 soon to rot and turn black. They ought to be col- 

 lected in as large heaps as possible, to ripen them 

 better. The early apples ought to be separated 

 from the later ones. Some will be too ripe, or 

 even rotten, while others are yet green. They 

 take care, therefore, to heap together those only 

 of the same kind. As to windfalls, they are col- 

 lected separately, in order to make cider for pre- 

 sent use. The apples ought to be gathered by 

 hand. It should be done by light ladders, so as 

 not to injure a single bud of the next year. The 

 question is this, whether the slight additional ex- 

 pense of gathering the fruit by the hand, will not 

 be abundantly compensated by the preservation of 

 the fruit buds of the next year? 



"'Rotten apples ought to be entirely excluded, 

 They give a musty taste to the fruit. 



