352 SOILS EARLY RIPENING FRUITS. 



cestershire, objects of much interest to the far- 

 mer. 



Yet opinions in this respect, among cultivators, 

 differ. Some even say that many valuable fruits de- 

 light most in light sandy soils, particularly those 

 which ripen early ; others assert that, " the most 

 highly-flavoured liquor is produced by a soil," which 

 has been termed, " shallow loam, on a lime-stone 

 basis." What is meant by most highly-flavoured 

 we are not told ; but if it be intended to assert, that 

 the strongest cider, which is cider containing the 

 largest quantity of alcohol, is produced from such a 

 soil, we must beg leave to express our doubts ; or 

 at least to question whether an orchard in such a 

 soil has ever produced a plentiful crop : for we 

 think it very possible to obtain, with suitable ma- 

 nagement, good cider from some apples produced in 

 the most unpromising soil ; but we must not forget, 

 that in planting apple-trees their productiveness is 

 the grand thing to be attended to : we have known 

 the styre apple so unproductive in a peculiar soil, 

 as to be obliged to be cut down : the same may 

 be said of the Burgundy pear. 



The opinion that apples which ripen early do not 

 make strong cider, has been controverted ; but many 

 experiments which we have made in Somersetshire, 

 with the codlin and the stubbord, (an apple extremely 

 pleasant to eat, and which ripens early in August) 

 fully confirm this statement : the best apples for 

 cider are unquestionably those which ripen about or 

 rather after Michaelmas. Although we have made 

 very pleasant cider from both the fruits mentioned, 



