CHAPTER XXIL 



THE APPLE. 



This king of fruits, whose range is almost unlimited 

 has been cultivated and highly esteemed ;from the most 

 remote period. It is grown in nearly all parts of the 

 United States, and in some sections attains to the highest 

 degree of excellence. The apple is propagated by bud- 

 ding and grafting on its own seedlings. Pieces of roots 

 are sometimes used as stocks, but this practice is con- 

 demned by some of our most intelligent pomologists, as 

 having a tendency to produce feeble and short-lived trees. 

 Originating from a wild and worthless species, the ap- 

 ple has, by a long period of amelioration through cultiva- 

 tion and reproduction from seed, reached its present de- 

 gree of perfection. By planting a succession of varieties 

 and using some care to preserve them, we may have this 

 fruit fresh during the entire year. The trees are rather 

 slow growing, hardy and long-lived, sometimes reaching 

 the age of one hundred or more years. The apple will 

 succeed in almost any kind of soil, unless it is very wet 

 or very dry and sandy, if well cultivated and manured. 

 In portions of the South, the trees are often injured, in 

 many instances totally destroyed, by two much exposure 

 of the bodies to the hot afternoon sun. This can to some 

 extent be avoided by planting orchards in northern or 

 northeastern exposures, and training the trees with low 

 heads, or by setting up boards on the southwest side. 



