GRAFTING CIDER-APPLE TREES. 37 



Mr. Ware. The inquiry has been suggested to me, Why 

 not graft the trees, and raise Baldwins, Greenings, and other 

 choice varieties, and thus do away with this superabundance 

 of cider-apples? I infer that they are the natural fruit. They 

 may be refuse-apples from the orchards of good, grafted fruit. 

 If so, that is another thing. But I got the impression that 

 these cider-apples that have been spoken of, are native wild 

 seedling apples, of little value, except for cider or feeding; 

 and if the trees are not too old, — if they are young and vigor- 

 ous trees, — why not graft them with good, nice fruit? 



Mr. Hicks. I have no definite figures to give ; but I will 

 say that we make a little butter, and we have fed a bushel of 

 apples a day to each of our cows for the last six weeks, — half a 

 bushel at night and half a bushel in the morning, and the 

 quality of the butter is better. I know that their feed has 

 not been as good as it was previous to our feeding the apples, 

 and I have no doubt that the butter is better, — its flavor is 

 better. I am satisfied that apples not only increase the quan- 

 tity of milk, but increase the quality also. I have no doubt 

 of it in my own mind, from our little experiment. We have 

 never fed them before, but made them into cider. This year, 

 we could not make them into cider, because it was so far to a 

 cider-mill, and cider was so cheap. 



Mr. Ware has suggested grafting the trees. We have very 

 few cider-apples on our place, — that is, natural fruit ; but we 

 find this year that apples are so cheap, we have to carry the 

 very best to market, in order to get anything for them beyond 

 the expense of cartage. Therefore, even if you graft your 

 trees, and take the best care of them, you will have a certain 

 quantity of fruit that it will be necessary to dispose of, in some 

 way other than by the barrel, for eating and other purposes. 



Mr. Goodnow. A large portion of my apples were grafted 

 fruit. I have young orchards coming up, and I have also 

 trees that my grandfather planted, which it is hardly possible 

 to graft, and I must either take the fruit as it comes, or cut 

 the trees down. I find this to be a fact, that apples that are 

 ripe and mellow, are worth nearly double for my cows what 

 half-ripe apples are worth. If that is of any benefit to any 

 gentleman here, I am very happy to communicate it. 



Mr. Draper of Worcester. The number of varieties to be 



