INTRODUCTOKY REMARKS. li 



V. There is Economy m the Use of Fruit. 



On this point we can not do better than to copy entire the fol- 

 lowing paragraphs, which we find in a horticultural journal without 

 credit : 



" Everj man of family, who keep* a good supply of stewing and 

 baking apples, of his own raising, saves a great many hard-earned 

 dollars yearly, otherwise to be paid to the miller or butcher. Or, 

 if he raises his own grain and meat, an equal amount is thus 

 reserved for market. Then what a valuable addition to the com- 

 fort, variety, and luxury of the table! By the first of summer the 

 thick tresses of strawberries begin to redden in the sun ; and half 

 a dozen quarts of this melting crimson fruit n^ay be had each day 

 for the table, from as many half-rod beds. Cherries, currants, and 

 raspberries continue through the first half of summ'er, followed by 

 early juicy apples, rich bloom-dusted plums, golden-hued apricots, 

 and buttery and melting pears. 



" Now, we do not say, as some mistakingly remark, tliat this fine 

 and delicious supply costs nothing after the trees are planted ; for 

 good fruit can not be expected unless the ground is well cultivated 

 and manured. But it does not cost half as much to cultivate an 

 acre of fruit as an acre of potatoes or corn ; while the amount ob- 

 tained is greater than either, and all ready for the table without 

 going through the process which the grain crop requires, of thresh- 

 ing and winnowing, and grinding, and kneading and baking. 



"By planting rich, highly-flavored apples for stewing and for 

 pies, instead of poor ones, each family may save from fifty to two 

 hundred pounds of sugar annually, in sweetening and in spices. 

 A friend of ours finds it cheaper to buy good fill i)ipi)ins for fif y 

 cents a bushel, tlian poor sorts, sold a? 'cooking ap[)les,' for fifteen 

 cents a bushel. He uses the Talman Sweeting largely for baking 

 and for puddings, and thinks that an Indian apple-pudding, made 

 by this natural sweetening, the cheapest and the best pudding In 

 the world. He saves from $75 to $100 annually in the cost of his 

 table by this fi-uit." 



In reference to the economic influences growing out of the Fruit 

 Culture, Mr. Thomas, in his excellent work, has the followir.g 

 highly instructive paragraph : 



*'It is not, ho\\ever, merely as a source of income, that the cul- 

 tivation of the finer kinds becomes profitable. The family which 



