THE ORCHARD. 



249 



the most singular characters in pioneer history, who 

 roamed about through much of Ohio; and I have had 

 such pointed out to me, though I can not verify their 

 identification. 



The cow likes to eat the apples, and she will keep 

 the branches all browsed off as high as she can reach, 

 if you put her in the orchard. But give her only sweet 

 apples, as well as those only to horses also. I have 

 always enjoyed feeding them to the 

 animals. I have in mind one orchard 

 in particular, which bordered a pas- 

 ture, across whose blue grass hil- 

 locks the horses would come at a J 

 gallop when they would see me 

 mount the fence and eye the trees. 

 We used to bait our twitch-ups with^»__, 

 tempting pieces of apple, but the 

 squirrels, I fear, preferred the hick- 

 ory nuts that ripened about the 

 same time, although I have seen 

 them frisking and eating away among the apple 

 boughs. 



Some apples make better cider than others, but the 

 Crabs are the best. Still, I would risk cider from al- 

 most any kind of apple. Cider-making is one of the 

 most thoroughly enjoyable events of the year. What 

 glorious fun it is to gather the great heaps of fruit in 

 the orchard, as we drive the wagon along through the 

 alleys between the rows of trees, and then to ride home 

 with them, spreading forth sweetness everywhere as 

 we pass. Then comes the getting out of the big cider 

 press, and the dumping of the apples into its feeding- 



THE CIDER PRESS. 



