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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  October, 
  1907 
  

  

  Stenciling 
  the 
  Apple 
  

  

  By 
  Adrian 
  Weimas 
  

  

  T 
  IS 
  no 
  matter 
  for 
  surprise 
  that 
  

   the 
  curious 
  method 
  of 
  apple 
  

   stenciling 
  which 
  was 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  should 
  

   have 
  created 
  quite 
  a 
  furore 
  in 
  

   certain 
  circles. 
  The 
  fruit, 
  

   which 
  in 
  these 
  original 
  in- 
  

   stances 
  bore 
  the 
  imprint 
  of 
  some 
  celebrity, 
  

   fetched 
  a 
  price 
  which 
  must 
  stand 
  as 
  the 
  high- 
  

   est 
  ever 
  obtained 
  for 
  the 
  homely 
  apple. 
  It 
  is 
  

   on 
  record 
  that 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  of 
  them 
  realized 
  

   a 
  sum 
  of 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  twenty-five 
  dollars. 
  

   Even 
  nowadays 
  stenciled 
  fruit 
  commands 
  an 
  

   enhanced 
  price, 
  and 
  the 
  demand 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   always 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  enthusiastic 
  gardener 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  con- 
  

   tent 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  apple 
  stenciling 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  professional 
  grower. 
  

   He 
  would 
  be 
  less 
  than 
  human 
  did 
  he 
  not 
  wish 
  

   to 
  try 
  his 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  process 
  himself. 
  Pro- 
  

   viding 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  within 
  his 
  domain 
  an 
  apple 
  

   tree 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  kind 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  healthy 
  ac- 
  

   tivity, 
  there 
  is 
  really 
  nothing 
  to 
  prevent 
  him 
  

   indulging 
  his 
  fancy 
  to 
  the 
  full. 
  Of 
  course, 
  

   after 
  all, 
  the 
  printing 
  of 
  designs 
  upon 
  fruit 
  is 
  

   only 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  photography, 
  and 
  its 
  possibilities 
  are 
  quite 
  un- 
  

   limited. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  chief 
  interest 
  in 
  apple 
  stenciling 
  

   lies 
  in 
  doing 
  it 
  for 
  oneself, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  exciting 
  to 
  have 
  

   portraits 
  of 
  one's 
  own 
  family 
  upon 
  the 
  fruit 
  than 
  pictures 
  of 
  

   some 
  great 
  public 
  men, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  popular 
  they 
  may 
  be. 
  

   As 
  in 
  the 
  old-fashioned 
  recipe 
  for 
  the 
  cooking 
  of 
  a 
  hare, 
  

   it 
  was 
  necessary 
  first 
  to 
  catch 
  the 
  animal; 
  so 
  if 
  we 
  would 
  im- 
  

   print 
  portraits 
  upon 
  apples 
  steps 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  

   fruit. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  varieties 
  of 
  apples 
  commonly 
  

   found 
  growing 
  in 
  gardens 
  will 
  answer 
  the 
  purpose. 
  It 
  goes 
  

   without 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  kind 
  should 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  eating 
  sort, 
  

   and 
  within 
  reason 
  the 
  larger 
  the 
  fruit 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  the 
  better. 
  

   It 
  is 
  also 
  desirable 
  that 
  when 
  ripe 
  the 
  

   apple 
  should 
  take 
  on 
  a 
  fine 
  red 
  tint 
  

   upon 
  the 
  side 
  which 
  is 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   sun; 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  even 
  better 
  if 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  glossy 
  skin, 
  which 
  

   is 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  roughness 
  present 
  in 
  

   many 
  varieties. 
  But 
  apart 
  from 
  these 
  

   few 
  points 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  kind 
  of 
  apple 
  selected. 
  

   As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fruit 
  has 
  attained 
  to 
  

   a 
  fair 
  size 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  time 
  to 
  set 
  about 
  

   preparing 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  treatment. 
  If 
  any 
  

   choice 
  is 
  possible 
  a 
  tree 
  should 
  be 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  fairly 
  open 
  situa- 
  

   tion. 
  Only 
  the 
  apples 
  which 
  are 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  and 
  well 
  formed 
  should 
  be 
  chosen 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  stenciling, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   desirable 
  to 
  pick 
  out 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  

   somewhat 
  isolated. 
  In 
  this 
  position 
  

   they 
  will 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  more 
  gen- 
  

   erous 
  supply 
  of 
  sap 
  than 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  

   in 
  clusters, 
  and 
  all 
  this 
  means 
  better 
  

   specimens 
  later 
  on. 
  Now 
  secure 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  paper 
  bags 
  sufficiently 
  

   large 
  to 
  inclose 
  the 
  apples 
  when 
  they 
  

  

  The 
  Green 
  Apples 
  Tied 
  in 
  Bags 
  

   Before 
  Stenciling 
  

  

  A 
  Desert 
  of 
  Pictorial 
  Fruit 
  

  

  attain 
  to 
  their 
  full 
  size. 
  Each 
  apple 
  which 
  

   has 
  been 
  marked 
  down 
  as 
  a 
  good 
  subject 
  must 
  

   now 
  be 
  inclosed 
  in 
  a 
  bag, 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  firmly 
  drawn 
  together 
  with 
  string 
  

   around 
  the 
  stalk 
  of 
  the 
  fruit. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  practise 
  of 
  apple 
  stenciling 
  is 
  

   invariably 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  

   of 
  failures, 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  well 
  to 
  tie 
  up 
  a 
  larger 
  

   number 
  of 
  specimens 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   thought 
  would 
  meet 
  all 
  requirements. 
  

  

  Then 
  set 
  about 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  sten- 
  

   cils. 
  These 
  should 
  be 
  formed 
  out 
  of 
  thin 
  

   paper, 
  the 
  material 
  having 
  enough 
  substance, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  being 
  easily 
  torn. 
  As 
  

   it 
  is 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  stencils 
  should 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  stand 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  moisture 
  perhaps 
  the 
  

   best 
  kind 
  of 
  paper 
  to 
  use 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  is 
  

   the 
  ordinary 
  tracing 
  paper, 
  which 
  is, 
  in 
  a 
  

   measure, 
  waterproof. 
  Anyone 
  with 
  the 
  abil- 
  

   ity 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  rough 
  sketch 
  will 
  find 
  little 
  dif- 
  

   ficulty 
  in 
  scheming 
  out 
  the 
  portrait 
  of 
  some 
  

   individual, 
  drawing 
  the 
  outline 
  firmly, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior 
  only 
  putting 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  

   features. 
  Now 
  cut 
  out 
  the 
  head, 
  which, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  larger 
  than 
  will 
  easily 
  go 
  

   upon 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  apple, 
  taking 
  care 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  border 
  nicely 
  

   sharp. 
  There 
  is 
  nothing 
  better 
  than 
  a 
  keen 
  knife 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose, 
  the 
  paper 
  being 
  held 
  out 
  flat 
  on 
  a 
  smooth 
  piece 
  of 
  

   wood. 
  The 
  chief 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  visage 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  drawn 
  in 
  must 
  be 
  cut 
  right 
  clear, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  de- 
  

   sign 
  is 
  held 
  up 
  the 
  eyes, 
  nose 
  and 
  mouth 
  let 
  the 
  light 
  through. 
  

   Those 
  people 
  who 
  do 
  not 
  feel 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  secure 
  a 
  

   good 
  enough 
  likeness 
  in 
  a 
  freehand 
  sketch 
  as 
  described 
  above 
  

   have 
  no 
  need 
  to 
  regard 
  apple 
  stenciling 
  as 
  beyond 
  their 
  reach. 
  

   Generally 
  speaking, 
  much 
  better 
  designs 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   tracing 
  the 
  portrait 
  from 
  some 
  picture 
  or 
  photograph. 
  With 
  

   the 
  thin 
  paper 
  used 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  simple 
  affair. 
  Then 
  when 
  

   the 
  design 
  is 
  penciled 
  in 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  nec- 
  

   essary 
  to 
  cut 
  it 
  out 
  as 
  described 
  above. 
  

   As 
  each 
  stencil 
  is 
  finished 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  

   placed 
  carefully 
  aside. 
  Again 
  remem- 
  

   ber 
  that 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  possible 
  failures 
  it 
  

   is 
  well 
  to 
  allow 
  a 
  margin 
  in 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  stencils 
  prepared. 
  When 
  all 
  

   are 
  completed 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  put 
  into 
  

   some 
  place 
  where 
  they 
  will 
  keep 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  flat, 
  as 
  between 
  the 
  pages 
  of 
  a 
  

   book 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  

   for 
  a 
  while. 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned, 
  

   there 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  no 
  limit 
  to 
  the 
  va- 
  

   riety 
  of 
  designs 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  sten- 
  

   ciled 
  on 
  to 
  apples. 
  To 
  the 
  beginner 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  suggested 
  that 
  he 
  should 
  at 
  

   first 
  confine 
  his 
  efforts 
  to 
  patterns 
  of 
  

   a 
  simple 
  nature. 
  These 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  

   in 
  very 
  striking 
  style 
  even 
  by 
  an 
  un- 
  

   skilled 
  hand. 
  Ordinary 
  portraits, 
  

   simple 
  figures, 
  coats 
  of 
  arms, 
  symboli- 
  

   cal 
  designs 
  — 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  endless 
  range 
  

   which 
  even 
  the 
  experimenter 
  may 
  at- 
  

   tempt 
  with 
  hope 
  of 
  meeting 
  with 
  sue- 
  

  

  