38o 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 1907 



Stenciling the Apple 



By Adrian Weimas 



T IS no matter for surprise that 

 the curious method of apple 

 stencihng 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-Hve 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 sitqa- 

 tlon. 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- 



