3SG 
On the Cultivation of OrchnnU, and 
would at first thought be supposed ; for a good sort out of the 
number of seedlings raised is Uke a prize in a lottery, and it must 
be remembered that some years must elapse before the experi- 
menter can draw his prize, if indeed there be one for him. Mr. 
Knight has been one of the greatest experimenters in this way, 
and has raised many good varieties. 
In the ])urchase of young trees or in grafting, in order to form 
a productive and profitable orchard, care must be taken to select 
good sorts, which are either new, or in the vigour of their bearing, 
whether for the cider-mill, the table, or the kitchen. Apples for 
these several purposes recommend themselves to our choice by 
very different qualities, though some few are almost equally well 
adapted to all purposes. In those for the table we require sweet- 
ness, with a subdued and pleasant acidity, and a delicate aromatic 
flavour. In the kitchen-apple, size, the quality of keeping, and 
considerable acidity are the principal requisites : acidity is indis- 
pensable in apples intended for boiling and making sauce. The 
best fruit for cider are those which yield the heaviest juice; and | 
these are not, generally speaking, agreeable to the palate. The 
celebrated Cockagee apple is absolutely uneatable, though it is 
very fragrant, and inviting to the eye. I was once told by a 
farmer that he offered a boy a shilling if he would eat one in his 
presence. The attempt was made, but was soon abandoned, from 
the impossibility of getting it down. The red and yellow colour 
of the rind is considered by the farmers in the apple districts as 
good indications of cider fruit, and apples of the various degrees of 
those colours are decidedly preferred to those of which the rind 
is green. 
The specific gravity, as the brewers call the weight of their 
worts, would be the best guide when it can be accurately ascer- 
tained. The more obvious qualities by which good cider fruit is 
distinguished, according to the experience of cider-makers, as 
stated above, are strikingly exemplified in a table of cider-apples 
given by Loudon in his valuable ' Cyclopaedia of Gardening,' 
which is here quoted : — 
" Siberian Pippin . . Yellow ; firm and juicy. 
Grange Pippin . . Yellow and red ; firm, juicy, acid. 
„ ,, Orange and red ; firm and juicy. 
Siberian Harvey . . Bright red and green ; firm and austere. 
Alban Red and green ; firm and very harsh. 
Hogshead .... Deep red ; firm and austere. 
Stead's Kernel . . Yellow and russet; firm and austere. 
Large Styre . . . Yellow and red ; firm and sharp. 
Brientou Seedling . Yellow and red ; firm and juicy. 
Brierly's Seedling . Yellow; firm and austere. 
Hagloe Crab . . . Yellow; firm and tart. 
Woodcock .... Dark red and yellow; firm and austere. 
Yellow Siberian . . Very yellow; firm and austere." 
