thrust through. Having completed this work, the grub returns towards the centre of the apple, where he 
feeds at his ease. When within a few days of being full fed, he, for the first time, enters the core, through 
a round hole gnawed in the hard horny substance which always separates the pips from the pulp of the 
fruit ; and the destroyer now finds himself in that spacious chamber, which codlins, in particular, always 
have in the centre. From this time he eats only the pips, never again tasting the more common pulp, 
which hitherto had satisfied his unsophisticated palate ; now nothing less than the highly flavoured aromatic 
kernels will suit his tooth, and on these in a few days, he feasts in luxury. “ Some how or other, the pips 
of an apple are connected with its growth, as the heart of an animal with its life ; injure the heart an animal 
dies ; injure the pips, an apple falls. Whether the fall of his house gives the tenant warning to quit, I 
cannot say, but quit he does, and that almost immediately. It leaves the core, crawls along his breathing 
and clearing out gallery, the mouth of which, before nearly closed, he now gnaws into a smooth round hole, 
which will permit him free passage, without hurting his fat, soft, round body; then out he comes, and for 
the first time in his life, finds himself in the open air. He now wanders about on the ground till he finds 
the stem of a tree : up this he climbs, and hides himself in some nice little crack in the bark. I should 
remark that the fall of the apple, the exit of the grub, and his wandering to this place of security, usually 
take place in the night time. By burning weeds in your garden, at this time of the year, June, you will 
effectually drive away this little moth, if you have trees the crop of which you value, make a smoking 
(mind not a blazing) fire under each. It will put you to some inconvenience if your garden be near your 
house, but the apples will repay you for that.” 
The apple paring is looked forward to by the inhabitants of the northern and middle states of the 
Federal Union, with as much anticipated pleasure as the harvest home used to be by the rural population 
of several districts of our own island : I say “ used to be/’ because this is one of the many old English 
customs which are fast falling into disuse amongst ourselves. Apple paring is probably derived from an old 
German custom, and therefore not so exclusively American as many have supposed it ; but since the sedate 
and calculating sons and daughters of brother Jonathan seldom enter with much spirit upon anything 
mirthful or merry-making, and as I conceive that the mode of preserving apples here described might be 
advantageously introduced into some of our own apple districts, it may not be uninteresting to state the way 
in which it is managed. 
Though the apple paring is resorted to as a “ frolic,” or an amusement, amongst the Americans, yet it 
is the means of getting a valuable price of work performed at the same time that it passes for a recreation. 
These frolics for the most part take place in the early part of the autumn ; for in order to ensure complete 
success, the rays of the sun should still possess considerable power. It is a general remark that the Ame- 
ricans are peculiarly fond of preserves and sweetmeats of every description, and it is a fact, that hardly a 
single meal passes without its accompaniment of “pies,” — “ sweet sauce,” and “preserve.” Now in every 
part of those states before alluded to there is a great abundance of apples ; hence the ingenuity of the people 
is laudably exerted in rendering them, as much as possible, subservient to the general purpose of house 
keeping. In all the forms they may be made to assume, the apples have first to be “ pared ” before they 
are subjected to the necessary process, so that apple paring becomes a matter of some consideration. 
Among the several preparations are included preserved apples, apple butter, apple sauce, and dried apples ; 
the last of which being quite an article of trade amongst the Americans, it is principally for the preparation 
of dried apples that “ the apple-parings ” are held. Although America produces abundance of excellent 
apples, yet, owing to the great extremes of heat and cold, it has been found impossible to secure a supply 
adequate to the general demand throughout the season by any means that the horticulturist has yet dis- 
covered. In a great measure this has been remedied by adopting the plan of “drying” the apples, and as 
it is pursued upon an extensive scale, “ the apple-paring , 55 has hence become a matter of considerable im- 
portance. There are two methods of drying apples practised by the country people. In one case they are 
pared and cut into pieces (the cores being extracted) of half or three fourths of an inch in thickness, and 
then spread upon a platform, or temporary scaffoldings of boards, to dry in the sun. The scaffolding is 
erected a little sloping, with a southern aspect, on which the cut apples are spread to the depth of three or 
four inches, where they are kept for several days undergoing the necessary turnings and movings in order 
that every part may be exposed to the sun 5 s influence. Should the weather be fine and settled, they 
remain upon the scaffolds during the night, their only protection being clean linen cloths thrown over them; 
but if there be a prospect of rain, then they have to be removed to some place of shelter. During the 
operation of drying the bulk of the mass greatly diminishes ; so that in the various processes of paring, 
coring and drying, seven or eight bushels become reduced to about one. When the apples have remained 
upon the platform until they are sufficiently dry, they are then removed to an upper room, and piled up in 
one of its angles ; and if the drying process has been thoroughly accomplished, they will continue sound and 
good for a couple of years. 
It is in preparing for the commencement of this system of drying that “ The Apple Paring 55 takes 
