St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-21
Johnny Appleseed.
THE STRANGE LIFE STORY OF FOREST
PHILANTHROPIST.

THE STRANGE LIFE-STORI OF A FOREST
PHILANTHROPIST.
From the y. Y. Evening Post
ASHLAND, Ohio, Jan. -, 1879.
The immense apple crop of this paIt
of the state of Ohio during the last sea-
son serves to recall the life of its pioneer
nurseryman, whose memory is Vet green
in the mInds of many ef the oldest set
Tiers. As Il hero of endurance that WAS
voluntarily assumed, and of toll the
benefits of which could only Toe reaped
Ivy pOSterity, the name of Jonathan
Chapman, better known as johnny APP
pleSeed, deserves IL pcrpetuity beyond
that of IL generation of lesser lights
passed in the glare and romance OF the
tomahawk and scaiping-kniie period.
Few men So unprclending have been
so extensively useful in their day and
generation. The evil that he did, if
any, died with him; the good lives
after him, bearing annual fruit over an
area of one hIn,lIrd Thousand square
miles, extending tIOm the Ohio River To
the great northern lakes. Many of tie
best orchards of this aud adjoining
counties, are from trees which had the IL
first growth in his forest nurseries. The
writer looks from his window upon long
rows of apple trees transplanted ilum
Johnny's nursery near the old Indian
Green town.
AN APOSTLE OF APPLE CULTURE.
Jonathan Chapman was born in Bos
ton about the year I775. How he
drfted from that point to the wiIds OF
Western Pennsylvania, where he was
l. H,,l, Iii,
lar mOnOmania for the planting of APP
pie trees i'll the wilderness, is not
known. The rapid settlement of that
part of the country, however, soon
drove him further westward. In 1901
he entered the Territory of Ohio with Il
horse-lOad Ofapplc-seeds, gathered from
the cider-presses of Western Pennsyl-
vania coming first to Licking county,
and planting his seeds III many fertile
spots on and about the banks of Lick
ing Creek. For the next five years he
disappeared, passing the period, doubt
less, in the establishment of Other
nurseries III different quarter. In 1906
he was seen by IA pioneer settler of JET
ferson county, drifting slowly down the
Ohio River in two canoes, lashed to-
gether, and loaded with apple seeds
| These he was transporting westward
for the purpose of creating orchards up
| Oh the furtheSt verge OF white settle
ment. Entering the Muskingum River
at Marietta, he passed by various trih-
utaries to the head OF navigation in thi,
county. Still Il region of iOrest-crOwn.
ed hills and green valleys, and possess
ing romantic beauty which railroad,
| aud hnSt linn, t.,u and hn mo-
served TO Obliterate, the wild surround
ings and primal silence of the veritabl'
wilderness must have been tentold mOIt
picturesque to the eyes of Appleseed il
those early days.
In this instance; as i'll others after
ward, Johnny selected the most fertil
spots i'll the rich loamy grounds on th
banks of the creeks for his purpose
planting often as high us sixteen bush
els of seed to the acre, and enclOsin;
the grounds with Il slight fence OF guar,
of brush. He then left the place unit
the trees had III a measure grown. Th
old settlers describe the margins of th
streams upon which these early nurse
ries were planted us thickly covere
) over with IL low matted growth of tim
Der, while near the waters edge IA ran
r mass of long grass interlaced wit
morning glory and wild-pea vines
1 among which dropping willows an
5 clustering elders stood like sentinels o
: the outpost of civilization.
) HOW JOHNNY DID HIS WORK.
: The canoe voyage of 1906 appears t
o have been the only occasion upon whic
Johnny adopted that method of trans
portatiOn, all his other journeys havin
been made on foot over the old ira
7 leading from Fort Duquesne to Detro
! by way of Fort Sanduskey, known {
''the second route through the wilder
ness of Ohio" Having planted Oh
stock of seeds, he would return t
Pennsylvania for another, gatherin
them from the cider-presses at differeI
places. These seeds he conveyed |
their destination in rude leathern bag
in place of linen ones, the dense growt
= of underbrush and briars encOuntere
). upon the way making the use of SON
a durable fabric necessary. Sometime
J. the bags found transportation on I'll
o back of an aged or brokendOwn hOri
which theirowner had mercifully rescue
from harder usage, but more frequent
ON his own sturdy shoulders. A Ion
and toilsome journey it was bI