The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-03-04
Fruit Growing Among the AncIents.

We can only gather here and there
among ancient classical writers illusions
to horticulture. Chiefest Of these we
find among the Greeks. and very fasci
mating and beautiful they are. In the
islands of the Mediterranean, where the
climate it semj-trop:cal, seems to have
been gathered the various fruits of all
cIimes, propagated with extreme care.
The garden of AlciEous, mentioned by
Homer, contained acres. The old man
probably believed in the motto of -Four
Acres Enough" He and his people
firmly believed in the gospel of the god
dess Ceres as an actual revelation, and
they venerated her as 'Revered Ceres,
bearer of seasons, giver of glorious
things" They looked upon the fruits
of the earth as sacred things, to be
treasured and careSSed on account of the
giver. Homer lived in the DAYS of Sol
omon, and his poems were considered as
sacred as those of the great temple bull
der a vein of faith in the truth of the
writings of the grand old father of all
poetry has run through human kind ever
since, and DR.. Schliemann. the great
German explorer, has proved his faith
by startling revelations. Following is
a literal translation of his description Of
the fruit garden of AlciuOus alluded to !:
garden near the gates of Four Acres
but around it hedge was extended on
both sides. And there tall flourshing
trees grew, pears, and pomegranates,
and apple trees producing beautiful
fruit, sweet figs, nOuriShing olives, and
peaches that delighted the heart. OF
these the fruit never dies. nor does it fail
in winter or summer, lasting through
out the whole year but the west wind
ever blowing makes some bud forth
and ripen others. Pear grows old after
pear, apple afterapple, grape after grape,
| fig after fig, and peach after peach.
There a fruit vineyard was planted !;
one part of the ground exposed to the
| sun in wide place is dried by the sun,
and some grapes they are gathering, and
| others they are treading, and further on
are unripe grapes, having thrown off the
/ flower. and others are slightly changing
! color. And there are all kinds of beds
/ of flowers laid out in order to the furth-
! est part of the ground fiourishing
/ throughout the whole year, and IN 1t
! are two fountains, etc"
! The picture is as strange to US as 1t IS
/ delightful. Our common fruits are
here spoken of as having the character
| isticS of the orange family, blossomlng
and bearing fruit the whole year. Will
the orange and the lemon ever be so
| transformed in our Northern climate
! that will bear in the summer only
The apple is classed with the fig and the
pomegranate, and the pear with the
| olive and the peach. This was long be
fOret he conquest of Persia, from which
the peach is said to have originated.
The habits of the grape are also pecu-
liar and past belief What lively time
of it the fruit-grower would have PICK
ing fruit all the year long
Hawlev. in his rendition Of the Hin
doc writer Yakim Door, gives us the fol
lowing
The great flying ships of Osnool
brought us peaches and apples" Os
moor was a wealthy japanese merchant
/ We infer that these abUunded in Japan
and that some method was known (fOl
years b. O. Of preserving the fruit II
transit to a tropical COuntry-a thing
that would puzzle US these latter days
with all our steam and TefTigeratOrs
We may say, without very great stretcf
of the possibilities, that solomon eat IN:
Winesaps and BaldwinS, ,hisBart!etts anC
''BounieS, - his CraWfords and Old Max
! inns. his Delawares and IOkays for des
ert, and washed it down with Colder
seal and dry Catawba No mention
made of straw berries. The uXOriOus oil
sinner missed his best holt if he knew
nothing of Strawberries and cream. L
his black but comely'' mask had 60
I hin up strawberry short cake when n
: came into her bower where the pom
/ egranJatss f0uTished - she would nc
have found him amiss in his attention:
I Notwithstanding his other multitude c
/ fair ChaTmeTS.