News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-03-08
A NOTABLE PIONEER.
The True Story of Famor- johnny Apple
seed and His Mission.

ton about the year 1775. He early drift
ed to Western Pennsylvania, where in
its wild frontier life his mania for plant
ing apploseed was first discovered. Tired
of the rapids ttIement of that wilderness,
he soon pushed out for the West. In
1901 he visited Ohio with hOrse-load of
appleseeds which he had gathered from
the cider presses of Western Pennsyl-
vania.
He planted his seeds on the fertile
spots. on the banks of the Licking Creek.
In 1906 he was seen by a settler drifting
down the Ohio river in two canoes lashed
together aud loaded with appleseeds,
destined for the Western border of the
White settlement. He often planted as
high as a bushel of seed in one locality,
then inclosed the spot with a slight
fence, or guard of brush, when he would
leave the place till the trees had in Il
/ measure grown.
Planting one stock of seeds, he re
! turned to Pennsylvania for another
which he gathered from the cider presses
| in different places. He first carried the
seeds in linen bags, but the dense under
/ brush hostile with thOrns and briars
made leathern bags the only safe ones
/ for his purpose. Sometimes the bags
| found transportation on the back Of an
old. broken-down horse, but more often
on his own sturdy shoulders. He was
man of vigorous muscle, and great en-
l., n,,,lI hova GtnnI tha
long, weary journeys through the lonely
and trackless wilderness for so many
years, journeys III which he was loaded
like a mule ascending the Andes. He
always planted his seeds i'll some remote
picturesque spot, and there let them
grow to be claimed by the settlers,
whose homes sprang up in the isolated
clearings.
In this way the wilderness was made
to blossom like a rose, and the founda-
ton was laid for that immense growth of
fruit trees whose yield to-day forms so
important part of the annual products
of the great State of Ohio.
When the trees were large enough for |
sale Johnny either sold them or left |
them to be sold by some settler for him. |
Tn +bis business he was as methodicaI as
q merchant. The really poor got trees |
for nothing, of others more able he took
old clothing, some meal or anything he
could see, i'll exchange. OF those able
to pay he demanded money, which he
was seldom without. lie usually took
notes payable at some indefinite period.
This done, he pad no more attention to
the matter; quite often 1t was the last
time he ever saw the glver OF the note.
His wants were few, and he cared little
about money. lie used what money h"
got in buying Swedenborgian books
which he gave to tn. settlers VII -ro u.
-r.>.f anJ t~ yarv oftar helped poor
t.rn '5- e. need Of til. aera--ar.as of life.
An old, mi'lim ii"Fae nNrIted Inns pity.
Buying mp Oil broken-down horses and
leaving them IN charge OF some one who
was pledged to care for them, was an
other part OF this strange mans mission.
He had at times quite a drove OF aged
and manned h"fSeS under the care OF
some humane farmer. Ih1llctlhG pam on
o'llnp creature was WITH MN an ''ll-
Par''olia'I@ Sill. ms SHhlp"Vhy eA'eil"-
eo 10 'r9 SiL,'llsS' "illI.la1S, mas even 10 III
in tba woods becanse tba wind blew tbp
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c,,,o,,ol,od +bo l1oya. Good forl,ij that T !
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e - o. ,,,,iIto e,.a
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i,,tar1o7 =, ,7oss +I,o ,,ic,b+ Int 4,,dinr
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Laors
snake having bit him q friend asked .
him in rpoard TO if. Johnny drew a long |
siob and repIied: Poor fellow ! he only !
inst touched me. when [ in an uneodlv |
passion put the heel of my scvthe in him |
and went home" While at work in the |
woods n hornet cot underneath his shirt. |
and oItbouoh repeatedIv st,1nn bv the |
enraged insect, he deliberately took off |
his shirt and liberated the intruder. His |
friend laughed at him and asked why he |
did not kill the little imp. to which |
Johnny replied:
o1tII r. =,
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nv - g aI-o,,;-
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