The National tribune., 1892-09-08
FRUITS OF TIE WAR.
A Comrade Discusses Several Kinds Which
Were Discovered by Soldiers.

A Comrade Discusses Several Kinds Which
Were Discovered by Soldiers.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: These are,
undoubtedly. appropriate times for considering
some of the fruits of the war. At your request
/ will name a few, not that l will mention
enamel patton, nor broader. stronger Nation,
nor q more intimate and lasting friendship
between the sections; though these are among
| the richest fruits OF our civil strife. But /
wish to contribute few lines about those little
| Jumps of comfort that, in the forms of grapes,
| plums apples ETC., bring smiles into every
home and into every heart longing to own
enough land for the culture of these fruits
| Not every one of your readers knows so much
| about fruit as the resources of this great Gov
eminent would enable him to know. Not
every one of them knows what he, as one Of the
rulers in this great land has undertaken to
| effect in this direction through the medium of
| the Agricultural Department. But more than
| that, the Agricultural Department does not
| know so much rs it wants to know about the
| fruits that your readers are growing. If every
one who grows fruit in any quantity will send
his address to the Pathological Division, De-
partmcnt of Agriculture, there will be returned
to him blank for such report as will be in
teresting and profitable to all parties.
The occasion of the war brought thousands
of observing eyes to mark the qualities of wild
fruits and chance seedlings that grew along
the line OF march or in the neighboIhood of tho
camp OF these fruits many seeds and young
plants sent by the soldiers direct to friends
in the North and by various means the list of
desirable fruits was materially increased dur
ing that epoch.
THE LUCRETIA DEwBBRRY.
A Young man named Williams enlisted in the
Union army from Miami County. o. During
most of his service he was stationed In West
Virginia, part of the time Beverley.
Whilc guarding private property there he be-
came acquainted with the lady who afterward
became his wife. He settled on her planta-
ton after the war, aud upon it found the dew
berries growing wild. He transplanted some
to his garden, and these attracted the attention
of his father, who visited him in 1875. The
following year plants were sent to the father
in Ohio, and they were distributed among
few friends. The plants had been carelessly
dug, however, and only five of the genuine
variety happened to be in the lot, and these,
along with many worthless ones, CHANGED to
fall into the hands Of Mr.. b. F. Albaugh, of
Covington. o. From these five plants the
present stock has sprung. When the variety
was offered for sale Mr.. Albaugh named it
"Lucreta," in honor of Mrs. Lucretia Gar
field
The Lucretia is q medium sized berry, being
about the size Of the first joint of the ordinary
mans thumb. 1t is very prolific under favor
2Dle care, ana SbpcCIaily III us early
ripening. The vines are commonly permitted
to trail over the ground each season the vines
are cut back to three or four feet in length. A
mulch under the vines retains moisture and
increases the size of the fruit; 1t especially
keeps the fruit from the sand. There are sew
era methods of training the dewberry Some
growers tie to stakes, some tic to trellises or
racks of various kinds, some construct fiat
rack standing Is inches above the ground, and
IN a1a of Euht GlafS laid crnSSWiga >nDnu sniff
GENTLY firm side. bars. Prof. Bailey, Of Cor
nell. advocates wire trellis for garden culture.
The finest dewberries known to my boyhood
were those grown upon stone heaps on a farm
now within the limits Of New York City.
The heaps of stone were c0neshaped, about
three feet across the base, and quite regularly
piled, for it was stony farm, at about 20 feet
apart. Year after year luxuriant growth Of
vines and the heaviest crops of fine, large,
luscious berries covered those stone heaps AS
q means for retaining moisture and as a con-
venient position from which to gather this
fruit. have never seen the equal Of those stone
heaps. To persons without stony land this
suggestion is valueless, but it can be made
valuable to those having stony farms
WHITE SOUTHERN GRAPE
A colored man named David Graves enlisted
at the first call for colored troops. Near Will
mingt0n, n. c., Graves ate of a superior white
back to Ohio where he enlisted, some of the
wood, and there reproduce this choice fruit.
He had had experience in pack ing fruit trees
with Mr. VIM. S. Irwin, of South Salem Ohio,
and with knowledge thus obtained, he packed
cuttings of the grapevine in moss, and " toted
these from point to point till his discharge.
Then he rooted the cuttings and from the
nursery OF Mr.. W. N. Irwin, son of w. s.,
they were disseminated under the name of
"White Southern"
This grape is small. delicate, sweet fruit,
of the class of Martha. 1t 10 well shouldered
and very desirable.
A specimen plum of considerable promise
comes from Worthwhile, Tenn. Mr.. II. h.
Gushee, of that place, writes that the parent
stock WAS growing where Union soldiers had
encamped during the war; and it is believed
that this is Seeding from fruits these soldiers
had received from their Northern homes
This plum is unnamed. 1t resembles Early
Royal" but lacks the rich, high flavor of that
variety. It differs also in form of seed, and is
a cing-stOne. The form is round, about one
and one quarter inches in diameter; it's color
blue, with light-blue bloom the flesh is dull
amber; flavor tart.
OTHER PLUMs.
From the sprouts and sucker. growth about
the original Wild goose plum. an Ohio soldier
South Salem, sent numerous plants to friends in
and about South Salem. We lack legal evil
dence of what satisfied Comrade Townsend that
this was the original and only wild goose plum,
but have no disposition to let genealogical accu-
racy mar good story that would account for
the general distribution of this desirable fruit
through abortion of Ohio.
OF the origin of the wild goose plum our
readers have no doubt read. 1t has been written
that some time before 1850 man shot wild
goose near Columbia, Tenn, aud Oh the spot
where the carcass was thrown this plum came
up the following Spring 1t was introduced to
fruit-growers about 1850 by the late Mr.. ]. 8.
Downer, of Fairview, KY.
THE REBEL APPLE
originated at Washington, Va, and was first
brought to notice by soldiers. This is me-
dunn sized fruit oblate, slightly conical; in
color greenish white, with crisp juicy flesh
in favor u pleasant sub acid, and in quality
very good. 1t is desirable Winter fruit.-WM.
p. CoRsA, Washington, d. c.