The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-12
"rHE SCARLET THORN"
Some Interesting Facts Well Worth
Knowing.

Some interesting r0CLB Wen worth
Knowing.
am asked 70 tell the readers Of 81.
Nicholas, says Johu Burroughs, something
about the Scarlet Thorn" But we have
no scarlet thorn; that is, no one species to
which this name is specially applied.
When was boy once went into a store
and asked the merchant for a piece Of
Powered Calico" Some girl had asked
me to contribute q "blockn to her Quilt.
My people laughed at me when told them,
because they said all calico was "howered"
SO may say that all or nearly all thorn
apples are red, though / have occasionally
seen yellow variety. Every country boy
and girl knows the thorn-tree, with its
mass OF white bloom in May and its IN ass
Of red fruit in the fall. Last September
spent some weeks in q farm house
situated high up on one Of the pastoral
slopes of the CAtskllls, and one Of my
favorite walks was to a thorn-tree that
grew in a remote field on the mount
ain side. 1t was loaded with pale red fruit,
which, the latter part Of the month, was
excellent Thh mellower ones fell TO the
ground. used to pick out the larger and
fairer ones, and when 1 had eaten enough
would I'll my pockets 10 give the people at
the house treat. The cattle liked them,
too, and often / would find the ground
cleaned OF them, but little shake of the
tree would bring down more. There were
several thorn trees that grew all about, but
this particular one had fruit that surpassed
all others In its quality. / had discovered
when boy that their fruit differed iu this
respect as much as did that OF apple trees
Nearer by the house were some thorn trees
that had unusually large fruit. but 1t was
30 hard and dry could not eat it,
There are great many species of the
thorn distFihufad tbPnrruhn.t ha Int
States. All the northern species, 60 far as
l known, have white flowers In the south
they are more inclined 20 be pink or roseate
II Columbus picked up at sea spray of thorn
IL was doubtless some southern species,-
let US believe 1t was the Washington thorn,
which grows on the banks of streams from
virginia TO the gulf, and loAds heavily with
small red fruit. Ohe species OF thorn in the
south is called apple-haw; it's fruit is large,
and is much used for tarts and jellies Tne
commonest species throughout New York
and New England is probably the white
thorn its thorns and branches are Of O whit
ish tings, the fruit coral-red. Our thorn
trees do not differ very much from the
English hawthorn.
The thorn belongs to the great family of
trees that includes the apple, peach, pear,
raspberry, strawberry, etc. namely, the
rose family or RosaceB. Hence the apple,
pear and plum are often grated on the
white thorn.
A curious thing about the thorns is that
they are suppressed or abortive branches
The ancestor of this tree must have been
terribly abused some time to have it's
branches turn TO thorns. Take a young
apple tree and use it roughly enough, put Il
In hard, stony soil, lot tho cattle browse is
down and hook Ii and bruiss it, and it will
develop thorns almost as hard and quite as
sharp as those OF the thorn tree; its tender
branches become so discouraged and en-
Filtered that they turn almost to bono an d
wound abe hand that touches them. The
seeding pear tree is usually very thorny
when young, much more so than the apple,
which makes one think it Is mere recently
put Of the woodS IA it Crews older iJs
manner In this respect improves.
An apple tree or thorn tree In the fields
where the cattle can come at il, has q pro
onged struggle for existence, and they Doth
behave in about the same manner. They
'pread out upon all sides ard grow very
tense, Grabbed. and thorny, till they have
become so broad upon the ground that the |
'attle cannot reach their central shoots;
hen quickly from the midst OF this spiny |
mound up coca a stalk, and the tree has won
The victory. After this stalk becomes a
fully developed tree, in the case of the
apple, tue thorns disappear, and the barrier
of grabbed branches at its foot gradually
lies down. But the thorn tree does not get |
over its wrath so readily; it deeps It's sharp. |
Ipiteful weapons as if TO guard its fruit |
against some imaginary danger.
have an idea that persistent cultivation |
aud good treatment would greatly mollify |
The sharp temper OF the thorn II not change |
i completely
The flower OF the thorn would become us |
we'll as the national flower. 1t belongs to |
such hardy. spunky, unoonquerable tree,
and TO such numerous and useful family. |
Certainly, 1t would be vastly better than |
he merely delicious and pretty wild flowers
hat have been so generally named.