Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-07-26
MAKING FREAK FRUITS.
How to Induce the Sun to Write Names,
Dates. Mottos, Etc., on Apples, Pears and
the Like.
c,nru-to pEApD
BY ]. CARTER BEARD.

PIE clouds that faded TO gray and heecy
white masses of vapor as they were borne
to their havens in the Western mountains.
The sun Keeping above the Franconian
hills sent a shimmering glitter across the
waters of the lake and kissed the upturned
faces of two children standing beneath the
trees on it's shore.
"Oh, Alice, I caN this fine" said one Of
thsm, boy.
yes" replied the little girl, chow the
birds sing and the leaves begin TO rustic
as If they too wanted to sing. Ouch!' she
cried. laughing, " the tree don't like what
I'm saving and hit, me On the shoulder
with an apple. They're beginning to fan.
Gee. how red and ripe this one looks"
Harold picked it up and took an eXper-
mental bite. at is ripe" he sald' 1t
tastes all right and the seeds are black.
How funny the color marks look ne con-
tinuedt holding it in his hand and gazing
az it thOughtfully SAY. Alice! s'pose an
apple got ripe on the tree and just nap
pened to have your name on it?"
But it wouldn't" said Alice.
well, it might just happen to-" urged
the boy.
But IL Couldn't ea4u AIlCe'
'.Nice green letters on d red apple or red
letters on a green apple" Continued the
boy. shouldn't you believe it might
just happen SOP
Pm afraid I shouldn't" said Alice, and
she gave a little sigh as II she was tired
Of the subject.
Harold. who had held one hand behind
hin, drr,,ro- the conversation,' ROW brought
II forward with an apple in 1t, when ne
showed the Nttts lady
"Oh. Harold" was all she could say but
her ewes frightened and her pretty face
flushed with delight and astonishment' Tor
there she saw before her an apple with Ifer
own. name in large letters across IT,
..Ag1d here is another" said Harold.
This time the colors Were reversed, instead
Of gr=erf upon a red ground the letters were
g, bright rose color on a pale green apple.
This was in my pocket. l picked them
from the tree while you watched the sum
rise" .,
well. never" said Alice, never in all
my Yfa." which was saying a great deal
for Alice was years old. TN believe IN
f,5r5ss next. How could this ever hap
PEN"
Harold led the child to another tree close
~ hand and pointed to an apple overhead
eft isn't silver" he said, "its covered
with t.nfon with letters cut in It, that all
Sae?"
Climbing upon a rock beneath the tree he
nicked the apple and showed it to his little
friend. 1t was. as ne SAID. covered with
tinf5u very neatiy cut ike a stencil, so
t,a+ the inscription Merry Christmas APP
ra,re1 upon it. The letters were red
t1r7ugh the t.nfoil ard when tnat was
( taken away tins remainder of the apple
showed a pale green. There's a dozen
snpjes IKE that" said the boy. l covered
tbsn all before the sun had painted them
and what's covered stays as Il Is bu. wnsn
th. sun gets in his work it's red. Heres
rs5 annie with paper ,ett5rs fastened or
g. with waterproof cem=nt. / haven't done
many like that fer the paper Don come
off easy w'hzn the app1e Is ripe nut pa
~. would do instead of tinfoil every Tune
If Won could fit It as closely. You see THESE
letters are in fact printed just as photo
graphs are. The sun colors the OUTSIDE
skin Of the apple wherever it can get at II
hut leaves the rest just naturally green
| When one co.ors eggs for Easter you
know we sometimes cover part of the egg
before c5,5r.ng It so that the part covered
Is not dvsd lih= the rest. You can fix W
any kind Of smooth skinned fruit this way
| If rs bis, enough and changes its color as
it gets ripe"
"Dut Harold" cried Alice, depositing
bsr two precious apples carefully in
h. 81 a.
br now there is something 1 wanted very
much to ask you about. In your part oil
| tn garden, mean that part next Tom S
! I saw all sorts of bottles and wire frames
ard such things. What are they there
| for?"
I'm kind o. sorry" said Harold, you
asked. cause I wanted to 'sprise you as
7 Iii with the apples. Ne'mind, you can
see them grow and 1 don't know but what
YOU can get more fun out of them that
zv,v ANYHOW. Less go and look at them
'.Now this one-see this Mttle gourd?' ne
said. I've poked it into this Italian flask
and it'd the flask to the vine. 1t will take
the place of the sweet OIL that was in the
flask and just about fill it plum up when
IFS rim Now here's one growing in sort
Of wire basket I made. This. wnen Its got
it's growth. will he marked with regular
criss-crcsses like cut glass. And see, Ahce,
I've hung a glass toby on this one. won
h. make a funny gourd, cause you know
the gourd's got to grow the shape of his
inside. You see this great big bottle with
two old round gourds in 1t already? We'll,
they're last year and year before lasts
growth. This one that's growing in it now
will about fl, 1t up, and then the trick will
be to guess how they all got in such a mar
row necked bottle. Here is a big medal
that uncle had at the county fair for
things he showed there. I've fastened it in
strong iron hoop around this gourd so
it's going to grow against it and take the
impression.
"And here, Alice. Is the hull Of a tag tin
boat Tvs fastened so that one side Of a
gourd will grow into it. Won't It make a
bully boat? The shell of a dried gourd is
50 light and thin"
Alice was much interested. 'T believe"
said the little girl, TN cut Aunt Dlnah's
head eff Dit is quite empty. You know and
let gourd grow into It,"
"Whatw said Harold aghast.
ssvex" SAID she composedly. THE poor
thing 10 no good as she IS. She had stitches
in hsr side that came unstitched and she's
SO Limp she has coIaTSed."
Gracious. goodness, AAce, what are you
sayin?"
I'm saying" said Alice, that I'll let
YOU have my black dolls head to grow a
gourd into. Tha saw dust has all leaked
out of hsr and she IS of To further use as
a p,aything. besides I am getting TO be
pretty cd to play with dolls. The scheme
was very favcrably received by Harold
who proposed, that the doll despite her
black face such little discrepancies don't