Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1896-08-20

CHdb LIE WlCUJ3 Z" AOC"A H'atEA y
man, claimed to have a superior (
Black Twig apple, procured from
him q specimeL, which found to be
a very different apple from the Black
Twig had known all my life. (The
reader should here bear in mind that
the Winesap is sometimes called the
Black Twlg.) / SO wrote Mr.. Twit-
tv and asked him for a history OF the
apple. lie wrote that fifteen years
previous he was endeavoring to pro-
cure the stock Of the true BLACK
Twig apple, and being informed by
the late Judge Cowan, that he could
find it in the orchard of Major Ran
kin Toole, six miles west of Fayette-
Vile, Lincoln county, Tenn, he visit
ed Major Toole's place, but found
him absent. His daughter told him
she knew all about the apple trees
and could point out the Black Twig
trees. Reaching the orchard hard
by she remarked: owe have two
kinds of Black rwigs, the little and
the big Paying no attention to this
information, Mr.. Twltty proceeded
to cut scions from all the trees indi-
Gated and mixed them. There the mis-
take was made, and mischief that has
caused all the subsequent confusion
and wrangling among fruit men.
j. "These mixed scions Mr.. Twitty
grated IN his nursery, and in due
time set a number of the trees in his
orchard; he also supplied Mr.. Heikes,
manager of the large Huntsville nur-
sery. with the mixed scions.
"When his trees fruited, he found
, that all except four of the trees bore
apples which he had always known
as Winesap. The four trees bore a
! large, beautiful and finely favored
E apple he lad never before seen, and
being ignorant of the fact that the
. Winesap apple in this section was
known by the name Of the Black
Twig, he at once concluded that the
strange apples on the four trees were
q the true Black Twig, and so entered
it in his catalogue and set the matter
right in his nursery row as regarded
its mixed condition.
, "After receiving this statement, |
: at once at once rode over to the
q Toole place. Again the Major was
. absent, but his daughter pointed out
+ the row of so-called Black Twig
! trees and the one Big Black Twlg
tree, as she did to Mr.. Twitty fifteen
. years before The Big Black Twig
tree was standing on mimture clay
knoll, formed by the washing away
:, of the soil from around the tree, leav-
= ing the roots bare. 1t had suffered
much from the ravages of time and
q storm, but showed vigorous growth
+ despite the poverty of the soil, by
/ throwing out numerous thrifty and
3 very black twigs from body and main
4 limbs. In answer to my question
; Miss Toole said that was the only
! tree of the kind they had ever had.
+. The tree was thought to be fifty
h years old, and had been sure bear
!, er, and it was the carrying of the
:. large and beautiful apples in his poe
}, ket by the old Major in order to ex
hiblt them to his neighbors tina
, brought them to the attention O
!. Judge Cowan. The Major called
d them the Black Twlg.
If 81 cut off a few twigs and rode a
D. way. still much puzzled, but had no
N gone mile when it flashed upon M
a. understanding as if by inspiration
g: the old tree is a seedlingl 1t haC
N doubtless been set as a Black Twig
d and been broken off at the grated
10 point, and sent up a sPrOut that hat
,T made the future tree from the roo
et grown from a seed taken from
at Wnesap apple that had been pollen