Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-09

<AAAiiy Uut 10 ~ permit. a WluUME Win y du
actual net income not exceeding $3.50 a
year" to obtain pension provided she
furnishes proof of her husbands death
and establishes the fact that he was a
veteran. AT present widows OF veter-
ans are barred from the benefits OF the
law II they have an income of $9s a year.
The bill. having been slightly amended.
must go back to the senate, but there
will be no objection to its passage at
this session.
TIE CONCORD GRAPE MEMORIAL.
Country Gentlernan.l
A meeting unique in character and pee
5culiarly interesting to all horticulturists
was held at Concord. Mass, April Is. It
was In honor Of Ephraim w. Bull. or
iginator of the Concord grape, and was
held in the cottage where he lived
which Mrs. David Lothrop, neighbor
and friend. has remodeled and fur
nished as a memorial of the man and his
Work, having purchased the little twelve
acre estate for that purpose. 1t may be
mentioned that the place once belonged
to John Hoar, ancestor of the present
senator of that name, also resident of
Concord.
Mr.. r. b. Sanborn presided, and TAX
ing for his text some stirring events In
the life of the elder Hoar, managed to
say rather more about the present polit-
zeal situation from Massachusetts
point of view than he did about Mr..
Bull However, this was made up for!
ny the "reminiscences and letters from a
number of prominent people
'fhe central point of interest was of
course the original Concord grapevine,
now enclosed in a high green lattice.
Esurmounted by memorial urns. We
should have been glad of more details
of its appearance and condition than
the Boston Herald has given us. On an
yoaken tablet are these words OF Mr..
Bulls account OF the origin of the Con-
cord:
Il looked about to see what could
find among our wildlngs to begin with
The next thing to do was to find the best
and earliest grape for seed, and this L
found in an accidental Seeding at the
foot Of the hill aforesaid The crop was
abundant and ripe in August. and of
very good quality Of wild grape. 1 sowed
the seed in the autumn of 1s43 Among
them the Concord was the only one
worth saving.
'EPHRAIM WALES BULL"
The house has been carefully remod-
seled. decorated and furnished, preaerv-
ing IKE original lines and character, the.
wsie scheme being Mrs Lothrops own.
All the floors are hardwood. An old
colonial staircase winds up from the IL
ibrary. formerly Mr.. Bulls bedroom, and
a Dutch door opposite opens on wide
piazza. The drawing room is az large
as the original house, lighted by four
windows. and has a large old -fashioned
fireplace, such as the early settlers used
10 enjoy. Over this is set of photo
graphs Of Mr.. Bull and his garden at
various periods. Attached is the follow
ing quotations:
confess did not expectsto arrive at
so great a success so soon. but when III
had the good fortune to find the Concord
among the first crop of seedlings, the
thought daWned upon me that in the
perhaps far-off future higher success
awaited the cuitivator, who had the pa
ttience to wait, had almost said the.
courage to venture. for ! WAS sensible
that any attempt to improve. the wild
grape would be considered an imputa-
ton upon the Judgment and sagacity of
the operator Fully aware Of this L kept
my own counsel, and II had not sue
sceeded, nobody would have known that
4 had ever ventured.
The dining room. opening out Of the.
parlor, contains china closet filled with
rare old china. a colonial bow-window,
and Mr.. Bulls old arm chair. Over the.
mantel is another quotation from Mr..
Bulls statement.
Final summing up Of thirty-seven
years work from over $4,000 seedlings.
stwentE-one grapes, which in the light
of todayI consider valuable. had at
one time 125 vines which | thought
Worth saving, but, grown more critical
with every new success, j have discard
ed most of them"
Back of the dining room is a large
snug kitchen and convenient pantry.
Upstairs are the sleeping rooms, each
finished in some delicate tint. One
blooms, like an orchard in spring, With
apple blossoms: another has wild roses;
a third. Niolets. In the front room.
downstairs. the paper nearly duplicates
that which was on the. walls In Mr..
Bulls time-immense rose blossoms. He
used to call lit Rose Cottage" The
dining room is rose pink: the library,
,oliNe-green and white.
MIR. Bull learned the goldbeaters trade
in youth, and set UP In business in Bos-
tor. But i'll health drove him to the.
country. and going to Concord he set
tied next to a brother who occupied the
now famous "Wayside.' about 1896. The
pine belt and other healthful surround
lngs proved of great benefit. In the
autumn of 1919 Mr. Bull sowed the seed
5that produced the Concord grape, but
it was not put on the market till 1856 In;
that year he received a silver trophy
from the Massachusetts horticultural
Society. and in 1874 gold medal. The
state board OF agriculture gave him a
silver piece in 1872 for collection of
seedlings. He served on this board
twelve years and in the legislature two
years. Among his lifelong friends was
Prof. Agassiz. before whose class he de-
livered three lectures on grapes and
in 1865. Hawthorne
while living at the Nayside was his in
innate friend and spent many hours in
his house and garden. for Mr.. Bull was
a philosopher and student as we'll as a
grower of grapes. Many Of his neigh
bors delighted in his Kindly manners,
keen, alert mind and bright, cheerful
conversation. With advancing age, Mr..
Bull was less able to manage things
profttably and his good friend Judge
lockwood Hoar bought the. place. Mr.
Bull continuing to make Ii his home In