The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-08-29
THE FRIENDLY APPLE.
From The .Etna MONTHLY.

The apple is friendly fruit. There is
no other so closely allied to our everyday
life. or 50 delightfully."- interviewer with the
history of the Race
Men Of science tell us that the Order Of
Rosacee, which claimed the apple as Its
crowning glory appeared on our earth just
before the birth of Man, so that when
Adam and Eve set up housekeeping in the
Garden Of Eden they found it waiting for
them
No wonder poor Eve was charmed with
its glowing beauty, and could well believe
that because it was so pleasant to the eye
it would be also pleasant to the taste, and
that the Tempter might be trusted when
he said Thou shalt not surely die.
Thus early in the history of the Race be-
gan the everlasting strife between Thou
Shalt and Thou Shalt Not.
Well may we call it the friendly ap-
ple What other fruit 80 faithful to Us
through all the passing year Beginning
with spring days aud fairy blossoms,
through the short life Of the Early Hary
est. on 10 the fragrant Rambo. the Golden
Bellaower and Pippin, and spicy Baldwin,
the richer varieties Of early winter, Ben
Davis. aud Winesap, and Northern Spy,
and Timber Twig. while last Of all, most
faithful and admired, the ruddy Romantic
aud dusky RusSet. to tide rs over until
apples come again
In James Lane Allen marvellous
Hemp we read how the kentuckians
wandered into new territories, carrying
thrir hemp seed with them. and soon made
Of Young Missouri the second hemp-pro-
ducing State in the Union But with
the Civil War began the leng decline, last
ing until today. The record stands that
throughout the more than one hundred
and twenty i've years from the entrance Of
the Anglo Saxon farmers into the wilder
ne,s. few counties Of Kentucky and
Missouri have furnished army and navy Of
the entire country with all but a small part
oC the entire hemp consumed Little,
comparatively, l. produced there now.
The traveller may still see it, here and
there, crownius thuse ever. renewing, self
renewing. inexhaustible fields Could
David once more walk, bouyant and
strong. over the earth that was 30 kind TO
him, he would find those rich Missouri
hemp lands covered with apple orchards
For il va. found that the land ON which
the dark green plant was once 80 luxurious
was exactly suited 10 the taste Of the poor
maa fruit. the homely. friendly apple.
over the hills and plains where our grand
fathers raised hemp, for making the ropes
aud sail, that fitted out warlike navy, are
scattered the vines and fruit trees Of their
happier descendants
This land that once received It's baptism
Of blood nov smiles beneath the wings of
peace, aud the hemp, symbol Of conflict
has gwen place to the apple, friend Of all
mankind
Around the apple clusters many a fable
and tradition Every sehoolboy knows the
story Of Ems. who, simply because she was
not invited to a wedding feast, came in and
threw down an apple marked ''To the
Fairtst. over which Juno aud Venus and
Minerva qaarreled, and 50 caused the Tro-
ian var with all its terrible consequences.
According to Homer, apples We're among
the fruits that tormented poor Tantalus,
the wind ever blowing the boughs away
from him
In the Prose Edda we read of lduna,
who keeps apples in box, 80 that when
ans Of the gods feel old age approaching he
eats one, and becomes young again. 1t
was an apple that William Tell shot from
the head of his sou.
Il was an apple that caused Newton to
think Of Nature great law,
\ spray Of apple blossoms was by the
ancients awarded to the best singer
Ii has been found that the apple was
part Of the treasures Of those strange Lake
DweIlers, older than Greece and Rome.
Coming down to our own century, We
are reminded of the apple tree Of Apo
mattox which shaded the two great gener-
ais Grant and Lee when they concluded the
Civil War. and ushered in the new dawn
Of Peace.
An enthusiastic writer tells of tree in
Connecticut that lived more than one hun
dred years, aud on its one hundredth birth
day bore one hundred bushels of apples.
The name of the Baldwin apple is
familiar to US, but how many know that its
admirers have erected a monument on the
site Of the original tree
The Bible mentions the apple in several
places, always in terms Of love and praise.
!, As the apple tree among the trees Of the
wood so is my beloved among the sons of
men. Stay me with fagons, and COM
fort me with apples,
Apples of gold in pictures Of silver"
And we think Of the apple when we read
of the tree by the River Of Life that bears
twelve manner Of fruit, and of that tree
..the leaves whereof are for the healing of
nations
Too well do We remember the fatal ap-
pie that tempted our common Mother in
the garden.
Thoreau tells about some quaint old
English customs and sayings connected with
the apple '.On Christmas Eve the farm
ers and their men take large bowl of cider
with toast in it, and, carrying it in state to
the orchard, they salute the apple trees
with much ceremony in order to make
them bear well the next season. This
salutation consists in throwing some of the
cider about the roots of the tree, placing
bits of toast on the branches, and then en-
circling one of the best bearing trees in the
orchard they drink the following toast,
three times over
Here's to thee, old apple tree,
Whence thou mayst bud and whence thou
mayst blew,
And whence thou mayst bear apples enow
Hats full, caps full
Bushel, bushel, sacks full
And my pockets full, too ! Hurra =
Also what was called "apple bowling
was a New Years custom. A troop of
boys visited the different orchards, and
dancing round the trees shouted these
words;