The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-15

",
the exquisite rose in crystal vase on the
{ drawing-room table to the comfortable red
. checked apple in a rough basket on the
: kitchen table. but the apple belongs to the
noble rose family. and stands second only
TO the rose in beauty and fragrance. Chron-
icles agree that Of all fruits grown in this
country the apple Is the most valuable. 1t
IL the fruit of the rich and the poor, and
can be cultivated in more than three hun
dred thousand square miles of the United
States. In its wild state the apple is a
native Of this country, the wild crabapple
Of Virginia being recorded In the earliest
( histories for it's delightful odor and bloom.
! when the ArabeIla first dropped anchor
on Cape Anr," says Martha Bockee Flint
! the recluse. Blackstone. had already apple
I trees growing about his cabin on Shawmut
4 neck" To Long island settlements of the
Huguenots. In 1850. America owes also
some Of its best apples, and red pippins
were noted in the old Massachusetts, alma
/ macs Of 1876. Old Rome knew twenty-five
! kinds OF apples. but modern America
counts her esteemed varieties by the thou
: sands. There Is no climate in the world in
, which the apple is brought to such perfec-
/ ton as in America, and Eastern fruit
1 growers admit that the best Eastern apples
: grown on the soil Of southern Indiana,
Ohio. Kentucky and Illinois are notably
! superior in quality. In 1927 Timothy Flint
( wrote OF the middle West. fruits of all
kinds ara raised In the greatest profusion
and apples are plenty as in any part Of
/ the Atlantic country" Next to the corn
{ field in the clearing. the earliest care of the
, pioneer was the apple orchard. American
apples are now largely exported to Eng
land and other countries and readily sold
at high prices. Ii former years APPLE
! growing was a mere side issue. the old
! family apple orchard containing from one
60 ten acres: now 1t is a gigantic and
!: profitable business, thousand-acre apple
orchards beirg planted from Maine to Cali
fornia- In 1862 the United States shipped
about 66,7S7 barrels Of apples. but In Octo-
I. Der. 1903. the million-barrel mark of apple
I expectation had already been passed. AS
far back as ESQ America exported to Eng
land alone more than million barrels of
apples: in 1897 the top-notch OF two mil
lion barrels reached British ports from the
I: States. American apple consignments to
England have declined since then, as the
mother country now obtains apples from
Canada, Australia, Russia and Africa. The
immensely OF Americas foreign apple
peddlins opened the eyes OF other countries
TO the great field Of orchard profit.
In common with the whole world Of fruit
growers. Indiana came slowly to the front
az a great apple State. At the first State
fair. In 1852. but one premium on apples
twas paid. the same being received by John
80. Pivvey. in Marion county. In 1s4S, APP
piles were IS cents per bushel. with peaches
go cents Wayne county apples were IL
cents a bushel: Bartholomew. 10 cents;
kOrange county. 37la cents;> Greene county,
80 cents: White county. 50 cents, and Noble
county apples were 81 bushel. with
Speaches at Is cents. Henry Ward Beecher's
fwestern Farmer. OF 1876. was great friend
sto apple culture in Indiana, and devoted
smany pages to the discussion OF various
tkinds OF apples with suggested remedies for
blight and insects When Mr.. Beecher
met with new apple he Intercepted men,
jbocks and papers until he knew all about
st. but there Is one answer" he says,
i"that I never can get until I bite the
Strut" In the Star Papers" also, he
.descants on the apple. describing the JOY of
children In the country who fire apples
from a sharpened timber stick" or pick
up basketsful OF the brilliant fruit in COM
,petition with the hired men" Mr.. Beecher
swas once pent all day at little western
Anew York railway station. awaiting a
ssnow-bound train. 1T was a great day
tfor the apple-boys." he wrote. The APP
spis boys care In at intervals with dis
scourasing news OF the distant train. and
sthe disconsoIate passengers sighed and
f~comforted themselves with apples"
"A to the best apple to keep. to eat and