The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-02-12
MAQUOKETA, IOWA.
Letter From Rev. George B.
Shoemaker.


There is nothing blue about this
day, however, except the blue
sky. The sun shines brightly,
the snow is gone, the streets are
sloppy, and the thermometer is
above the freezing point.
This has been a very mild win
ter in this part of Iowa. Since
the cold snap at Christmas time,
the weather has been mild
scarcely reaching zero at any
time. The grounding has been
seeing his shadow all day, and
has, no doubt, hied him back to
his nest for his six weeks sleep.
We may look for cold weather for
six weeks; and, then, an early
spring. To be able to have your
window up in your sleeping room
in Iowa during the month of Jan
uary, is an experience we have
not often had.
At a recent missionary dinner
held by the Reformed church of
our city, 1 met an old Berks
county Pennsylvania. We had
quite visit. | tested him some
on his knowledge of the old Key.
stone state and her ways, and
found he was genuine. He knew
about apple butter, fitch, sauer
kraut and backbone, snits and
knep, smear case (?, &C., and l
voted him the right to be called a
Pennsylvania.
The pastor of the Reformed
church is man by the name of
Boomershine. In our conversa-
ton, it came out that he was a
classmate of the pa stOr of the Re-
formed church of McConnells-
burg, Rev. G. M. Smith. Mr..
Boomershine has had a very sue
cessful pastorate here of about
eight years. l think his class
mate is doing we'll in the old home
town.
iowa has but few, if any good
winter apples. The trees do not
stand the severity of our winter.
We are dependent on New York
and Michigan for our winter ap-
Piles. Nurserymen are constant
ly looking for native fruit trees
(seedlings) that will live and pro-
duce winter fruit.
Since coming here, l have
found a tree in this town that
gives great promise of good
Iowa winter apple. The tree is a
Seeding, and is twenty-five years
old. Has been bearing fruit for
eleven years. 1t is perfectly
healthy and bears each year, last
year it yielded twenty bushels of
fruit The apple keeps well un-
til spring, Gf you don't eat them
before), is a good cooker. and one
of the best tasted apples I have
ever eaten. In fact, it makes me
think of tie apples I used to eat
picked from the old Rambo tree
in the lot formerly owned by my
father, in McConnellsburg, and
which, no doubt, the family of the
editor of the News, enjoy when
there are any. We have named
the apple "Grigg's Seeding, "
and nurseryman at Iowa Falls
is going to propagate the fruit. l
am hopeful that good winter ap'
pie for all Iowa will come from
this venture. / have been buy
ing apples lately by weight in
stead of measure. What do you
think of that Doesn't it seem
fair?
| begin tonight a series of pro
tracted meetings. | want to ask
all my old friends and all Chris
tians who may read this, to re
member us in prayer. Ask God
to save many souls in and around
Maquoketa. Will it be asking toe
much for the lovers of God, who
are my friends, to unite as near
the hour of ten a. m. as they can
each day for Gods blessing upon
us, and for great awakening
There comes TO me now q revela
tion in tue form of a vision, (per
haps the wish is father to the
thought, and in the vision l SEE
my brother VIII, DR.. Teeter, A
u. Mace, John Sheets, George