The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-08-26


he budded, or grated and cultivated
to be OF any value to man. 1t is only
snce I'm a million times that really
good apple comes up as natural fruit
The value TO the world of such a
choice apple may be enormous. The
Baldwin, for example. which first ap-
pears growing wild in a Massachusetts,
town, could hardly be reckOned to
day as worth less than 100000 900.
We can bud and graft and cultivate,
but we cannot be sure Of prOpagating
new apple.
The Wild Rose Sweeting was named
by Miss Alice Linderman. young
lady from Philadelphia. who had come
To our northern hill country in the vain
hope OF recovery from advanced lung
disease. She named it from the wild
rose tint on one cheek Of the apple.
The tree was discovered by Willis
Murch. a youthful neighbor, who kept
the secret OF it to himself as long as
he could for his own benefit. He was
sufficiently generous to give some Of
the apples 20 Miss Linderman, but he
demanded a cent apiece from the rest
VI us. He even asked four cents apiece
after the fame of the apples spread
abroad.
The year after he discovered the tree
Willis carried a bushel 10 the county
fair. and began peddling them at q
cent apiece. Nearly every one who
bought an apple came back for more.
Willis raised the price to three and
four cents. Presently gentleman
who had bought two came back and
took the last ten i'm the basket at 81.
This fact shows better than any de-
scription could what really luscious
apple II was. There was that in the
Havor Of IL that impelled people TO get
more at any cost. The Wild Rose
sweeting more nearly resembled the
Sweet Harvey than any other apple
60 which ! can lken it,
The flavor was like thai of the Sweet
Harvey thrice refined, perhaps rather
more like the August or Pear Sweeting
and It melted on the palate like a
spoonful OF ice cream.
II will not seem strange to those who
Know something Of the apple belt of
New England that apple trees. even
good ones, should be discovered grow
ing wild in back pastures and seclud-
ed openings in the woods.
oxford County, Maine, abounds in
wild apple trees. But looking about
little, the farmer there can readily
pick up enough young trees growing
wild to set an orchard. They spring
mp everywhere. For this is one of the
worlds natural apple regions. West,
north and northeast of our neighbor-
hood rose irregular, wooded hills; and
extending back among them was a
valley, down which ran a brook
sboundlng In trout holes at the foot
OF ledges and large rocks.
At one time the land here was
cleared but being stony and rough, il
had been used for pasture. and was
partly overgrown with bushes. There
were thousands OF young wild apple
trees here, scrubby, thorny. where cat
Tie 0Hu DTOWSpu upon IllPHls
We all went fishing in this brook.
spring, summer and fall. Far up the
valley, at a point where tho brook
towed over ledge there was well
known hole. Willis Murch was fishing
there one afternoon in the latter part
of August. when he saw red squirrel
carrying IN apple in his mouth by the
stem, and coming out from some thick
young hemlocks that grew along the
west bank of the brook. He was sitting
20 still that the squirrel ran close up
a. him; but when he suddenly thrust
out his hand, the animal dropped the
apple and scudded away with a shrill
chicken!
The apple rolled close to Willis feet,
snd he picked il up Apples were COM
mon enough, but this one looked SO
good that he rubbed it on his sleeve
and bit it. Then his eyes opened in
surprise, for this was no sour cider APP
pie, but far and away the best apple
ne had ever tasted
"It must grow near here" he said to
himself, looking curiously around.
THAT squirrel didn't bring IT far The
stem is all fresh, too. He has just
gnawed it Off the tree"
Thcreupon Willis began searching.
He crept into the hemlockS on hands
snd knees. Presently he came upon
several other gnawcd apples; but even
with this clue. he was half an hour
finding the tree There were four or
five huge rocks back from the brook
among the thick hemlockS. At last he
erawled in past two of these that stood
together and came upon the apple
tree, in little sheltered amphitheatre
IL was at the foot OF another large
rock, twelve or fifteen feet high. shad
ed by the green hemlock boughs. A
tiny spring oozed out at the foot OF the
rock; and hese this apple tree had
grown up. unmatched and undiscov
cred save 10y the squirrels and birds
The tree was n thrifty one. Tn,
trunk had attained n diameter OF siy
inches; and when Willis found IL ther,
were. he says four or five bushels o.
those delicious Swcetings. now jus
beginning TO rlpen. Willis first ate al
he desired. then took Oft his coat mad,
q bag OF IL. and shook down the ripes
Of the apples to carry home to his fam
fly and the neighboring boys and girls
Wont they smack their lips h
said to himself. Won't they be u
here for more"'
But on the way he took secon
thought, and craft entered his hear