The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1904-10-06

10 be of any value TO man. 1t is only
once in a million times that a really
good apple comes up as natural fruit,
The value to the world of such n
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 $200000O0O
We can bud and graft and cultivate,
but we cannot be sure Of propagating
a new apple.
The Wild Rose Sweeting was named
by Miss Alice Linderman, a young
lady from Philadelphia, who had come
TO our northern hill country in the vain
hope OF recovery from advanced lung
disease. She named II from the wild
rose tint on one cheek Of the apple,
The tree was discovered by Willis
Murch, a youthful neighhor, who kept
the secret of it to himself as long as
ne could for his own benefit He was
sufficiently generous to give some Of
ahe apples 20 Miss Linderman, but he
demanded a cent apiece from the rest
of US. lie even asked four cents apiece
after the fame Of the apples spread
abroad.
Fphe year after be discovered the tree
Willis carried a bushel to the county
fair, 9nd began peddling them at a
cent apiece. Nearly every one who
bought an apple came back for more.
willis raised the price to three and
-four cents. Presently n gentleman
who had bought two came back and
took the last ten in the basket at 81.
This fact shows better than any de-
scription could what a really luscious
apple 1t was. There was that in the
tiayor of it that impelled people to get
more at any cost. The Wild Rose
Sweeting more nearly resembled the
Sweet Harvey than any other apple
to which l can liken it.
The favor was like that Of the Sweet
Harvey thrice refined, perhaps rather
more like the August or Pear Sweeting,
and II melted on the palate like n
spoonful Of ice cream.
, 1t 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.
y oxford County, Maine, abounds in
wild apple trees. But looking about a
little. the farmer there can readily
pick up enough young trees growing
wild to set an orchard. They spring
up everywhere. For shis 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
Astounding in trout holes at the foot
of lodges aud large rocks.
At one time the land here was
cleared, but being stony and rough, II
mad been used for pasture, and was
partly overgrown with bushes. There
were thousands Of young wild apple
trees here, scrubby, .thorny, where cat
ale had browsed upon them.
> We all went fishing in this brook
spring, summer and fall, Far up the
valley, at q point where the brook
flowed over q ledge, there was a well
known hole. Willis Murch was fishing
there one afternoon in the latter par
of August, when he saw a red squire
carrying an apple in his mouth by tn,
stem, and coming out from some thicl
young hemlocks that grew along tn,
west bank OF the brook. He was sittinl
80 still that the squirrel ran close VI
to him; but when he suddenly thrus
out his hand, the animal dropped tn
apple and scudded away with a shril
CHECKER,
The apple rolled close to Willis feet
and be picked it up. Apples were com
mon enough, but this one looked S,
good that he rubbed 1t on his Slew
and bit It. Then his eyes opened ii
surprise, FOR this was no sour cider ap
pie, but far and away the best appl
he had ever tasted.
at must grow near here" he said t
himself, looking curiously around
"That squirrel didn't bring it far. I'll
stem Is all fresh, too. He has jus
gnawed it OFF the tree
Thereupon Willis began searching
He crept into the hemlocks on hand
and knees Presently he came upo
several other gnawed apples; but eve
with this clue, he was half an hou
finding the tree. There we're four O
five huge rocks back from the broo
among the thick bemlocks At last h
crawed in past two Of these that stoo
together and came upon the appl
itfco ina little sheltered amphltheatr,
1t was ut the foot Of another larg
rock, .weye or fifteen feet high. shat
ed by the green hemlock boughs. .