The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-10-07

~ We VI ally fdlue ~ uldn. II is only
once in a million times that a 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, when first an
pears growing wild in Massachusetts
town, could hardly be reckoned to-
day as worth less than 5000 600. 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. 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 it from the wild
rose tint Oh one cheek of the apple.
The tree was discovered by Willis
Murch, youthful neightor, who kept
the secret of it to himself as long as
he could for his cwn benefit. He was
sufficiently generous to give some OF
the apples % Miss Linderman, but he
demanded cent apiece from the rest
OF US. He even asked four cents apiece
after the fame of the apples spread
abroad.
The year after he discovered The tree
Willis carried bushel to the county
fair, and began peddling them at
cent apiece. Nearly every one who
bought an apple came back for more.
Willis raised the price to three and
four cents. Presently q 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 really luscious
apple it was. There was that in the
favor Of it that impelied people to get
more at any cost. The Wild Rose
Sweeting more nearly reSembled the
Sweet Harvey than any other apple
to which 1 can liken it.
The flavor was like that 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.
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.
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 i
UP everywhere. For :his 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 brook
Astounding in trout hGles at the foot
of lodges and large rocks.
At one time the land here was
cleared, but being stoay and rough, it
had been used for pasture, and was
partly oyergrown with bushes. There
were thousands Of young wild apple
trees here, scrubby, thorny, where cat
tie had browsed upon them.
We all went fishing in this brook,
spring, summer and fall. Far UP the
valley, at point where the brook
flowed over ledge, there was a we'll
known hole. Willis Murch was fishing
there one afternoon in the latter part
of August. when he saw red squirrel
carrying an 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
so still that the squirrel ran close up
to him; but when lie suddenly thrust
out his hand, the animal dropped the
apple and scudded away with a shrill
chicken!
The apple rolled close to Willis feet,
and he picked it up. Apples were com
mon enough, but this one looked 50
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
he had ever tasted.
''It must grow near here" he said to
himself looking curiously around
'1rhat squirrel didn't bring it far. The
stem is all fresh. too. He has just
gnawed it off the tree"
Thereupon Willis began searching. s
He crcpt into the hemlocks OF hands s
and knees. Presently he came upon {
several other gnawed apples; but even ;
with this clue, he was half an hour 4;
finding the tree. There were four or 1
five huge rocks back from the brook t
amons the thick hemlocks. At last lie
Mawlod in past two of these that stood
together and came upon the apple
tree. in little sheltered amphitheatre.
IL was Mt the foot of another large |