29i STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SEVENTY YEARS IN HORTICCTLTURE. 



My paper is quoted 50 years ago, but I will change it to 70, for I 

 can well reroember that, when about seven years old, I saw the men 

 bury some sweet pippin apples in the garden late in the fall. There 

 were still some of the same kind of apples on the trees, which I 

 gathered and buried also. Not as they did, but after my own plan? 

 simply digging a hole in the ground, putting the apples in and cover- 

 ing with earth. 



The following spring, when the other buried apples were taken out 

 and used, and gardening commenced, I went into the garden just as 

 they came across my apples, which 1 had forgotten. The first thing I 

 was among the men claiming the fruit, which they refused to give me, 

 and were not willing to give me even a part. Then the bugle sounded 

 for battle. Whether it was a spade or rake that I made the attack 

 with I don't remember, but do remember that some of them would 

 have been hurt if my mother had not just then came upon the scene,, 

 who accomplished a compromise by giving me half. 



And now I will relate a singular affair in relation to this apple. I 

 had not seen one for 60 years until a few months ago a friend of mine,. 

 U. J. Hutchinson, of Long Lane, Mo., sent me a specimen, which re- 

 called the above affair, the first horticultural operation I recollect of- 



My early surroundings— I was born and mostly reared six miles 

 southeast of Lmcaster City, Lmcaster county, P^nn. The house was 

 about 60 feet long, built of limestone rock. The east end was three 

 stories high, which was built on sloping ground, thus requiring terrace 

 walls for the yard and girden. Southeast from the east side of the 

 terrace wall there were two vines of golden chassaleas grapes that 

 were laid down in winter and covered. In the spring they were tied 

 up against the wall and trellised above. Had we then known how tO" 

 avoid mildew and rot, these vines would have been a success, but as 

 it was, we seldom got any ripe fruit. The last time we put them down,, 

 when to be uncovered the next spring after, there was nothing left.^ 

 The stump-tailed mice and rats had eaten root and vine, nothing left. 

 On this terrace were apricot trees, which sometimes gave us fruit, but 

 not often. In a corner of the garden was a purple magnum bonum 

 plum tree, the fruit of which never ripened. We called it getting^ 

 wormy, not knowing anything of the curculio then. In the house yard, 

 when the ground was nearly bare, we had a prune tree, and a yellow 

 gage, ihat seldom failed giving crops of superior fruit. I can remem- 



