Historic Gardens of Virginia 



dren and grown people with their delicious fruits — these ripen con- 

 secutively from June until November. When covered with their 

 snowy veil of blossoms in the spring the trees looked like brides, 

 so I heard one of their beloved mistresses say. 



The next owners were a most devoted and flower-loving couple 

 who added much to the beauty and fruitfulness of the garden in 

 its variety of raspberries, peaches, pears, apples, and grapes. They 

 also added to the large number of figs planted by General Cocke. 

 How well I can remember those fig-bushes against the stone-wall! 

 They have been a joy to friends and relations far and near; those 

 visiting the family, or those dear ones near enough for the delicious 

 fruit to be transported in large or small containers. Most of the 

 late figs are gone now. All of the different kinds that are left are 

 buried six inches below the surface of the ground and staked down 

 about November 15th, to escape freezing weather. They are not 

 taken up again until the middle of April, which treatment assures 

 an abundance of fruit. 



Not very long before the War Between the States, a friend 

 sent General Cocke two scuppernong grapevines from North Caro- 

 lina. He sent them to his daughter, Mrs. Arthur Lee Brent, to 

 whom he had given Recess after the death of his son, John, who 

 died unmarried. Mrs. Brent planted them in the lower part of 

 the garden and they were busily running over the arbor in my 

 early childhood. They would have run riot all over the whole 

 garden by this time had they been permitted to do so. However, 

 loving hands restricted them and now they are not only beautiful 

 but have borne bushels of grapes, from which delightful wine 

 and jelly have been made. It was some years before the scupper- 

 nong vines began to bear at all, and when they did, at first they 

 produced but one grape at a time here and there; then two and 

 three came, until now they yield good sized bunches, which hide 

 themselves under the pretty leaves of the wonderful vine, giving 

 forth a very sweet odor. 



Another charming feature of the Recess garden of my child- 



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