30 THE HORTICULTURE OF 



on, we find that lie was largely interested in the 

 manufacture of " Sider." From 1740 to 1749, we find 

 the Reverend Thomas Prince, minister of the Old South 

 Church, annually charged with from three to five 

 barrels of " Sider " for several years, and that in April 

 24th, 1749, Mr. Seaver credited him with "Thirty 

 Pounds in Cash, old tenor in part, for Sundries." 



From the preceding extracts we may infer that an 

 abundance of apples was raised at that time. The old 

 and new cider mills are remembered by Mrs. Parker, a 

 daughter of " Squire Seaver," who, at an advanced age, 

 still lives in the old house. Large heaps of fragrant 

 apples lay outside of the mill in the autumn, and during 

 the second Ebenezer Seaver's day, a little more than a 

 hundred years ago, the bears were attracted to them 

 from the " Rocky Wilderness Land " that lay to the 

 southwest, towards what is now Forest Hills. Upon 

 one occasion his bearship lingered tasting till he was 

 discovered. Mr. Seaver and his neighbors gave chase, 

 and finally captured him on the marsh land in Dor- 

 chester in the vicinity of what is now Crescent Avenue. 

 The neighbors were invited to a feast in honor of the 

 occasion, at Mr. Seaver's house, the bear furnishing 

 the chief dish as well as a steak for each guest to take 

 home. 



Mrs. Parker remembers several large ancient pear 

 trees that stood on the home lot and were old and vig- 

 orous when she was young. An Orange and a Minot 

 pear tree of great size in the trunk, and an excellent 

 pear for cooking, and a Gennetin pear tree still remain 

 on the lawn, whose age none can remember, which bears 

 two or three bushels yearly of its small, early fruit. 

 During the period of Ebenezer Seaver's service in Con- 

 gress, which ended in 1813, Col. Matlock, a gentleman 

 he met there, gave him some scions from the original 



