A 
OUR GARDEN NEIGHBORS 
EVERY GARDEN MEADES Af HOME 
ARDEN 
M ONUMENTS to men and to deeds are too usual 
to excite more than passing comment, but a 
monument to a fruit is a distinction sufficiently 
rare to evoke genuine interest! On August eigh- 
teenth of this year horticulturists from many 
sections of the country gathered at Springwood Farm near 
York, Pennsylvania, to do honor to the “ York Imperial ” Apple 
at the site of its origin a hundred years ago. Here a monument 
was placed w'ith impressive dedicatory exercises conducted by 
the Pennsylvania State Horticultural Association. 
The origin of this Apple, like that of many of our best fruit 
varieties, seems to have been largely a matter of natural evolu- 
tion. The schoolboys of the early eighteen-hundreds, apparently 
afflicted with the same predatory instinct that prevails among 
THE YORK IMPERIAL APPLE 
WASFi«$r n>r*c atco ae*mit n-r> 
JONATHAN JESSOP 
THE MOST WIOCIV KNOW* 
PENMJ Y I.YaV.A U«»c.w A* I 
UNTAINTED IAWCEI.Y TO 
CULTURAL PROSPERITY OT 
A MONUMENT TO AN APPLE 
The York Imperial, which has so largely contributed to the hor- 
ticultural prosperity of the state of Pennsylvania, is thus honored 
by a monument erected at the place of its origin near York, Pa. 
schoolboys of to-day, were the first to discover its merits, and it 
was through their frequent early spring visits to a certain tree 
on the Johnson farm that attention was directed to this apple. 
Johnson, arousedby these schoolboy visitations, found fruit in fine 
condition which had wintered over on the ground with the slight 
protection of fallen leaves. Specimens were taken by him to a 
neighboring nurseryman, Jonathan Jessop, who propagated the 
stock. The apple, for some years known as “Johnson’s Fine 
Winter,” has become so popular that now in the state of Penn- 
sylvania alone there are more than eighteen thousand acres of 
“York Imperial” orchards worth in some cases as high as a 
thousand dollars an acre. The former yield of this same land 
when planted in wheat never reached a maximum of more than 
ninety dollars per acre. Pecuniarily Pennsylvania can well 
afford the cost of a bronze tablet upon a stone; the “York Im- 
perial ” has paid the price of its own monument many times over: 
but not always are men so thoughtful of the sources of their 
wealth — and health, if the adage: “an apple a day keeps the 
doctor away,” be rooted in truth, as we are inclined to think it is. 
From Pennsylvania the “York” has migrated to Maryland, 
the Virginias, and the middle Western States without detriment 
to its individual qualities. It is not adaptable to the upper belt 
of states. The fruit is rather a pretty one, as any smooth- 
skinned, carmine-streaked, rosy apple is apt to be, and under 
its surface prettiness harbors some very substantial charms for 
both grower and consumer. Its flesh is crisp, and somewhat 
aromatic, it is moderately tender and juicy, and exceptionally 
well-flavored, being slightly sub-acid at first, becoming almost 
sweet. Its excellent flavor and its keeping quality are perhaps 
its strongest claims on popular favor. An apple which success- 
fully winters over and is still good for eating purposes as late 
as May or even June is assuredly an apple for the home garden 
in its region of adaptation. As Prof. S. W. Fletcher of the 
Pennsylvania State College in his dedicatory tribute pertinently 
put it: “The York is not beautiful, like the Jonathan; not 
shapely, like the Rome; not rich-flavored, like the Stayman; not 
precocious in bearing, like the Duchess; but it is dependable. It 
can be counted on to fill the barrels. It has the solid, homely 
virtues of the common people. On many farms the York Im- 
perial Apple is the keystone in the arch of prosperity. It has 
paid off mortgages, built barns, sent the boys to college, in- 
stalled modern conveniences in the house and brought happiness 
and comfort to the home. Let us thank God for our friend, the 
York Imperial Apple. He gave it to us, unsought. Like the 
Baldwin Apple, the Concord Grape and other great varieties 
that have blessed the world, it was not the product of the plant 
breeder, but merely a chance seedling springing up in a neglected 
fence corner.” 
The tree itself, upright spreading in form, is a thrifty, vigor- 
ous grower under conditions in which it feels at home. It seems 
to prefer clay soils rather heavy in character, and seldom does 
its best in light, thin, or leachy soil. 
In erecting a permanent memorial to the “York Imperial 
160 
