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Show . Jot (W-w.Mm 1k M " Wls s mfXi liffl" 1 '"'J'i J,v.a'Va " " 1 . BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON K-iif F EVER America adopts a patron Lip I saint for Arbor day, which Is being ""served in many states this month r1 p 5s ('he date is set by governor's proc-S'-t lamation in each state and therefore. TSiSj'il varies), that saint undoubtedly will ii J tjjjg he the picturesque figure who went jiag!Etiai up and down the land in the early part of the Nineteenth century as a personification of the spirit of Arbor day "Plant trees 1" Johnathan Chapman was his name, but the early settlers knew him as "Johnny Apple-Beed," Apple-Beed," or "Appleseed Johnny." For Chapman, the first exponent of Arbor day, made It his life work to plant apple trees, and the settlers who came Into new territory and were welcomed there by the sight of apple trees laden with fragrant blossoms blos-soms were given to exclaiming, "Johnny Apple-seed Apple-seed has been here before us !" Johnny Appleseed was not only one of the most picturesque figures in the history of the American frontier, but he was also something of a man of mystery. Around his name there has gathered such a maze of myth and legend that It is difficult to determine Just how much of the Information about him Is fact and how much is fiction. There is one romantic story which professes pro-fesses to give the reason for his devoting his life to planting apple trees. According to this story,. Chapman as a young man on the Ohio frontier was engaged to marry a beautiful young girl who lived with her father in "a cabin In the clearing' In the Ohio wilderness. Once during Chapman's absence the girl fell III. The only hope for her recovery lay in the Juices of fresh fruits, but In all the forest which surrounded her father's cabin there were no fruit trees. So the girl died. When Chapman returned to find his sweetheart dead he was grief-stricken and enraged against the cruelty of the wilderness which had withheld the only thing that would have saved her life. In the bitterness bit-terness of his sorrow he plunged Into the wilderness wilder-ness resolved to plant apple trees so that no one should ever lack for the fruit that had meant so much to his happiness. Now, this Is a very pretty little story,, but unfortunately un-fortunately there Is little foundation of fact for It. The known facts about Chapman's life are these: He was born In Springfield, Mass., 1775. In 1794 he established a farm at Pittsburg Landing, Pa., and planted an apple orchard. To emigrants on their way west, who stopped at Pittsburg Landing. Chapman became a familiar figure. He would Invariably In-variably present each family with a package of apple seeds and urge them to plant the seeds as soon as they had found their new homes In the west. As there were not enough seeds on his place to supply all the pioneers, Johnny went from farm to farm to buy more. His farmer friends regarded him as somewhat "queer," but the emigrants were glad enough to receive his offerings. In 1709 Johnny appeared as a wanderer in the valley of the Potomac. In the summer of 1800 he was again In western Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1S00 a woman living on the banks of the Ohio river near what is now the city of Steubenville saw crazy-looking craft floating down the river. It was made of two canoes lashed together and heavily laden with bags. On top of them sat a wild-looking man, clad In ragged clothes and wearing a broad brimmed hat John Appleseed was setting forth upon his great adventure! adven-ture! For the bags contained apple seeds which he had gathered from the cider presses of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, and he was starting out as the advance guard of the wave of pioneer settlement which was then Just beginning to pour Into the fertile valleys of Ohio. Johnny's idea was to plant his apple eeeds so that the trees would be growing there when the settlers arrived. The chronology of Johnny's life from this point on Is somewhat uncertain. It Is known that he established a nursery at Marietta, Ohio, and that he used this place as the base for his operations. He wandered from place to place In Ohio, planting Ms seeds and caring for the trees already growing. His travels carried him Into Indiana, and even to Illinois, where, on a road leading Into St. Louis, there still stands an orchard which he planted. Frequently he revisited the cider mills of Pennsylvania Pennsyl-vania and Ohio to get more seeds which he would wash free of pulp, sort and sew Into deerskin bags. These bags he presented to emigrants as they continued to pour Into the farther regions of the rich Mississippi valley and some of these tiny bags are still the treasured possessions of descendants of the pioneers who profited by Johnny' bounty. Occasionally word drifted back to Marietta that the trees which he had planted were not doing well, or that the settlers, busy with putting In their food crop, were neglecting to plant the apple seeds which Johnny had given them, so he would set out again on his career of "Horticultural "Horticul-tural Evangelist." Johnny started four nurseries In Ohio. They were situated near the present cities of Mansfield, Ashland, Salem and Delaware. He Is said to have established more than a hundred subnurserles In various parts of the Ohio valley and there Is no way of telling how mnny thousands thou-sands of fruit trees he started during the course of his forty years of wandering. As Ohio began to settle up he spent more- and more of his time further west In Indiana and Illinois, and it is more than likely that he crossed the Mississippi Into Missouri and that some of the orchards In that state owe their origin to this queer genius. With nothing more than an ax, a hatchet and a hoe he would seek out a protected spot among the trees near a stream and there dig up the soil until It was thoroughly pulverized. Then he would plant thousands of apple, peach and pear seeds and build a brush fence around the Infant nursery to keep away deer and other grazing animals. When the settlers arrived they had only to dig up the apple seedlings and replant them,' when they had established their homes, to start an orchard. Johnny planted other things besides apple trees in the wilderness. Small fruits such as grapes and berries he scattered through the forests. Tlanting trees was not the only activity In the Odyssey of Johnny Appleseed. He was always a welcome visitor in the log cabins of the settlers for he always carried a Bible and some books from which he would read and preach to them as they sat before their blazing flrepluces in the evening. eve-ning. Johnnie practiced his teachings of humility and kindliness. He never killed anything for food. He carried a kit of cooking utensils, Including a mush pan, which he sometimes wore as a hat. Usually he wore a broad-brimmed black hat, but this was about the only article of clothing In which he bowed to convention. He was clad In a rngged shirt which, loosened about his waist, served also as a traveling bag In which he carried various articles. He usually wore two or three pairs of trousers, one over the other, so that the holes wouldn't show, and his cloak was a common gunny Back with holes cut for the head and sleeves. Most of the time he went barefoot in winter as well as la summer. No wonder the white men called him "queer 1" But the Indians said "He has been touched by the Great Spirit," and he was as welcome wel-come In their lodges as In the cabins of the whites. This fact made Johnny Appleseed an especially Important figure in the early history of the Ohio valley. He frequently gave the settlers warning of Indian raids and In this manner doubtless saved hundreds of lives. During the War of 1812 when the British and Indians were overrunning Ohio Johnny repeatedly warned the Americans of approaching danger. At one time the Indians killed a man In Richland county and the residents of Mansfield fled to the block house In the town public square. The danger of a general massacre seemed Imminent and It was Imperative that some one go to Mount Vernon, several miles away, and summon the troops which were stationed there. Johnny Appleseed volunteered to make his . way through the Indians who were swarmloa around the place. Barefooted and bareheaded, ha , set out In the night for Mount Vernon and arrived there safely after visiting several cabins en route and warning their Inhabitants of their danger. When he returned to Mansfield It was with a sufficient suf-ficient force to overawe the Indians and prevent the attack. Johnny Appleseed ended his days on the soil of Indiana. He died at the home of a friend In Fort Wayne In 1847, and was buried In what Is known as the Archer cemetery near that city. For many years his grave was neglected, and Johnny Apple-seed, Apple-seed, himself, was aInost forgotten. However, a few years ago the Indiana" and Ohio. Horticultural societies decided that something should be done to recognize, his services to mankind. As a result of their Investigations his grave was located and an iron fence built around the spot. A monument to his memory was also erected In one of tin principal parks of Fort Wayne. Ohio also has pal6 him tribute in a monument which was erected at Mansfield by the Ohio Horticultural society, and (he organization of the John Chapman Memorial Association of Ohio, devoted to marking places where Johnny's apple seeds served as the basis for establishing farm centers. Illinois also has honored hon-ored him. Last year the Johnny Appleseed Sesqui-centennial Sesqui-centennial committee, composed of representatives from thirly-slx different organizations, set out an orchard of one hundred and . fifty apple trees In Thatcher woods In the Cook county forest pre-serve, pre-serve, near Chicago, at which time special exercises exer-cises in honor of Johnny Appleseed were held. One of the tree planters was Mrs. Ada Chapman Atchison of St. Louis, a descendant of Johnny Appleseed, and another was Mrs. Florence Ketchum Colbert of Chicago, a descendant of Elder William Brewster of Mayflower fame, who Is said to have planted the first apple tree In New England and from one of whose trees Johnny Appleseed Is said to have obtained his first seeds. Johnny Appleseed Is dead these many years, but . truly his "soul goes marching on." His memory Is unconsciously recalled each year when school children do for future generations what Johnny did for thei plant trees on Arbor day. li Johnny Appleseed has a modern counterpart It Is In the person of Charles Lathrop Pack, president of the American Tree association, who for many years has been going up and down the land preaching preach-ing the gospel of "Plant Trees!" Day and night he has hammered away on the need of a national forest policy. He has called on timber land owners own-ers and foresters everywhere to get together on s fire protection policy as the first step and to replace our vanishing forests by planting more trees, more trees, more, trees. Mr. Pack's plooeel work has resulted In the observance of American Forest week each year. The seventh annual observance of this week has been proclaimed by President Coolidge for April 2-1 to 30. and ill Americans are called upon by their President to Join in celebrating it by recognizing the need foi us to take the steps now which guarantee foi future generations the perpetuation of our forests So far as we do that we can all be Johnny Appl seeds and leave posterity In debt to us. |