APPLE TREES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 82, 3 October 1929, Page 22

APPLE TREES

THEIR HUMAN SIDE

THROUGH ALL SEASONS

PERSONALITY DISTINCT

Last night I sat in the lawn swing, in the shade of four old apple trees; and, looking up through the thick foliage at a tiny crescent moon, I thought of a bit of George Sand where she speaks of the v curious, fanciful shape of trees in the evening light. . I saw in that maze of limbs and boughs some of her dragons, satyrs, and gigantic wrestlers. This morning, writes E. M. 8., in the "Christian Science Monitor," those strange creatures are not-there; they have vanished with the night and other more friendly creatures fill "the twisted limbs. My orchard holds seven gnarled old apple trees that have watched over some, four generations, as these have dwelt in my Cape Cod house. They are "a brotherhood of venerable trees." When I come in through the gate they greet me with a fraternal eye. Their graceful forms are lovely through all the changes of the year. SPRINGTIME AND AFTER. In early^ spring they are a bower of fragrant beauty. Soon after the apricot and plum begin to pale, they open their clusters of pink 1 and white in a thousand little colonies of emerald leaf, wisely waiting until the green cells make a setting for ttieir perfumed charm. They are stormed with hurtling bees. Beneath them the • fresh sod, starred with dandelions, spreads a rich carpet, and the bluebirds and robins dart from their coral boughs. In midsummer the multitudes of sleek, round leaves shade great circles of the smooth-mown orchard. Orioles and wood-peckers call from their fruitcovered home, while bees and black flies dart in the sunny air. On n hot day I can always-find degrees that is stirring by. leaning against the thick trunk and 'there take an noonday nap,

undisturbed except by the thud of some windfall tumbling from the overcrowded boughs.

In autumn the choicest tree of the forest is the apple. His chief rivals are the* chestnut and persimmon; but he is king at this time, -the richest treasure bearer. Bed and'yellow fruit cumber the low-bending limbs. The apple tree and the stocked corn have become our symbols of the American harvest. We drive along the country roads, eagerly estimating the clustering wealth in the orchard plots, calculating on the barrels of ruby and gold spheres that will go off to the homes of men.

In winter I find strange beauty in the bare and storm-swept orchard. The sprawling trees have more of warmth and comfort than many of the denizens of the forest.

They rest in a resigned hope near by the dwellings of men, as if they were confident of early spring. There is a strength iii the orchard company, who go ou. together winter after winter, meeting the snow and ice in brave comradeship.

I find on consulting my books on pomology that trees are the high creatures of the plant world, as men are in the animal kingdom. The apple, while not as spectacular as some of its brothers, ranks with the most intelligent and responsive. HAWTHORNE'S WORDS. Mr. Hawthorne has a haunting bit of description in his story of the old manse where he'writes of its New England' fruit trees: "An orchard has a relation to mankind and readily connects itself with matters of the heart. The trees possess a domestic character; they have lost the wild nature of their forest kindred and have grown humanised by receiving the care of man as well as by contributing to his rants." There is scarcely a tree which is unfriendly. The great mass of them are the benefactors of the human race. Men, animals, birds, and plants would,suffer untold difficulty if the trees were suddenly swept from the earth. The coconut is a phenomenal example of mankind's dependence upon trees. It furnishes certain island natives with houses, boats, and furniture, with cloth, baskets, hats, bedding, paper, weapons, with drink, sugar, and oil.

There is a good comradeship between the owner and his orchard as he walks "among the ' trees he. has freed from rough bark, whose trunks he has brushed and painted, whose roots he has fed, whose branches have been pruned, directed, and propped, whose very, leaf has been sprayed, and whose fruit now hangs in perfection because of his un-

tiring care. While under my apple trees I sense what Lowell felt: Such mutual recognition vaguely sweet There is between us—surely there are times When they consent to own me one of their kin And condescend to me, and call me cousin. The apple has been continually co-op-orative and through its responsiveness has become man's symbol of provision, a token.of thanksgiving and plenty. From one part .of the world "to the other we f\nd this friend hovering about the homes of men. It is apparent from the deserted sites on Cape Cod, where only the cellar and chimney stand, that the first thought of establishing a home was to set a few apple trees about, and Johnny Appleseed tramped through the West, scattering seed in the forest clearings and leaving a multitude of trees to bless the land. A REWARDING BOOK. Some months ago I found a rewarding book, "The Human Side of Trees," which is full of the discoveries of the plant lover. The writers have a study of the temperament of trees, and in it somo striking observations. "The long-surviving oak" is the embodiment of rugged masculinity tempered by majestic mien. Its huge trunk is marked with the signs of stormy struggles as it stands courtly and undaunted. The elm is symmetrical, high arching, and graceful, well adapted to ' village streets and quiet lawns. Its vase-like form and soft spring foliage are the expression " of feminine charm. The pine is the tenacious hero of whom Euskin says, "It is trained to need nothing and to endure everything." The brave evergreen family are hardy folk who revel in sleet and ice as in bare, burning sands. The willow is a graceful, quiet hanging tree, related by the Hebrew psalmist to have been the hanging place for the mourner's harp. The yew is a majestic, musical creature/ shrouded like the cypress with mystery. The applo has a personality distinct irom its brothers. Its spreading irregularity and ability for unexpected contortion make it a tree of marked individualism. Seven poplars or seven maples would probably grow into some dsgree of similarity, but my seven Cape Cod-apple trees sprawl about in their own delightful way, twisting, bending, and achieving a natural grace that is unsurpassed.