WILD FRUITS OF PIONEER TIMES — FIRST ORCHARDS — PLANT DISEASE — INSECTS — INVESTMENT — BUTLER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY — SUCCESSFUL FRUIT GROWERS — ORCHARDS — NATIVE TREES — NATIVE FLOWERS.

The pioneer of Butler county had but little to encourage his horticultural instinct. He found but few, if any, berries and fruit growing wild. Then there was the wide expanse of prairie without a tree or bush to greet his eye, yet along the banks of the creeks was the always inviting timber. No "Apple Seed Johnnie" had preceded the pioneer into Kansas and there were only a few wild fruits such as wild grape, plum, pawpaw, and mulberry to be had. The only edible nut was the Walnut which was abundant along the streams.

It was no fault of Mother Nature that these wide prairies were not covered with valuable trees, shrubs, and wild fruit, for the destructive prairie fires swept the prairie and took everything before them.

The pioneer, before leaving his home in the East, saw on his map that Butler county was on the border on the great American desert, and the thought of making a home in the desert or even near one was not encouraging to the easterner. One pioneer told the writer that he came with fear until he reached Fort Scott, and there he found on the surveyor's records plenty of trees such as walnut, hackberry, oak and hickory, marked as witness trees, after that he hurried to take a claim.

The walnut trees, that gave the name to our Walnut river, were the alluring "something" that caused many families to settle in Butler county.

The first orchards were planted in the bends and protected places along the streams; they surely thrived and did well in these places. A trip in the early eighties of several thousand miles from Kansas, across Missouri and Illinois and up the Ohio valley and back, revealed no apples trees finer to look at or more heavily ladened with fine fruit, than these little Butler county orchards along the streams. The seedling peach and the native wild plum were the "upland" settlers' main fruit. They served the double purpose of windbrake and fruit trees.

The pioneer orchards are all gone now, for the diseases and insects

brought into the county have taken the pioneer trees as well as the present day orchards. For the same reasons it is now almost impossible to gather the wild plums that many children of the pioneer remember gathering by the tub-full. Who doesn't remember the good jam and preserves of the wild plum?

The settlers from the eastern part of the state brought with them the strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry plants and there were soon an abundance of the fruit, where the plants were set out and cared for. For some reason these berries would not grow wild in this county, even though they grew wild a few miles out of the county. In the adjoining county of Greenwood, the writer has seen the roadside literally lined with wild strawberries and the protected places along fences crowded with wild blackberry and raspberry bushes.

In the early eighties there were still many of the pioneer orchards left. Some of these apple trees measured six feet in circumference with the limbs and branches loaded with as much as forty bushels of marketable fruit. It was about this time that many orchards, in fact all the present day orchards, were set out. With these trees were brought in the many destructive diseases and insects to ruin the fruit and trees.

The study of these diseases has been nearly an impossibility on account of the nature of a plant disease. The organism causing a disease cannot be seen with the naked eye and hence it has not been known of, outside of the science laboratory. But at present the lack of knowledge of these diseases is brought home pretty close, for all our orchards and their products are being ruined by disease as well as by insects.

Without doubt the most destructive diseases, when they are present, are the rots, both black and brown rot of peach, apple, pear and plum. The apple, peach and pear scab, although bad in most localities, are not known to be present in this county. Apple blotch is a very serious disease on the fruit at present in the county. Then the blister canker is killing many of the apple trees. Of the berry diseases the cane blight and orange rust of the blackberry and raspberry and the strawberry leaf spot are the worst. Black knot of plum and peach leaf curl are very bad. Cherry leaf spot that causes the leaves to fall early in the summer will soon kill all of our cheeries.[sic] The fire blight on both apple and pear are ruining those trees. These diseases are all controlled by either cutting out affected parts or spraying with different concentrations of lime sulphur or Bordeaux mixtures.

Among the insects that are spoiling our trees and their products are the codling moth, canker worm, plum curculio and apple tree bores. These may all be controlled by spraying with lime sulphur or Bordeaux mixtures which contain arsenate of lead, paris green or some similar poison.

The pioneer found conditions for growing fruits much better than now for if he could grow a good tree he was sure of a good crop of apples, at least every other year. Smudge pots, pruning, spraying and all other modern treatments were unknown.

A glance at the figures of the money paid for trees, plants, vines and other horticultural stock, with the expense of developing such fruit to bearing, we would say they were quite impossible. One man in Butler county put $10,000 in fruit trees and the care to bring them to bearing age and $20,000 to maintain the orchards, and yet he has never received so much as interest on his investment.

Another thing that has been much against the horticulturist is that he has planted much that was not adapted to soil and climatic conditions. This is one thing the Butler County Horticultural Society tried to eliminate. The writer has seen as fine Bellflower apple trees as ever grew and yet they would not mature one bushel of apples. The same can be said of many other varieties. Yet that desire of the homesteader to have the "old home fruit" caused them to keep planting nonadapted fruits. Then, too, we must realize that this is a stock raising county and stop to think: Is there anything in common between the common stock raiser and the horticultural farmer?

It has been a discouraging proposition for the pioneer as well as the modern horticulturalist with rabbits, grasshoppers and drouth to contend with. Is it small wonder that we have so few fruit trees when there were 100 trees in 1890 to one in 1916.

The farmers, who loved the trees, vines and other beauties of the farm, organized the Butler County Horticultural Society in 1872 with Lewis Maxwell as president and M. D. Ellis as secretary.

This society was associated with the Agricultural Society for a while, but later disunited, and the Horticultural Society held its meetings at the homes of the members. The annual all-day meetings were always very enjoyable with the dinners, papers and discussions. This was a pioneer association which the younger generation failed to keep up. The pioneer who was most prominent with this association was W. H. Litson, who did much for the horticultural interest with his advice and his nursery of all kinds of trees, shrubs and vines, which he had on his farm near Benton. J. W. Robinson was creative in all his efforts to make the farm home more beautiful with fruit, shrubs and profitable forestry. R. J. Ratts was very active in his efforts for new and better fruits. Dr. William Snyder and son had a little nursery near Towanda and to make the home more beautiful was their desire. The quaint and genial character of Charles Moinheinweg is the one character sure to be remembered by all. C. C. Armstrong, Dr. M. L. Fullinwider, E. C. Rice, T. H. Jones and J. F. Thompson were for orchards commercially, and they set out many fruit trees in different parts of the county. Rev. S. F. C. Garrison, William Price, Harry Jones, "Sorghum" Smith, L. M. Parker and John Houser were all very much interested in horticultural pursuits, and they, with many others, set out good orchards all over the county. W. E. and J. W. Boellner had a small nursery at Leon in 1884. Mr. Wender had another small nursery just west of Leon, from which some fine trees were put out. He had hundreds of varieties and some of

his trees are still in bearing. Along the Whitewater valley, J. W. Robinson set out many good orchards on his farms. In fact, almost every pioneer home had a good orchard in that part of the county. The writer will never forget the fine fruit served the Horticultural Society at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Chain.

The largest orchard ever set out in Butler county was near El Dorado and owned by T. H. Jones and J. F. Thompson. There were 22,000 fruit trees and 250 acres devoted to fruit. There were 18,000 apple trees of thirty varieties; 3,000 plums of fifteen varieties; 500 peaches of twenty varieties; one acre of blackberries of three varieties; one acre of raspberries of three varieties; one-fourth acre of gooseberries of three varieties, 200 cherries of five varieties; quinces of three varieties; grape of twelve. Of all these varieties and fruits only a few paid, and of apples they were: Red June, Early Harvest, Maiden Blush, Jonathan, Grimes Golden, and Winesap. The plums and quinces never paid. Of the peaches, the Crawford, champion, and Elberta paid best. Of the apricots the Moorpark and Golden. Of the cherries the English Morella, Early Richmond and Montmorency all did well. Of the pear the Kiefer, Duchess and Seckle were best. Of the grapes the Concord and Woden; the Kittiteny blackberry, the Gregg and Mammouth cluster raspberry, and the Houton gooseberry all paid well. The orchards were set out and cared for and are now owned by the writer.

Dr. M. L. Fullinwider set out a forty-acre orchard that was the best cared for and paid best of any orchard in the county. The Ed Rice orchard never paid. The R. J. Ratts orchard was not a success, yet Mr. Ratts always had some good fruit to sell. The William Price and W. O. Rafferty orchards were both poor investments. Mr. Price cared for his orchard with much expense and grew fine trees but he never reaped what he expected.

The Jones-Thompson orchard was just about typical of all Butler county orchards. So from the records and experiences of the pioneer we can set out orchards and gardens of the best adapted varieties of fruits, and really hope to make them pay. The modern home orchard and garden should contain two Red June, two Early Harvest, two Maiden Blush, two Grimes Golden, five Jonathan and five Winesap apple trees; eight Early Richmond, two English Morella and two Montmorency cheery[sic] trees; five Champion and five Elberta peach trees; six Kiefer, three Duchess and three Seckle pear trees; 200 Kittiteny blackberry plants; 200 Kansas raspberry plants; 200 Dunlap and 200 progressive strawberry plants; twenty-five Houten gooseberry plants; twelve Concord and six Worden grape vines; 100 asparagus plants; twenty-five rhubarb plants and a bed of horseradish. With the home garden of the above varieties every home in Butler county can have an abundance of horticultural products the year around. These varieties have all been tried out on both upland and bottom land, and are most resistant of disease.

There was much more of the love for the beautiful in nature in the pioneer farmer, although he had the struggle to conquer, than the modern homemaker. In the meetings of the Horticultural Society the only thought was to make the farm home more beautiful with nature. Is this love for nature and care for trees past? And is the tendency of the modern farmer to destroy and "clear up" so as to make more money?

The native trees are a delight to the inhabitants of the county. Our cities are among the most beautiful in the state on account of the trees. Then our streams and rivers are lined with beautiful groves. Of our shade trees the elm ranks first. The white elm is first of all other elms—the red, the water and the cork.

The burr oak is as Lowell speaks of it,

There are few other species of oaks in the county; among them the Chincapin and yellow oak are most plentiful.

The black walnut, hackberry, pecan and pawpaw are much appreciated because of their edible fruits and nuts. The walnut, of course, ranks first with its beautiful foliage as well as its nuts.

The mammouth cottonwood, the beautiful white limbed sycamore and the white hickory are to be found in abundance along our streams and rivers.

The coffebean, honey and black locust, boxelder, buckeye, mulberry, and black ash have their place on the prairies, in the ravines, and along our river banks.

Last, but not least, are the willows and redbud. The redbud as a prophet is known by all, for who doesn't watch for the bloom of the redbud to tell when the fish will bite?

There are only a few native cedars in the county, although cedars are the most common evergreen. The most of them are not native. The Scotch and Austrian pine and Chinese and common arbivitae have all become quite well adapted to the soil of our county. The osage orange, catalpa, maple and persimmon are so well adapted to Butler county that they are often named among our native trees.

The timber along our streams and rivers has increased much since pioneer days. The pioneers set out groves of native trees on the prairie around the homestead but the prairie fires nearly ruined them. The remains can be seen of these groves but they never have really prospered. At present the natural re-foresting is doing much for our timbers and even making new groves where the young trees are allowed to grow.

The lack of education and culture did not find a place in the thoughts of the pioneer homemaker, for the flowers and natural beauties

appealed to them and made life worth living without it. The wife and mother of the home had her flower beds and flowering shrubs to care for. A pioneer home once viewed by the writer was beautiful with its tall lilac hedge, and various hedges of June roses, japonicas, and flowering almonds and currants, clumps of bridal wreath, flags and tiger lilies; the sweet williams, pinks, and many other beautiful annuals. It was not only these that made the home all that it was, for the prairie gave forth a fragrance and beauty that fixed on the memory of the natives of Butler county an everlasting heritage. From early spring with its adder's tongue, field daisies, violets, sweet williams, bleeding heart, heart's ease, wild roses, evening yellow and white primrose, mallow, foxglove, and spiderwort; to summer with its sunflower and fall with its aster, golden rod and cardinal flower. With all these beauties all around us we do not need to go abroad or even to any other state or county to see the beautiful.

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