Orchards
After some interesting general remarks, Mr. Frazer observes in relation to the early orchards of this locality.
About 1785, some of the pioneers in Mahoning, then almost coextensive with the present county, planted small orchards. They were not deterred by the silly couplet, “He who plants pears, plants them for his heirs,” for, with right-minded men, planting for heirs should be motive sufficient. Afterwards, during the last decade of the century, most of those who had large farms planted their orchards. By the year 1812, these began to yield abundant crops, and the people within the boundaries of the present county were supplied with fruit, but much of it of a very ordinary quality; the “crafte of graftynge, alterynge, and plantynge of fruites” not having arrived at the perfection it has since attained.
One of the first to plant an orchard was General William Montgomery. Possibly John Simpson, his predecessor in the ownership of the town tract, may have planted a few trees. This orchard was in the immediate vicinity of the old stone mansion-house, now northeast corner of Mill and Bloom streets, and extended to Ferry street or beyond it, and north beyond Centre street. It was composed chiefly of apple trees, with a few peach, pear, and cherry trees; when in bloom it presented an attractive appearance.
And many a vernal blossom sprung, And nodded careless by.”
At the corner of the orchard, near Ferry street, stood a cider-mill and press, all of the olden style. The mill was composed of a wooden wheel, -six feet in diameter and a foot thick, with a shaft through the center, the wheel revolving in a circular trough or groove. In this groove the apples were placed, and by applying horse-power to the shaft, passed the wheel over and crushed them to pomace; this was then placed in a press of rude and simple construction, and the cider was expressed from it. This was the first mill of the kind I ever saw, and the first in the county, I believe. It continued in use until 1816 or later.
From the cider, apple brandy was distilled, which was more prized by some than whisky. Cider-royal was made by adding a few gallons of whisky to a barrel of it. The London vintner, it is well known, fortifies his weak wines with brandy. The cider-royal was a favorite liquor with the young who had not yet been educated up to the full appreciation of whisky. Cider, with the addition of apples, was boiled down to apple-butter, an excellent article for the table, still in use. To make this, required constant boiling for about twenty-four hours. The services of a young lady and gentleman were usually called into requisition on such occasions, and they generally found stirring apple-butter to be no uncongenial employment, for the process of butter making and courtship could, not infrequently, go on simultaneously.
Another early orchard was that of General Daniel Montgomery, on the eastern side of Mill street, partly on the ground now occupied by the Montour House. The trees bearing the choicest fruit were plainly designated by the number of clubs lodged on their branches by trespassers who took delight in stolen fruit. I have an indistinct recollection of a Fourth of July celebration, probably in 1814, in the orchard, and from this I have since had forcibly impressed on my mind the propriety of celebrating that day in a grove. I may here be pardoned for relating a trifling incident connected with that celebration. Provision had been made for a kind of picnic entertainment for the villagers and their families. Mr. Thomas W. Bell showed his gallantry by serving the ladies with refreshments; coming to one of more greed than manners, who emptied the tray of cakes into her capacious pockets, “Well,” said Dominic Fell, “some take one, some take two, but you leave none.”
Mr. Philip Maus had a large orchard on his farm, on the northern slope of an eminence between his homestead and the forks of the road to Mausdale. It contained good, but not the choicest fruit. It was one of the first planted in that vicinity. His son George devoted much attention to its care and culture, to
“Teach the trees with nobler loads to bend;”
and by building fires at many places in the orchard at times of late frosts, supposed he several times saved the crop of fruit, or part of it from perishing with the cold.
Beyond this orchard, on the Mooresburg road, were the small orchards of Justus Strawbridge, Lewis Maus, and Colin Cameron, of young and vigorous trees, but probably now large and ancient.
The next in date, probably 1791, was that of Mr. John Frazer, on the north side of the Bloomsburg road, and extending hack beyond Pleasant street, and between D and F streets. In this extensive orchard there was much choice fruit, all grafted, from the Burlington nurseries, then, or subsequently, famous under the management of William Coxe, the distinguished pomologist and author of “The Cultivation of Fruit Trees.” It made a fine appearance, and was in full bearing in 1815. Several trees near the house were almost of forest size, and produced excellent crops. The Pennock was a large apple, with seven synonyms: the Newtown Pippin, a famous keeper ; the large and rich Vandervere, a native of Wilmington, with its eighteen aliases; the luscious Harvest apple, earliest of them all; the Rambo, a native of Delaware, a favorite, which, around Trenton, was popularly styled the bread-and-cheese apple; the Romanite, a small apple, but a great keeper, of a dark cranberry color; the golden-hued Porter apple ; the Maiden’s Blush, a native of Jersey, the most beautiful of them all ; the Winesap, the Greening, the Russet, the large and luscious Spitzenberg, the Pearmain, the Doctor apple, which originated in Germantown, and doubtless others which have escaped my recollection. The Priestley apple had its origin in Northumberland, but was not very highly prized here. In this fine orchard, in autumn
“The wide projected heaps Of apples, which the lusty-handed year Innumerous o’er the blushing orchard spread,”
cheered those who, in pioneer days, had long been deprived of this valuable fruit. On the eastern side of the orchard was a row of cherry trees, which bore profusely, and afforded a good supply of that fruit for the neighborhood. Near by there was also a number of peach trees, bearing fine crops of that luscious fruit.
The cider-mill and press were of the best construction, built by that skillful workman, Jacob W. Maus. The mill was composed of double cylinders; the press was worked with a powerful screw, a foot in diameter. Eight or ten barrels of cider could be manufactured daily with them. I have seen none to excel them since.
Mr. Daniel Frazer had an orchard just east of his stone mansion; it was planted at a later period than the others ; the trees were young and thrifty, and bore good fruit, and were in good bearing in 1820.
These were all Philadelphians, who had in that fine market acquired a just appreciation of good fruit, and made laudable efforts to procure it. Some of the trees were obtained in that city, some at Burlington, and some at Northumberland. In the latter place several English emigrants had introduced many choice varieties of fruits, and devoted much care to their successful cultivation.
Mr. Paul Adams, a mile or two north-eastwardly from Danville, had a small but prolific orchard, chiefly of winter apples. I well remember at an early day seeing the trees bending under the burden of a luxuriant crop, and some of the boughs breaking off, notwithstanding the props placed under them for their protection. Mr. Adams was an elder in the Presbyterian church, a just man of most venerable, and, I may with no impropriety say, apostolic appearance; and this aspect was made the more impressive by his wearing a muslin cap of pure white on his venerable head, which was wholly destitute of hair.
Three generations have enjoyed the fruits of these orchards, planted on the borders of civilization by the provident early settlers, but several of them are now occupied by the dwellings of the citizens within the corporate limits of the borough.
In addition to these, John and Alexander Montgomery, the Sechlers, the Gaskinses, the Sanderses, the Diehls, the Rishels, the Fousts, and others, had orchards of which I knew so little, that I shall not attempt to describe them.
The apple is said by Professor Salisbury to be highly nutritious, and he claims to have demonstrated that it is superior to the potato in the principles that go to increase the muscle and brain of man. Doctor Johnson highly esteemed it for culinary purposes. He said: ,(If possible, have a good orchard. I knew a clergyman of small income, who brought up a family very reputably, which he chiefly fed on apple dumplings.”
Before closing, I must mention the noted peach orchard of Mr. Michael Blue, two or three miles out on the hills. He was a Jersey-man, and they are said naturally to take to watermelons and peaches. It was congruous, therefore, that he should have the best peach orchard in the settlement. It was an extensive one, of natural fruit, consequently of small size, but much of it good flavor, yet not such as would compete with the large and luscious fruit from Delaware and New Jersey, now offered by the fruiterers in the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York markets.
SOURCE: Page(s) 57-61; Danville, Montour County Pennsylvania; D.H.B. Brower, Harrisburg; 1881
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