Written By Alice Gibb
This is one of those quirky stories you discover when reading old newspapers on scratchy microfilm. In 1938, writer W.H. Johnston told the intriguing tale of an English family who settled in London Township in the early 1830s.
Once the settlers had enough acres cleared to think about planting crops, they became nostalgic for the wonderful apple crops they had left behind on the “old sod.” Imagining the taste of the crisp, sweet apples that they loved, one of the family wrote back to their native village. The request was simple – could you send us a supply of seeds from as many different varieties of apples as possible? Obviously customs regulations in that period were much more lenient than today!
When the seeds arrived, the pioneer family carefully planted them with dreams of an abundant orchard in their heads. Within two hours, however, they realized that one of the family’s hens had scratched over the plot and devoured most of the seeds.
The result was predictable – the hen soon lost its head. Family members found the seeds in perfect condition in the bird’s crop. Once again, they carefully planted the seeds, this time ensuring their survival by covering the future orchard area with brush. After all, they only needed one hen for the soup pot.
Within time, the enterprising settlers had a large and productive apple orchard that was the envy of their neighbors along Con. 10. While the owners did sell some fruit at a profit, being of a generous nature, they sold many wagonloads to neighbors for a quarter per load. Soon farmers all around Clandeboye were competing to buy the fruit every fall.
Across the road from the orchard lived Samuel Cole, whose grandson, W.S. Cole, later operated a drugstore in Exeter. About 1921, W.S. Cole’s mother asked him to drive her back to see the old family farm. She also wanted to visit Mrs. Salmon, then 99 years old, who lived on the orchard farm across the road.
These elderly ladies were the last surviving members of their generation. The two families had always been friendly, so the ladies enjoyed a great day of reminiscing about the past. It would have been wonderful to overhear their tales of almost a century of pioneer life.
Sadly, the productive old orchard of their combined pasts was now down to just one tree. And Mrs. Salmon, by that time, was the last surviving member of the settler’s family.
That orchard, with its welcome memories, might never have happened if someone in the Salmon family hadn’t looked out and realized that one old hen was determined to dine on English “apples” before the seeds even germinated!
