Who Was Johnny Appleseed 苹果核约翰尼 Chapter 10 The Legend Lives On

Twenty-six years after Johnny died, an author wrote an article about him in Harper’s New Monthly¹ Magazine. It was called “Johnny Appleseed—A Pioneer Hero.” Readers all over America enjoyed reading about Johnny’s unusual life. Imagine a barefoot man roaming² through the forest to plant apple seeds! Interest in him grew, and people wanted to know more about him.

Johnny didn’t leave any letters or diaries behind to tell us about his life. Luckily, a few people were so interested in him that they did some detective work.

In the 1930s, a Leominster, Massachusetts, librarian named Florence Wheeler decided³ to find out more about his family. She studied records that showed who owned land in the area and the dates they bought and sold it. Through birth and death records, she found more information.

We now know the names of five generations of Johnny’s ancestors. It turns out that he wasn’t the first person in his family to love apples. His great-great-great-grandparents grew apple trees in Massachusetts in the 1670s. And one of his relatives was a wealthy English count who did science experiments!

A woman in Ohio was interested in Johnny, too. Florence Murdock collected anything she found that was related⁴ to him. Her collection included articles that were published about him and old letters that mentioned him. She even managed to preserve leaves saved from trees he actually planted! Today her collection is part of the Johnny Appleseed Museum in Urbana, Ohio.

The legend of Johnny Appleseed continues to grow. Books and songs have been written about him. There are websites about him. In Leominster, there is a school named for Johnny Appleseed. There is even an official Johnny Appleseed Trail in northern Massachusetts.

Every September, Johnny Appleseed festivals are held in various towns. There are parades, games for children, and contests to see who can bake the best apple pies.

In Fort⁵ Wayne, Indiana, the Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park was named in his honor⁶. A monument there marks what some people believe to be his grave⁷. However, it’s uncertain if this is really where Johnny was buried.

Most of the trees Johnny Appleseed planted are now dead. But seedlings⁸ from some of his trees are now growing outside the Johnny Appleseed Museum.

Many other trees grown from seeds produced by his original trees still exist in the Midwest. So the next apple you eat could be related to one of Johnny Appleseed’s original apples!

APPLE FACTS

* AN APPLE TREE CAN GROW UP TO FORTY FEET TALL AND LIVE ONE HUNDRED YEARS.

* ABOUT 25 PERCENT OF AN APPLE IS AIR. THAT’S WHY APPLES FLOAT IN WATER.

* MANY APPLE FARMERS GROW DWARF⁹ APPLE TREES BECAUSE THE TREES USE LESS SPACE THAN LARGER ONES AND THE APPLES GROW CLOSER TO THE GROUND.

* A MEDIUM APPLE HAS ABOUT EIGHTY CALORIES.

* A BUSHEL OF APPLES WEIGHS ABOUT FORTY-TWO POUNDS AND CONTAINS ABOUT 115 MEDIUM-SIZE APPLES.

* THE BIGGEST APPLE ON RECORD WAS GROWN ON A FARM IN ENGLAND. IT WEIGHED 3 POUNDS 11 OUNCES¹⁰ AND WAS 21 ? INCHES AROUND.

* SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD KATHY WAFLER MADISON MADE THE WORLD’S LONGEST UNBROKEN APPLE PEEL IN 1976, IN NEW YORK. IT WAS 172 FEET 4 INCHES LONG.

* APPLES ARE A MEMBER OF THE ROSE FAMILY.

* THE SCIENCE OF FRUIT GROWING IS CALLED POMOLOGY.

* AMERICAN COLONISTS¹¹ SOMETIMES CALLED APPLES “WINTER BANANAS.”

* APPLES ARE GROWN IN ALL FIFTY STATES. THE STATES THAT GROW THE MOST APPLES ARE WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, MICHIGAN, CALIFORNIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND VIRGINIA.

* THE COUNTRIES THAT GROW THE MOST APPLES ARE CHINA, UNITED STATES, TURKEY, POLAND, AND ITALY.

* WHEN AN APPLE IS CUT IN HALF CROSSWAYS, YOU’LL SEE A FIVE-POINTED-STAR PATTERN AT ITS CORE¹². EACH OF THE FIVE SECTIONS HOLDS EITHER ONE OR TWO SEEDS. SO THERE ARE BETWEEN FIVE AND TEN SEEDS IN AN APPLE.
 

1 monthly   

adj.每月的，持续一个月的，每月发生的；adv.每月，按月； n.月刊；(复数）monthlies:月经

参考例句：

• The rent on his apartment was his biggest monthly expense.他的房租是每个月最大的开支。
• The monthly rent is $15,inclusive of light and water.每月租金15美元，包括水电费在内。

2 roaming   

随便走( roam的现在分词 )； 漫步； 眼睛或手 （缓慢地）扫遍； 摸遍

参考例句：

• After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Canada. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在加拿大定居了下来。
• After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Quebec. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在魁北克定居了下来。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

5 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

6 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

7 grave   

n.墓穴，坟墓，雕刻工，抑音；adj.庄重的，严肃的，重大的，低沉的；vt.雕刻

参考例句：

• Marriage is the grave of love.婚姻是爱情的坟墓。
• This is a very grave matter indeed.这问题的确非常严重。

8 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

10 ounces   

n.盎司( ounce的名词复数 )；少量，一点儿

参考例句：

• Six ounces of cheese, please. 请称6盎司的乳酪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Xiangzi bought four ounces of liquor and three coppers worth of peanuts. 祥子要了四两白干，三个大子儿的落花生。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

11 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 core   

n.中心；核心；(苹果、梨等果实的)果心

参考例句：

• We didn't get to the core of the subject.我们没触及问题的核心。
• The pear is rotten to the core.这梨全烂了。