e
dog and horse and cow: first, perchance, from Greece to Italy, thence to
England, thence to America; and our Western emigrant is still marching
steadily toward the setting sun with the seeds of the apple in his
pocket, or perhaps a few young trees strapped to his load. At least a
million apple-trees are thus set farther westward this year than any
cultivated ones grew last year. Consider how the Blossom-Week, like the
Sabbath, is thus annually spreading over the prairies; for when man
migrates, he carries with him not only his birds, quadrupeds, insects,
vegetables, and his very sward, but his orchard also.

The leaves and tender twigs are an agreeable food to many domestic
animals, as the cow, horse, sheep, and goat; and the fruit is sought
after by the first, as well as by the hog. Thus there appears to have
existed a natural alliance between these animals and this tree from the
first. "The fruit of the Crab in the forests of France" is said to be "a
great resource for the wild-boar."

Not only the Indian, but many indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds,
welcomed the apple-tree to these shores. The tent-caterpillar saddled
her eggs on the very first twig that was formed, and it has since shared
her affections with the wild cherry; and the canker-worm also in
a measure abandoned the elm to feed on it. As it grew apace, the
blue-bird, robin, cherry-bird, king-bird, and many more, came with
haste and built their nests and warbled in its boughs, and so became
orchard-birds, and multiplied more than ever. It was an era in the
history of their race. The downy woodpecker found such a savory morsel
under its bark, that he perforated it in a ring quite round the tree,
before he left it,--a thing which he had never done before, to my
knowledge. It did not take the partridge long to find out how sweet its
buds were, and every winter eve she flew, and still flies, from the
wood, to pluck them, much to the farmer's sorrow. The rabbit, too, was
not slow to learn the taste of its twigs and bark; and when the fruit
was ripe, the squirrel half-rolled, half-carried it to his hole; and
even the musquash crept up the bank from the brook at evening, and
greedily devoured it, until he had worn a path in the grass there; and
when it was frozen and thawed, the crow and the jay were glad to taste
it occasionally. The owl crept into the first apple-tree that became
hollow, and fairly hooted with delight, finding it just the place for
hi