University of Virginia Library

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XLIII. XLIII

LEWIS TO JEFFERSON

XLIII. [From original MS. in Bureau of Rolls—Jefferson Papers, series 2, vol. 51, doc. 106.]

Dear Sir: I send you herewith inclosed, some slips of the Osages
Plum, and Apple. I fear the season is too far advanced for their success.
had I earlyer learnt that these fruits were in the neighbourhood, they
would have been forwarded at a more proper time. I would thank you
to send a part of them to Messrs. John Mason, & William Hamilton.
should they not succeed, Mr. Charles Gratiot, a gentleman of this place,
has promised me that he would with pleasure attend to the orders of
yourself, or any of my acquaintancies, who may think proper to write
him on the subject. Mr. Gratiot can obtain the young plants at the
proper season, and send them very readily to Mr. Trist if requested to
do so. I obtained the cuttings, now sent you, from the garden of Mr.
Peter Choteau, who resided the greater portion of his time for many
years with the Osage nation. it is from this gentleman, that I obtained
the information I possess with respect to these fruits.

The Osage's Plum appears to be a native of the country bo[r]dering on
the vilages of that nation, situated on the Osage river, a south branch
of the Missouri, about two hundred and sixty miles West from St. Louis.
the shrub, which produces this fruit is remakably small, seldom rising to
a greater hight than five feet; it is much branc[h]ed and the smaller
boughs are armed with long thorn-like or pinated twigs; in their native
state they grow very thickly together, and I think from their appearance.
might with a little attention, be made to form an ornimental and usefull
hedg. they produce their fruit every year, and generally in great
abundance. the fruit is a large oval plum, of a pale yellow colour and
exquisite flavor. with other fruits of this family it's matrix is comparitively
small; it comes to maturity about the begining of July, and begins
to ripen in succession on the same plant until the 20th. or last of that
month.

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The Osage Apple is a native of the interior of the continent of North
America, and is perhaps a nondiscript production, the information I
have obtained with respect to it is not so minute as I could wish, nor
such as will enable me to discribe it in a satisfactory manner. Mr. Peter
Coteau, who first introduced this tree in the neighbourhood of St. Louis,
about five years since, informed me, that he obtained the young plants
at the great Osage vilage from an Indian of that nation, who said he
procured them about three hundred miles west of that place. the
general contour of this tree, is very much that of the black haw, common
to most parts of the U States, with these diferences however,
that the bark is of a lighter colour, less branced and arrives to a larger
size, somtimes rising to the hight of thirty feet. it's smaller branches
are armed with many single, long, & sharp, pinated thorns. the particular
form of the leaf or flower I have been unable to learn. so
much do the savages esteem the wood of this tree, for the purpose of
making their bows, that they travel many hundred miles in quest of it.
The particulars with respect to the fruit, is taken principally from the
Indian discription;—my informant never having seen but one specimen
of it, which was not full ripe, and much shrivled and mutilated before
he saw it. the Indians give an extravigant account of the exquisite
odour of this fruit when it has obtained maturity, which takes place the
latter end of summer, or the begining of Autumn. they state, that at
this season they can always tell by the scent of the fruit when they
arrive in the neighbourhod of the tree, and usually take advantage of
this season to obtain the wood; as it appears not be a very abundant
growth, even in the country where it is to be found an opinion prevails
among the Osages, that the fruit is poisonous, tho' they acknowledge
they have never tasted it. They say that many anamals feed on it, and
among others, a large species of Hare,[1] which abounds in that country.
This fruit is the size of the largest orange, of a globular form, and a
fine orange colour. the pulp is contained in a number of conacal
pustules, covered with a smooth membranous rind, having their smaller
extremities attached to the matrix, from which they project in every
direction, in such manner, as to form a compact figure. the form and
consistancy of the matrix and germ, I have not been able to learn. the
trees which are in the possession of Mr Choteau have as yet produced
neither flowers nor fruit.—

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I have the honour to be with sincere esteem