Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1904 — The Biggest Vine In Jasper County. [ARTICLE]

The Biggest Vine In Jasper County.

What was probably the largest grape vine in Jasper county, was cut down Tuesday. It was a wild vine, and grew in a tree in the yard at Judge S P. Thompson’s residence. Near the ground it was a foot iu diameter; but it divided into two brunches & foot or two from the ground, and eaoh of the branches was about eight inches in diameter. Thi vine oluug to an oak tree, iu the tiaditional olinging vine and supporting oak manner and olung so excessively close that it hugged tbe tree to death years ago and the tree was now about to fall, which made tbe cutting down of tree and vine a necessity. The vine had also extended its oaresses to a number of thorn trees in the! vioinity and they too had died ( from too muoh familiarity with the vine, long ago. People' who have been on Grape Island, in the Kankakee river, the home of many huge wild grape vines, say there was none there that would nearly compare iu size with this vine in Judge Thompson’s yard.