Jewels of an Indian summer
WE all hope for an Indian summer, that magical spell of warm, still, autumn weather between now and winter. The sun loses its summer harshness, the soil is moist but not saturated, and gardeners can plant, prune and mulch surrounded by late flowers, fruit and foliage.
The origin of this descriptive phrase has been traced back to a literary work penned in 1778 called . The author describes Mohawk country (originally the northeast region of New York State extending into Canada) and writes: “Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warm, which is called the Indian summer.” When this occurred, Native Americans could continue hunting before the snows started. Gradually the term gained
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