Johnny Appleseed is described as a man of medium height, blue eyes, long, light-brown hair, slender figure, wiry and alert. He wore but little clothing and that, for the most part, was obtained by trading apple trees to the settlers for cast-off garments. Often, while traveling through the forest his only garment was a coffee sack with holes cut in it for his head and arms. He said clothes should not be worn for adornment – only for comfort. He went barefoot most of the time, even in winter. Reports indicate that he was a vegetarian, eating no meat or fish. He believed it was wrong to take life in order to procure food. This likely contributed to his zeal for urging people to plant and grow fruit.
He rarely sought shelter in a house, and when he did so would usually sleep on the floor before the fireplace with his kit for a pillow. Except in very bad weather he preferred to sleep in the open forest or out of doors in the
shelter of a shed or other weather breaker.
Half poet-philosopher, half mystic, perhaps out of phase with the goals and aspirations of his contemporaries, but infinitively attuned to the larger harmony of the Universe, Johnny Appleseed occupies a special place in the long line of dreamers, innovators and statesmen who have contributed to America's greatness.
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