THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



fruit, the glowing descriptions of the sacred
writers would better suit the citron, quince
etc., than the apple.  Whoever will take the
pains to observe the apple tree in blossom oi
bearing, must admit that its beauty and fra-
grance fully answer the description of the Ss.
cred Volume. I can, perhaps, enlighten the
pomology of these critics, by informing them
tnat the present condition of the apples ol
Palestine is a very poor index of what they
were 3,000 years ago-all vegetable products
improve or deteriorate by good or bad man-
agement.
   : And God saw everything that he had made
and behold it was very good." Such, doubt-
less, were the apples of Adam's time, but the
nomadic character of succeeding generations
would insure the general deterioration of fruit;
yet, in exceptional cases, very good apples
may have reached Solomon's day. If the wise
man's apples were "crabs." when ho says,
"Comfort me with apples, for I am sick of
love," we must admit he was driven to des-
perate expedients.
  Beyond all doubt, the Crab or Wilding was
the prevailing type for several centuries an-
terior and subsequent to the Christian era.
At the bottom of the Swiss lakes have been
found the remains of a people so ancient as to
have no metallic instruments-older than
Rome-but among their stores was an entire
black and shrivelled crab apple. The ancient
Germans, Tacitus informs us, satisfied their
hunger with wild apples (Agrmetia poma),
among other things. The word for apples, in
several languages, traced to its root, signifies
fruit in general; but as this fruit has appro-
priated the generic term, it has proved its an-
tiquity, universality and importance. Hero-
dotus, Theophrastus and Virgil speak of the
apple. Pliny treats it largely, and says that
the Crabs or Wildings "have many a foul
word and shrewd curse given them on account
of their sour harahness."  He mentions sev-
eral improved varieties introduced by Cestine,
Manlius, Claudius, and others.
  Grafting was introduced previous to this
time. Columella, who wrote before Pfiny, de-
scribes several methods, and Virgil, born 70
B. C., says, (as translated by my friend, Prof.
Morse, of Wyoming), " And we oftentimes see
the branches of one tree inserted in another
without injury,-the apple ingrafted upon the
pear," etc. Christ, also, alludes to grafting.
  The Api or Lady's apple is believed to be
the Appiana, and by some the Petesia of Pliny.
  The dark ages was a dark time for apples,
but it is known that Agriculture and Horti-
culture were kept alive by religious establish-
ments, endowed with lands by princely pat-
rons   Cultivated apples doubtless owe much
to their fostering care.
  The ancient Celts knew the apple, calling
it Abliail, Aval, Avel, in different dialects.
  In 978, King Edgar, "while hunting in a



wood. lay down under the shade of a wild ap-
ple tree."  In 1175, Pope Alexander III con-
firmed tothe Monastery of Winchombe "lands,
orchards, meadows," &c. The fruiterer's bill
of Edward I, in 1292, mentions the ' Poma
Costard," which was grown so extensively
that the retailers of it were called Costard
mongers. The Costard is now rarely found
in England, but the Winter l'earmain, that
has a still earlier record, being cultivated in
Norfolk in the year 1200! is still extensively
grown and highly esteemed. (See Bhloointield's
History of Norfolk). The Pippin, the Romet,
the l'omineroyalc, :nd Marigold, are very ear-
ly spoken of. In a note-book, kept in 1580 t'i
1583, "the Appell owt of Essex, Lethercoi .
Russet Appell, Lounden l'eppen, Pearmenne,
Grenlinge, Bellabone.'2 etc., are mentioned.
The "Husbandman's Fruitful Orchard; pub-
lished in London in 1597, enumerates Pippin,,
Pearmains, Johu Apple,( Winter Russetings.
and Leathercoats.
  John Parkinson, who wroie in 162!, was the
first English author who gave anything like
a satisfactory account of Early English ap-
ples. Ile enumerates fifty-nine varieties, with
": twenty sorts of Sweetings, and none good."
Either lie w as very sourly disposed, or the best
sweet flavors were Xvery coy and slow to come
out, discriminating very unmercifully against
the ancients and in favor of us. Res, 1665,
mentions 20) varieties, I; of which were not
mentioned by Parkinson, from which we con-
clude that the popularity of some sorts was of
short duration, as is the case in our day.
Meager, 1670, gives 83, and Worlidge, 1676,
gives 92 varieties.  Fromn this period there
were sorts enough, the world knows, Coxe, in
1816, enumerates 133 varieties; Downing 182;
Ilogg's ' British Pomology " enumerates 942,
snd yet our "New American Encyclopedia "
takes the trouble to tell ats there are over 200
varieties.
It is well known that apples were introduc-
ed to this country from England by the first
settlers. "The Governor and Company of
the Massachusetts Bay in New England" in-
roduced apple seeds in 1628. Governor Win-
throp was granted Governor's Island, in Bos-
ten Harbor, April 3, 1632, on the condition
hat he should plant thereon a vineyard or
trchard-l suppose lie planted it. Orchards
were planted near Pawtucket, R. 1., 1636, and
at Hartford, Conn., 1645. Mr. Henry Coleman
says, "An apple tree growing in Kingston,
Plymouth county, and planted 1669, the year
of King Phillip's War, bore, in 1888, thirty
bushels of good fruit.' Pretty well for a tree
.69 years old-it was a " High-Top Sweeting,"
a favorite apple with the Colonist.%
The apple, like the pear, is tenacious of life;
our best varieties, with their owner's permis-
sion, will last from fifty to eighty years, and
ome hardy and vigorous trees have reached
at least two hundred years of ase.



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