﻿74 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  

  

  the 
  fruits 
  of 
  these 
  varieties, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   fact 
  the 
  wild 
  apples 
  of 
  different 
  countries 
  are 
  

   not 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  Alphonse 
  De 
  Candolle, 
  who 
  made 
  a 
  profound 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  probable 
  origin 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  cul- 
  

   tivated 
  plants, 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  

   apple-tree 
  must 
  have 
  had 
  this 
  wide 
  distribution 
  

   in 
  prehistoric 
  times, 
  and 
  that 
  its 
  cultivation 
  be- 
  

   gan 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  This 
  very 
  important 
  conclusion 
  by 
  so 
  high 
  an 
  

   authority 
  throws 
  considerable 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  between 
  cultivated 
  and 
  wild 
  varieties 
  at 
  

   large. 
  If 
  the 
  historic 
  facts 
  go 
  to 
  prove 
  a 
  mul- 
  

   tiple 
  origin 
  for 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  important 
  useful 
  plants, 
  the 
  probability 
  

   that 
  different 
  varieties 
  or 
  elementary 
  species 
  

   have 
  been 
  the 
  starting 
  points 
  for 
  different 
  lines 
  

   of 
  culture, 
  evidently 
  becomes 
  stronger. 
  

  

  Unfortunately, 
  this 
  historic 
  evidence 
  is 
  

   scanty. 
  The 
  most 
  interesting 
  facts 
  are 
  those 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  apples 
  by 
  the 
  Romans 
  

   and 
  by 
  their 
  contemporaries 
  of 
  the 
  Swiss 
  and 
  

   middle 
  European 
  lake-dwellings. 
  Oswald 
  Heer 
  

   has 
  collected 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  relics 
  of 
  this 
  

   prehistoric 
  period. 
  Apples 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  

   large 
  quantities, 
  ordinarily 
  cut 
  into 
  halves 
  and 
  

   with 
  the 
  signs 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  dried. 
  Heer 
  dis- 
  

   tinguished 
  two 
  varieties, 
  one 
  with 
  large 
  and 
  

   one 
  with 
  small 
  fruits. 
  The 
  first 
  about 
  3 
  and 
  

  

  