﻿Cultivated 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  75 
  

  

  the 
  other 
  about 
  1.5-2 
  crn. 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Both 
  are 
  

   therefore 
  very 
  small 
  compared 
  with 
  our 
  present 
  

   ordinary 
  varieties, 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  size 
  

   as 
  the 
  wild 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  Like 
  these, 
  

   they 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  woody 
  and 
  less 
  

   fleshy 
  tissue. 
  They 
  would 
  scarcely 
  have 
  been 
  

   tasteful 
  to 
  us, 
  but 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  no 
  better 
  

   varieties 
  were 
  known 
  and 
  therefore 
  no 
  compari- 
  

   son 
  was 
  possible. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  concerning 
  the 
  question, 
  

   as 
  to 
  whether 
  during 
  the 
  periods 
  mentioned 
  ap- 
  

   ples 
  were 
  cultivated 
  or 
  only 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  

   state. 
  The 
  very 
  large 
  numbers 
  which 
  are 
  

   found, 
  have 
  induced 
  some 
  writers 
  to 
  believe 
  in 
  

   their 
  culture, 
  but 
  then 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  

   they 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  in 
  quantity 
  

   from 
  wild 
  shrubs. 
  The 
  main 
  fact 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  

   apple 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  uniform 
  species 
  in 
  prehistoric 
  

   times 
  but 
  showed 
  even 
  then 
  at 
  least 
  some 
  

   amount 
  of 
  variability. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  the 
  wild 
  apples 
  are 
  very 
  

   rich 
  in 
  elementary 
  species. 
  Those 
  of 
  Ver- 
  

   sailles 
  are 
  not 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  Belgium, 
  

   and 
  still 
  others 
  are 
  growing 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  in 
  

   Germany. 
  The 
  botanical 
  differences 
  derived 
  

   from 
  the 
  blossoms 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  are 
  slight, 
  but 
  

   the 
  flavor, 
  size 
  and 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  fruits 
  diverge 
  

   widely. 
  Two 
  opinions 
  have 
  been 
  advanced 
  to 
  

   explain 
  this 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  variability, 
  but 
  

  

  