46 THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



as far north as the Shetland Isles, are doubtless the 

 origin of the cultivated varieties. 



In these days of advanced horticulture the fruit of 

 the wild apple {Pyrus inalus), and of the wild pear 

 {P. communis), would hardly be regarded as "good 

 for food " ; but it is certain that in ancient times they 

 were both largely used. In the lake-dwellings of 

 Switzerland and Italy great quantities of wild apples 

 and a few wild pears have been found. " The in- 

 habitants of the terra-mare of Parma, and of the 

 palafittes of the lakes of Lombardy, Savoy, and 

 Switzerland," says De CandoUe, " made great use of 

 apples. They always cut them lengthways, and pre- 

 served them dried as a provision for the winter. The 

 specimens are often carbonised by fire, but the internal 

 structure of the fruit is only the more clearly to be 

 distinguished." And from a scientific examination of 

 these carbonised specimens it seems to be established 

 that many of these ancient apples were almost identical 

 with the wild apple of to-day. But even in the six- 

 teenth century the crab-apple of our woods was held 

 in far higher esteem than it is now. '' Roasted crabs" 

 served with hot ale was, as we learn from Shake- 

 speare, a favourite dish among our forefathers, especi- 

 ally at Christmas time. Another use of the crab-apple 

 was in the making of verjuice, of which mention is 

 made by Izaak Walton in his Cojnpleat Angler: 

 "When next you come this way," says the honest 

 milk-woman, " if you will but speak the word I will 

 make you a good syllabub of new verjuce, and you 

 shall sit down in a haycock and eat it." But we don't 

 care for such rustic delicacies now. 



Like the strawberry, the cultivation of currants 

 and gooseberries was unknown among the Greeks and 



