268 DOMESTICATED ANIMALS AND PLANTS 



the Basque sagara indicates a name independent of Aryan influ- 

 ence. Being an ancient Iberian people, the inference is warranted 

 that the apple was cultivated there before the Aryan invasion. 



Candolle makes the broad statement that the apple grows 

 wild " throughout Europe, excepting in the extreme north," as 

 well as to the south of the Caucasus and certain districts of 

 Persia. At Trebizond, in Asiatic Turkey, the botanist Bourgeau 

 is reported to have seen "quite a small forest" of apples, and 

 there is good reason to believe that the tree grows wild in the 

 mountainous parts of northwestern India. 



The readiness with which the apple escapes from cultivation 

 and " runs wild " makes it difficult to set original limits to its 

 habitat, but botanists and fruit men are quite agreed, I think, 

 that this great fruit is a native of southeastern Europe and the 

 contiguous regions. 



Besides the malus proper we have the wild crab apples, grow- 

 ing in various parts of the north-temperate regions. The Siberian 

 crab [Pyrus baccatd) has not only been semidomesticated, but has 

 been hybridized with the common apple, giving Pyrus prunifolia, 

 with a foliage, as the name indicates, resembling that of the 

 plum. In this connection it ought to be remarked that the crab 

 apples of all species and varieties are inferior to the common 

 apple, fit only for cooking, or eating fresh when nothing better 

 is available. The foliage and bloom, however, are so abundant 

 and so beautiful that the crab has become a favorite tree for 

 ornamental planting. 



America has no less than five native apples, all crabs. 1 The 

 largest of these is the Oregon crab, which ranges from northern 

 California to Alaska, and is a real tree, often reaching a height 



1 " Evolution of our Native Fruits," pp. 249-273. This fascinating book is one 

 of Bailey's best, and should find a place on the shelves of every school library. 

 It gives a full account of the wild native fruits of North America, and is not 

 only a mine of information but a source of inspiration as well. Its reading 

 cannot fail to inspire the student through the wealth of natural resources in 

 plant life, and it is fortunate that the study could be made in America before, 

 as in the rest of the world, it should be too late. 



