270 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



Forms of large -fruited crabs are now frequently 

 discovered in the thickets of the West. The photo- 

 graphs of the Mathews crabs, shown full size in Figs. 

 52 and 53, will give an idea of the 

 size and beauty of some of these wild 

 fruits. These specimens were sent 

 Fi 53 m me by B. A. Mathews, of Knoxville, 

 Mathews crab. % Iowa, who is cultivating it. It has 

 Natural si*,. | very large, apple -like, 



smooth leaves. Mr. 

 Mathews writes that 

 trees of this which he 

 has in cultivation gave 

 fruit, in the fall of 

 1890, which "sold at 

 one dollar per bushel, 

 while good fruit of 

 Grimes' Golden, 

 Roman Stem and 

 others was selling for 

 fifty to seventy -five cents." Mr. Mathews adds : 

 "I saw specimens of another wild crab last fall 

 which reminded me of small Grimes' Golden. It was 

 the nicest one I have seen." J. S. Harris, Minnesota, 

 writes, "I saw a sample of native crab last fall that 

 was larger than the Soulard, and quite distinct 

 from ." 



The late D. B. Wier, of Illinois, once wrote me as 

 follows respecting wild crabs: "Along the streams 

 in northern Illinois I have seen many wild crabs the 

 superior of the Soulard in every characteristic, yet none 

 with qualities such as would give them much value for 

 cultivation, though many might be useful as culinary 



