THE APPLES OF NEW YORK. 3 



This species, baccata, in its pure forms is readily distinguished from the 

 apple, P. mains. The calyx is eventually deciduous, instead of persistent. 

 The leaves are firm, smooth, bright green and are borne on long, slender, 

 hard leaf-stalks. The twigs are smooth and slender. The ripe fruit is 

 brilliant in color, red or yellow, does not get mellow, varies from three- 

 eighths to three-fourths of an inch in diameter and is borne on long 

 slender stalks. The flowers are large and usually pure white. In some 

 of the hybrids, as, for example, Martha and Currant, the calyx is on some 

 fruits deciduous, or partly so, while on other fruits borne on the same 

 tree the entire calyx may be persistent; also the fruit is large and it is 

 clear that other characters which they show are derived wholly or in 

 part from either baccata on the one hand or from malus on the other. 1 



It is well to remark that the name crabapple is not applied exclusively 

 to the Siberian crabs and their hybrids but is popularly used to designate 

 indiscriminately small apples whether of the mains species or of some 

 other species, but the term Siberian crab is properly used to indicate the 

 baccata species and its kin. 2 



THE NATIVE HOME OF THE APPLE. 



The original home of the apple, P. mains, is not definitely known. 

 After examining the evidence carefully A. DeCandolle came to the 

 conclusion that it is most indigenous to the region south of the 

 Caucasus, from the Persian province Ghilan on the Caspian to 

 Trebizond on the Black Sea, and that from prehistoric times it has 

 existed in Europe, both wild and cultivated, over an area extending 

 from the Caspian Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, except in the extreme 

 north. 3 He cites it as being found wild in the mountains of North- 

 west India, but not in Japan, Mongolia or Siberia. 



Marlatt says, 4 " The apple industry in Japan is of recent origin, 

 say within the last thirty or forty years. * * * The varieties 

 are our varieties and have been imported from America with the 

 exception of some few European sorts. * * * Prior to the 

 introduction of this fruit from America it was unknown in Japan, 

 the native apple of Japan being a crab, grown more for ornament 

 than for fruit, and a very rare tree, unknown to most Japanese." 

 From the reports of Marlatt and others it appears doubtful 

 whether the Chinese knew this species until cultivated varieties 

 of it were introduced among them from Europe and America. 



1 See plate of Martha, in Vol. II of this report. 



= ?ee also Prof. Budd's discussion of this subject in Am. Hort. Man., I: 160. 1902. 



Or. Cult. Plants 233-236. 18^5. 



* Yearbook, U. S. Dept. Agr. 1902: 161 et seq. 



