3 io THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



(Pyrus Mains), is indigenous to the British Isles, it is equally so in other temperate 

 regions of the globe. 



It does not succeed beyond 00 north latitude, the cultivated varieties requiring to 

 foe grown against walls in the Orkney isles; but although not succeeding in the coldest 

 parts of Europe, it is equally impatient of a high temperature and dry atmosphere : con- 

 sequently the fruit does not obtain the excellence south of 50 north latitude that it 

 docs between 50 and 55. Increased sun heat without a corresponding amount of 

 moisture may give colour, but it is in this particular case destructive of juice ; therefore, 

 we stand unique in our advantages of warmth from the Gulf Stream and of moisture from 

 our insular position, the most wholesome, lasting, and generally useful fruit attaining a 

 combination of qualities in this country not excelled in any part of the world. 



The supposition that the progenitors-of the existing varieties of apples were introduced 

 from the Continent, and not originated here by cultivation, selection, and cross fertilisation 

 of improvements on the crab is not only unpatriotic but ill founded. Nature gives evolu- 

 tions slowly, yet surely. In the wild state there are crabs and crab-apples, and our pre- 

 decessors in cultivation would not be backward in availing themselves of manifest improve- 

 ments in whatever way they might originate. Dr. Hogg, the greatest living authority 

 on pomology, states in his extremely valuable work, " The Fruit Manual," that the Api 

 or Lady apple was first discovered as a wildling in the forest of Api in Brittany, also that 

 it was alleged to have been brought from Peloponnesus to Eome by Appius Claudius ; 

 but it was not known in this country till towards the close of the seventeenth century, 

 when we had such excellent varieties as Golden Reinettc, Golden Russet, Juneating, Royal 

 Russet, and Summer Pcarmain ; and not only those but others distinguished by local names, 

 such as Devonshire Quarrenden, Kentish Pippin, London Pippin, Ribston Pippin in 

 Yorkshire, and Oslin in Scotland. At the same time Ave had Calville Blanche, a Con- 

 tinental variety ; but none showing our particular indebtedness to the continent of Europe. 

 True we had Borsdorffer from Germany in 1785, but the Scotch Hawthornden was known 

 in London about 1790. Gravenstein came from Germany, and English-grown fruits 

 were first exhibited in 1819 ; Duchess of Oldenburg and Emperor Alexander from 

 Russia, and Red Astrachan from Sweden in 1818. But a shoemaker at Iveswick, named 

 Greenup, had in his garden Greenup's Pippin, or Yorkshire Beauty, at the close of the 

 iast century, and we had already begun to import trees from our progeny in America, 

 Newtown Pippin being cultivated here in 1768. Our indebtedness to continental 

 Europe for apples as parents of our best varieties is, therefore, over-estimated. We 



