Cultivated Elementary Species 75 



the other about 1.5-2 cm. in diameter. Both are 

 therefore very small compared with our present 

 ordinary varieties, but of the same general size 

 as the wild forms of the present day. Like these, 

 they must have been of a more woody and less 

 fleshy tissue. They would scarcely have been 

 tasteful to us, but in ancient times no better 

 varieties were known and therefore no compari- 

 son was possible. 



There is no evidence concerning the question, 

 as to whether during the periods mentioned ap- 

 ples were cultivated or only collected in the wild 

 state. The very large numbers which are 

 found, have induced some writers to believe in 

 their culture, but then there is no reason why 

 they should not have been collected in quantity 

 from wild shrubs. The main fact is that the 

 apple was not a uniform species in prehistoric 

 times but showed even then at least some 

 amount of variability. 



At the present day the wild apples are very 

 rich in elementary species. Those of Ver- 

 sailles are not the same as those of Belgium, 

 and still others are growing in England and in 

 Germany. The botanical differences derived 

 from the blossoms and the leaves are slight, but 

 the flavor, size and shape of the fruits diverge 

 widely. Two opinions have been advanced to 

 explain this high degree of variability, but 



