XXIV.] PERSISTENT TYPES OF FRUITS. 385 



1660 by Evelyn, and it is still grown in England, 

 and Downing describes it fully in 1872. The Rib- 

 ston Pippin, which is probably the most popular 

 apple in England and which is well known in 

 America, is probably about two hundred years old. 

 Its history is clear for more than a century, at least. 

 The White Doyenne or Virgaleau pear is over two 

 hundred years old, and although this variety has 

 nearly disappeared in America, it has not run out, 

 as we shall presently see. The Bartlett pear orig- 

 inated in 1770. The Green Gage plum was men- 

 tioned as early as 1629, and it was probably then 

 an old variety. Similar instances are frequent, 

 especially in European fruits. It is obviously a 

 fallacy to say that certain varieties which were 

 grown a hundred years ago have disappeared because 

 of their age, when certain other varieties of equal age 

 are still in profitable cultivation. About two -thirds 

 of the varieties which M'Mahon catalogued in 1806 

 appear to have been lost, but the other third, which 

 still persists, contains some of our best apples. These 

 persisting varieties are as follows : Early Harvest, 

 Summer Queen, Margaret, King, Bough (or Bow), 

 Woolman's Harvest, Golden Pippin, Summer Pear- 

 main. Fall Pippin, American Pippin, Orange, Vande- 

 vere, Newtown Pippin, Monstrous Pippin, Holland 

 Pippin, Rhode Island Greening, Swaar, Yellow Bell- 

 fleur, Harrison, Hughes' Virginia Crab, Cooper's 

 Russeting. 



All these facts show either that age does not 

 determine the virility of a variety or that varieties 

 differ widely in this respect. It we can find satisfac- 

 tory reasons for the disappearance of these lost varie- 

 25 SUR. 



