350 INTRODUCTION OF THE APPLE AGE SOIL. 



dening, a catalogue of two hundred and forty-one 

 apples, and of one hundred and fifteen pears ; and 

 these are by no means all which are to be found in 

 this country. 



The history of the introduction of the apple-tree 

 into this country is not exactly known ; but it is 

 conjectured that it was first introduced by the Ro- 

 mans, to whom twenty-two varieties were known in 

 Pliny's time ; and that afterwards, at the conquest, 

 the stock of varieties was greatly increased ; it is said 

 that, Pepins were brought into England by Mascal, 

 who wrote on fruit-trees in 1572. It has been said, 

 too, that the apple-tree has attained the age of a 

 thousand years; but there is little doubt that it 

 often arrives at, and sometimes exceeds, the age of 

 two hundred years. Some apple-trees attain an 

 enormous size. If a tree produces ten or twelve 

 bushels, it is, however, generally considered a large 

 crop ; but some trees in the West of England oc- 

 casionally produce apples enough to make five or six 

 hogsheads of cider of sixty-three gallons each, old 

 wine measure : thirteen bushels being there usually 

 considered sufficient to produce one hogshead of 

 cider. 



Philips, in his poem, describes the soil, &c. best 

 adapted to apple-trees ; but we must not forget, 

 that his precepts are written, chiefly, if not entire- 

 ly, for the climate, soil, and seasons of Hereford- 

 shire ; and that although some of those precepts are 

 good when applied to particular cider districts, yet 

 to others they are not always applicable. In the 

 level districts of Somersetshire, for example, the 



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