266 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



more than three hundred miles north of St. Paul. 

 The Soulard of all other crabs is the most valuable. 

 It cannot be used as an eating apple. It is bitter, 

 worse than a quince, but for preserves it is quite 

 equal if not superior to the quince. We consider it 

 to-day the most valuable fruit grown in the North- 

 west." It is probable that too much was expected of 

 the Soulard crab when it was first introduced, and 

 that it afterwards suffered from the partial collapse. 

 Such au array of apples has now been introduced into 

 the cold Northwest — from the East, from Russia, 

 offspring of the Siberian crab, and local seedlings of 

 the common 'apple — that the Soulard crab and its kin 

 have been obscured. 



What is the botanical history of this Soulard crab I 

 So far as I know, this crab has always been regarded 

 as Pyrus coronaria, or as a hybrid between it aud the 

 common apple. Any one familiar with Pyrus coronaria 

 as it grows in the eastern states will at once observe 

 thai the leaves and short petioles and peduncle of the 

 Soulard crab belong to some other species. In my first 

 critical study of the Soulard crab, I became convinced 

 that it represents a distinct natural species, and accord- 

 ingly named it Pyrus Soulardi (''American Garden," 

 xii. 472), and this conclusion was fortified by the fact 

 that the plant occurs in a wild state from Minnesota. 

 apparently, to Texas. The technical characters which I 

 found to separate this plant from both Pyrus coronaria 

 and /'. loensis are the following: 



"Leaves round-ovate to elliptic -ovate, either 

 rounded or tapering at the base. huge, bluntly and 

 closely serrate or dentate -serrate when young, irregu- 

 larly crenate- dentate at maturity, with a tendency t<> 



