1572. The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



north-western Himalayas. In many places it is undoubtedly an escape from 

 cultivation ; and its exact distribution as a wild tree cannot be defined with accuracy. 



It is apparently indigenous in Europe as far north as lat. 63° 49' in Norway, 

 and lat. 61" in Sweden. In Russia its northern limit passes through Abo in 

 Finland, Lake Ladoga, Tver, Jaroslav, and Kazan ; and it is said to be common in 

 the forests of the plain in the southern provinces and in the mountains of the 

 Crimea. It reaches in the Caucasus an elevation of 5000 ft., becoming a tree 30 

 to 40 ft. in height ; and extends from there into the Persian province of Ghilan. It 

 appears to be undoubtedly wild in the mountains of Turkestan, where it has been 

 collected by various Russian travellers. Aitchison found the apple only as a 

 cultivated tree in Afghanistan ; but, according to Hooker, it is apparently wild in 

 the north-western Himalayas, where it ascends to 9000 ft., and in western Tibet, 

 where it reaches an altitude of 11,400 ft. 



In central Europe, according to Ascherson and Graebner, the glabrous variety 

 is scattered throughout the forests, being more common in those composed of 

 conifers and broad-leaved species, and is usually seen in glades and on the margin of 

 woods. In the north-western German plain, the apple is often met with remote 

 from orchards, and is considered to be truly wild. It ascends in the Alps to about 

 5500 ft. elevation. 



In France, Mathieu also is of opinion that the indigenous apple is the glabrous 

 variety, occurring as a scattered tree in the forests of the plains and low hills, except 

 in the Mediterranean region. It ascends in the Jura to about 3000 ft. altitude. 



In Britain, the apple ^ is found apparently wild in copses and hedges from the 

 Forth and Clyde southwards ; and is undoubtedly wild in many parts of Ireland. 



In the eastern United States, it has escaped from cultivation, and is common 

 in woods, thickets, and road-sides, especially in southern New York, New Jersey, 

 and Pennsylvania.^ (A. H.) 



We must refer our readers to Loudon and to the Herefordshire Pomona for a 

 full account of the cultivated apples, which we have no space to describe in this work. 

 So far as I know, no variety of apple approaches the pear in size or age. Loudon 

 stated that near Hereford some attained 40 ft. in height. The largest cultivated 

 tree that I have seen is a tree in Lady Jenkins's garden at Botley Hill, Hants, 

 adjoining the house where Cobbett once lived. This is of the variety called 

 " Hambledon Deux ans," and in 1906 measured 47 ft. by 7 ft. and appeared sound. 

 I was told that it had borne as much as forty bushels of fruit in one year, and often 

 as much as twelve or fifteen bushels. Some of the last year's fruit was still edible 

 on 2 1 St June though shrivelled and partly rotten. 



The wild crab tree seems to attain as great a size as the cultivated apples, 

 though rarely seen under conditions where it has a chance to show its best growth. 

 In an album of sketches by Jukes of trees at Studley Royal, which I have seen 



1 Leighton, Flora of Shropshire, 527 (1841), states that the glabrous and pubescent varieties are both equally wild 

 and common. Bromfield, Flora Vectensis, 165 (1856), states that the pubescent form is extremely common and truly 

 wild over most parts of the Isle of Wight, in woods, thickets, copses, hedgerows, and rough bushy places. 



2 Britton and Brown, IHust. Flora N. United States, ii. 236 (1897). 



