59 



and of a large part of Europe, It has "been cultira- 

 ted from time immemorial. There are a niim'ber of spe- 

 cies of the Wild apple in America, two of which ( Py- 

 rus Coronaria and Pyrus loensis) appear to possess 

 some value as possible fruit plants. The apple is 

 the most important fruit of the Temperate climates 

 and is peculiarly adapted to a large area of iTorth A- 

 merica, where it occupies a larger area than eury other 

 fruit. One feature which makes it so important is the 

 fact that when the market is glutted it can be dis- 

 posed of in more ways than any other fruit, A large 

 number of its varieties keep well, v/ithstand shipment 

 to and sell well in distant markets. The tree readily 

 adapts itself to great extremes of climate, soil and 

 other conditions. It is , in fact, the only fruit ±tea: 

 that lias passed the hoimds of luxury and become a sta- 

 ple article of food except in the tropics. Its range 

 extends, in the ISTorthern Hemisphere, from Scandinavia 

 to the moxintainous part of Spain, From ilew Brunswick 

 to the highlands of Georgia, And from British Colum- 

 bia to the mountains of '"exico. 



The great apple producing conntrios of the world 

 are the United States, Canada,, Australia and adjacent 



