19 



It is found wild in every part of the British isles 

 and in most parts of Europe. In its cultivated 

 forms, the leaves become larger, more downy, and 

 thicker ; the tree larger and more robust ; and the 

 fruit finer both in size, flavour, and beauty. 



The first fruitful age of the wild apple or crab is 

 usually from eight to ten years, but the periods which 

 seedling apple-trees require to attain sufficient matu- 

 rity to produce fruit appear to admit of much more 

 variation. Some do not produce blossoms till they 

 are sixteen years old ; others have blossomed in the 

 ninth and tenth year ; and a few have been known to 

 produce fruit at only five years old. These are very 

 extraordinary instances of early maturity ; Mr. 

 Knight having two only thus precocious in m*ore than 

 twenty thousand seedling trees that came under his 

 observation. {Knight on the Apple, 14.) 



The apple-tree has many things in common with 

 the pear-tree, but the leaf is more shortly mucronate, 

 less manifestly serrate, and subhirsute underneath. 

 The flowers tinged with red, and smelling very sweet. 

 The peduncle shorter. The stamens usually from 19 

 to 25 (in the pear 22 : Pollich assigns 1 9 as the 

 limit in the apple, 21 in the pear). The fruit round, 

 hollowed at the peduncle, depressed at top, less as- 

 tringent but more acid than the pear, and of a softer 

 texture. The apple has wood threads passing through 

 it from the peduncle, ten of which are regularly dis= 



