THE HISTORY OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF APPLES. 447 



Sickler experienced great poverty in his youth, and was successively 

 baker, organist, and parson. The last occupation gave him the oppor- 

 tunity to study fruits, and his writings on this subject were both good 

 and numerous. 



His classification was similar in many ways to that of Manger, 

 and was based mainly on the proportions of height and breadth. 

 The following table gives it in rough outline : — 



Order 1. 

 Round arch. 



Order 1. 

 Arch elliptical. 



Order 1. 

 Arch flat. 



Order 1. 

 Quite pointed. 



System of /. V. Sickler. 



Class I. 

 Height and breadth equal. 



Class II. 

 Higher than broad. 



Class III. 

 Broader than high. 



Class IV. 

 Narrow to eye. 



Order 2. 

 Shallow arch. 



Order 2. 

 Arch cylindrical. 



Order 2. 

 Arch upright; 



Order 2. 

 Blunt pointed. 



The objections to such a system are too obvious to require mention, 

 and it was soon overshadowed by the work of Christ (fig. 113), which 

 was published in 1797. This writer has hardly received the prominence 

 he deserves in the history of the Classification of Fruits, as the first 

 who made a real attempt at a natural system and to whom his followers 

 owed much. 



The son of a ducal official in Oehringen (Wurtemberg), Christ was 

 born in 1739 and studied for the Church. His inclinations for natural 

 science were always allowed free play, and aided him in his constant 

 efforts to improve the fruit culture of his district. 



When appointed to the living of Kronberg, near Wiesbaden, he 

 came to a fruit country and a centre of the nursery trade. The 

 confused nomenclature of fruits greatly needed attention, and his 

 excellent " Vollstandige Pomologie " was the outcome of his attempts 

 to improve matters. 



His classification was first published in his " Handbuch der 

 Obstbaumzucht," and is shortly set forth below. 



System of Christ. 



A. Calvilles. 



(a) large wide core. 



{b) ribbed. 



(c) Rose Apples, 



B. Reinettes. 



C. Pippins. 



D. Pear mains. 



E. Kantapfel (ribbed Apples). 



F. Flat Apples. 



G. Long pointed. 



H. Round, 



