Like these, they must
have been of a more woody and less fleshy tissue. They would scarcely
have been tasteful to us, but in ancient times no better varieties were
known and therefore no comparison was possible.
There is no evidence concerning the question, as to whether during the
periods mentioned apples were cultivated or only collected in the wild
state. The very large numbers which are found, have induced some writers
to believe in their culture, but then there is no reason why they should
not have been collected in quantity from wild shrubs. The main fact is
that the apple was not a uniform species in prehistoric times but showed
even then at least some amount of variability.
At the present day the wild apples are very rich in elementary species.
Those of Versailles are not the same as those of Belgium, and still
others are growing in England and in Germany. The botanical differences
derived from the blossoms and the leaves are slight, but the flavor,
size and shape of the fruits diverge widely. Two opinions have been
advanced to explain this high degree of variability, but [76] neither of
them conveys a real explanation; their aim is chiefly to support
different views as to the causes of variability, and the origin of
elementary species at large.
One opinion, advocated by De Candolle, Darwin and others, claims that
the varieties owe their origin to the direct influence of cultivation,
and that the corresponding forms found in the wild state, are not at all
original, but have escaped from cultivation and apparently become wild.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93