| Apple trees were the most popularly grown fruit tree | | | | that sold both apple trees and seed to be planted for |
| in colonial America and practically every settlement | | | | growing into trees in the 1800's. Over 2000 cultivars of |
| farm and backyard gardener planted this easily grown | | | | apple trees are listed as being grown today, many of |
| fruit tree, or easier, the seed of the apple could be | | | | the trees resulting from the huge apple seed dispersion |
| planted to establish a permanent food supply. Growing | | | | that was begun by the memorable ambition of Johnny |
| these apple tree products could be eaten fresh or | | | | Appleseed to entirely cover the landscape of America |
| could be dried and preserved in many different ways | | | | with the fruit of apple trees. |
| to eat at a later time. Historical instances on the | | | | Over the centuries, apple trees became susceptible to |
| existence of apple trees are documented from | | | | many disease problems such as fire blight; however, |
| folklore, legends, stone images on carved tablets, | | | | Dr. C.S. Crandall from the University of Illinois |
| petrified slices of apples on plates for tomb offerings, | | | | performed several backcrosses that involved modern |
| and overwhelming numbers of references from | | | | cultivars and the apple tree ancestor 'crabapple,' Malus |
| Hebrew Bible scriptures and innumerable writings from | | | | floribunda. The wild crabapple contained an immunity |
| poetry, songs, literary publications, and many other | | | | factor within its genetic composition towards all major |
| surviving accounts of all civilizations in the ancient | | | | bacterial and fungal diseases of apple trees. In 1989, |
| world. One of the earliest archeological evidences of | | | | researchers from the pomology department at Cornell |
| apple tree fruit comes from the remains of | | | | University extracted an immune fire blight gene from a |
| excavations from Jericho, Jordan, that has been dated | | | | nocturnal moth and transplanted it into an apple fruit, |
| 6500 BC by radiochemical analysis of carbon atoms. | | | | resulting in the total defeat of fire blight in that particular |
| The petrified remains of apple slices that were found | | | | apple tree cultivar. |
| in a saucer of an ancient Mesopotamian tomb, the | | | | Fruiting of apple trees is perhaps the most |
| burial site of royalty dates back to 2500 BC and was | | | | troublesome characteristic experienced by an |
| uncovered in southern Iran. In the ancient historical | | | | orchardist or a backyard fruit tree gardener. Most |
| accounts of the fruit of the apple tree, there appears | | | | cultivars of apple trees require cross pollination of two |
| to be an incomprehensible trail of evidence that no | | | | separate varieties in order to set fruit on the tree. |
| other fruit could match. The interest shown in apples | | | | It is necessary that the blossoms of the two apple |
| by the Greek and Roman philosophers, poets, | | | | tree flowers develop pollen at the same time, in order |
| historians, and literary masters was even extended to | | | | that fruit will be set, which can be a tricky problem to |
| Renaissance painters, royal chefs to the Tsars of | | | | correct. The simplist solution to pollinate apple trees is |
| Russia and too many other references to mention. | | | | to use the ancestor of the modern day apple cultivars, |
| In colonial America, apple trees were grown and | | | | the crabapple, which sheds its pollen over a long period |
| planted from seeds in orchards by William Blackstone | | | | of time and easily overlaps the apple tree cultivar |
| at Boston, Massachusetts in the 1600's. Early | | | | flowering period. Crabapple trees produce a fruit that is |
| documents on file at the National Library in Washington, | | | | much smaller than the common apple, but it can be |
| DC suggest that all land owners in Massachusetts had | | | | used in cooking in various ways, and it is loved by |
| begun growing apple trees by the 1640's. | | | | wildlife in the fall and winter when wildlife food is |
| William Bartram, the famous explorer and botanist, | | | | scarce for animals and birds. Crabapple trees are also |
| wrote in his book, Travels, "I observed, in a very thriving | | | | valuable when used as flowering trees that begin |
| condition, two or three large apple trees" in 1773, while | | | | blooming in early spring with huge clusters of pink, |
| traveling near Mobile, Alabama. It is important to realize | | | | white, and even red blossoms. Several outstanding |
| that these large apple trees found growing in Alabama | | | | grafted flowering tree selections are available, such as: |
| in 1773 could very easily have been grown from the | | | | Brandywine, Red Perfection, Radiant, and Spring Snow. |
| seed planted by Creek Indians. Those seed may have | | | | Apple trees are easy to grow, and if a gardener |
| been obtained by the Indians from American colonists | | | | purchases a large tree, he may experience fruit |
| on the Eastern coast of the United States at a much | | | | development even on the first year of planting and |
| earlier time or from French farmers who settles in | | | | growing. The selection of the proper cultivar of grafted |
| areas of agricultural land grants north of Mobile. | | | | apple trees is extremely important, because even |
| General Oglethorpe planned in 1733 to plant "various | | | | though the apple fruit can be grown in most areas of |
| plants, subtropical and temperate, which might prove | | | | the United States, the trees require different amounts |
| valuable for Georgian farms and orchards," according | | | | of chilling temperatures in order to flower. The |
| to William Bartram in his book Travels, published 40 | | | | interesting introduction of low chill cultivars from Israel |
| years later. William Bartram's father, John Bartram, trip | | | | makes it possible to experience apple growing and |
| to "East Florida" (Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas) | | | | planting as far south as Florida. Certain popularly grown |
| was, in part at least, an attempt to inventory the plant | | | | cultivars of apple trees in the United States today are: |
| resources of England's new acquisition-after expelling | | | | Arkansas Black, Gala, Granny Smith, Red Rome, Anna, |
| the Spanish from East Florida. | | | | Red Fuji, Yates, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Anna, |
| Many modern botanists believe that the improved | | | | Ein Shemer, and Golden Dorsett. Apples contain some |
| apple that we know today descended from the | | | | mysterious quality that can preserve it from |
| crabapple that is commonly interplanted with apple | | | | deterioration for centuries. Apple slices can be dried |
| trees for cross pollination. Old documents record that | | | | and kept delicious for long periods of time. This |
| fact "cultivated apples descended from crab-tree or | | | | mysterious characteristic may be recognized by man's |
| wild apple-Pyrus malus." Wild crabapple tree seeds | | | | association of paradise being connected and related to |
| appeared on the list of collected seeds in the Plant List | | | | Eve and Adam picking apples from a fruit tree |
| of 1783 of William Bartram and his father, John | | | | growing in paradise for their eternal pleasure, that was |
| Bartram. In William Bartram's book, Travels in 1773, he | | | | planted by God and described as the tree of life at the |
| "observed amongst them (fruit trees) the wild crab | | | | fabled Garden of Eden. We see this fruit of paradise |
| (Pyrus coronaria) in his explorations near Mobile, | | | | recurs in the history of many other ancient civilizations. |
| Alabama. Robert Prince established the first operating | | | | A similar account that we read as children in the book |
| nursery in the American colonies at Flushing, New | | | | of Genesis from the scriptures in the Hebrew Bible. |
| York, in the 1700's, where he offered apple trees for | | | | Perhaps this mysterious genetic quality of apples in |
| sale at his nursery that was visited by General George | | | | preservation makes it so important as providing |
| Washington, who later became the first President of | | | | medical benefits backed up by that memorable |
| the United States. President Thomas Jefferson was | | | | proverb, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." |
| planting and growing apple trees at his fruit tree | | | | Experiments from researchers in California have |
| orchard in Monticello, Virginia, in the early 1800's. | | | | shown that apple fruit is very rich in antioxidants, a |
| The legendary Johnny Appleseed was responsible for | | | | biological compound that combats, stroke, heart |
| the rapid development of the apple trees growing and | | | | disease, and many other health problems. |
| planting when he established a nursery in the Midwest | | | | |